Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Bismillahir- Rahmanir-Rahim
1. Opening
Friends who are blessed by Allah, perhaps many of us have long misunderstood the word “zuhd.” When we hear zuhd or asceticism, what comes to mind is someone who isolates himself on a mountaintop, wears tattered clothes, rejects marriage, or lives in extreme poverty until he eventually becomes a financial burden to others.Know that this is not the zuhd taught by Islam! Letting go of the world does not mean we must become poor or passive in life. True zuhd lies not in how empty our wallet is, but in our ability to remove the world from our hearts and keep it only in our hands.Psychologically and mentally, placing the world in the hand while keeping the heart clean is the art of detachment. When wealth is in the hand, we control it to do good. But if wealth has entered the heart, then wealth will drive us, colonize us, and leave our souls constantly plagued by anxiety.Islam actually strongly encourages its followers to be independent, hardworking, and productive so they can bring widespread benefit to others.
Rasulullah ﷺ said regarding the importance of economic independence:
اَلْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى
“The upper hand [that gives] is better than the lower hand [that asks].”
[HR. Bukhārī and Muslim]
The hallmark of a strong Muslim’s discipline—spiritually, mentally, and financially—is a character deeply beloved by Allah SWT. Rasulullah ﷺ affirmed this in a soul-soothing hadith:
اَلْمُؤْمِنُ الْقَوِيُّ خَيْرٌ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ الضَّعِيفِ
“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer.”[HR. Muslim]
2. Lessons and Message
Let us look at the story of the life of Caliph ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz. Before becoming caliph, he was a very wealthy young man, an enjoyer of the finest worldly luxuries, and wore the most expensive clothes. Yet when the trust of the caliphate fell upon his shoulders, he immediately returned all his personal wealth to the state treasury. He chose to live very simply, even owning only one garment that often had to be patched.One day, his little daughter sobbed on the day of Eid al-Fitr. When ʿUmar asked, “Why are you crying, my daughter?” She answered sadly, “My friends are wearing new clothes on Eid, while I’m only wearing this old, worn-out one.” ʿUmar shed tears too, then hugged his daughter with full love and whispered, “My child, the beauty of Eid is not in new clothes, but in our increased Allah-consciousness [taqwā] toward Allah.” ʿUmar is a real example of someone who held the world in his hand, yet emptied his heart of worldly glitter to attain Allah’s pleasure. Truly a moving steadfastness of soul.
So we can easily distinguish between the world in the hand and the world in the heart, let us use a simple, thought-provoking analogy.Imagine you are on a wooden boat in the middle of a vast ocean. Around your boat, there is an abundance of seawater. Will your boat sink if the seawater is only around and beneath it? Of course not! In fact, that seawater is what supports your boat so it can sail to its destination island. But what happens if the boat springs a leak, and seawater starts entering and pooling inside the hull? It is only a matter of time before the boat will surely capsize and sink to the ocean floor!
The funny thing is, many people today do not realize that the boat of their heart has a leak. That seawater is wealth, position, and popularity [the world]. Putting the world in your hand is like keeping the water outside the boat: You have a luxury car, a grand house, lots of money, but all of it is used to help others and worship. Meanwhile, a person with ḥubb al-dunyā [love of the world] is someone whose heart-boat is leaking. He does not have much money, but his lifestyle is sky-high; if he loses even a little, he immediately gets stressed, rolls on the floor crying, and blames destiny. That means the world has entered the hull of his heart! Let the boat of our life not sink just because we forgot to patch our heart’s leaks from worldly snares.
3. Conclusion & Closing
Friends, the profound moral message from this formula of true zuhd is a teaching to become strong, firm, and independent Muslims. Go ahead and pursue your dreams, do business, become successful and wealthy. Be the upper hand that helps Allah’s religion and aids others. But always remember the formula: place all that worldly success only in the palm of your hand; never allow it to enter and reign in your heart. That way, when the world comes, we will not be arrogant; and when the world leaves or is taken back by Allah, our hearts remain calm—because what is lost is only what was in the hand, not what was in the heart.
May Allah SWT grant us the strength to become strong, independent believers who possess true zuhd.
. والله أعلم بالصواب
الحمد لله رب العالمين
Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
Abu Sultan Al-Qadrie
