The Main Idea: A Statement on the Concept of الزهد (Asceticism) and its Fruits
الزهد is a means of attaining the love of Allah and the love of people. Many people misunderstand the meaning of this concept, due to the exposure of other cultures and sects which disfigure the meaning of this word.
"دلّني على عمل إذا أنا عملته أحبني الله و أحبني الناس"
The Companion asked about two great things:
- How to Acquire Allah's Love (And this is the greater of the two)
- How to Acquire the Love of People.
Acquiring Allah's Love
This Question indicates:
- The ambition and aspiration of the asker. The ultimate ambition of the believer is to gain the love of Allah.
- The awareness of the Companion that the love of Allah cannot be acquired by mere wishing but by continuous perusal (i.e. One should do what makes him acquire Allah's Love). Attaining Allah's Love begins with acquiring knowledge, which teaches us the means which make a person eligible to attain the love of Allah. We retrieve our knowledge from the Quran and Sunnah.
In order to acquire Allah's Love, one should do what Allah loves of acts. It is not a matter of selection; the path of reaching Allah's Love is prescribed, in order that a person does not fall into innovation nor polytheism, as the people of Quraish did. They worshipped idols, as mentioned in Surah Az-Zumar [39:3]:
"Surely, the religion (i.e. the worship and the obedience) is for Allah only. And those who take Auliya' (protectors and helpers) besides Him (say): "We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allah." Verily, Allah will judge between them concerning that wherein they differ. Truly, Allah guides not him who is a liar, and a disbeliever."
Another example is the People of the Scriptures. Allah said in Surah Al-Hadid [57:27]:
"Then, We sent after them, Our Messengers, and We sent 'Iesa (Jesus) - son of Maryam (Mary), and gave him the Injeel (Gospel). And We ordained in the hearts of those who followed him, compassion and mercy. But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them, but (they sought it) only to please Allah therewith, but that they did not observe it with the right observance. So We gave those among them who believed, their (due) reward, but many of them are Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah)."
Another example are the Sufis, who invented heretical ways, believing that it would bring them closer to Allah. There is only one way that leads us to Allah's Love, as Allah mentioned in Surah Aal-Imran [3:31]:
"Say (O Muhammad ﷺ to mankind): "If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Quran and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
The Attribute of Allah's Love
Love is one of the attributes of Allah. We believe in it without:
- Negating
- Distorting
- Resembling
- Equating
Allah said in Surah Aal-Imran [3:134]:
"Those who spend [in Allah's Cause - deeds of charity, alms, etc.] in prosperity and in adversity, who repress anger, and who pardon men; Verily, Allah loves Al-Muhsinun (the good-doers)"'
Allah's Love is a real love, contrary to what those who negate this attribute say. They say that the meaning of Allah's Love carries the meaning of what results of Love; which is protection and care. This is contrary to the Aqeedah of Ahlus-Sunnah, who believe in the attributes of Allah as He mentioned them, and describe Him as He described Himself, not according to the our limited minds. In addition, we believe that His Attributes are unlike us. Allah says in Surah Shura [42:11]:
"The Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you mates from yourselves, and for the cattle (also) mates. By this means He creates you (in the wombs). There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer."
How to Acquire Allah's Love
Allah said in Surah Aal-Imran [3:134]:
"Those who spend [in Allah's Cause - deeds of charity, alms, etc.] in prosperity and in adversity, who repress anger, and who pardon men; verily, Allah loves Al-Muhsinun (the good-doers)."
And in Surah Aal-Imran [3:159]:
"And by the Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over (their faults), and ask (Allah's) Forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him)."
And in Surah Al-Maa'idah [5:42]:
"(They like to) listen to falsehood, to devour anything forbidden. So if they come to you (O Muhammad ﷺ), either judge between them, or turn away from them. If you turn away from them, they cannot hurt you in the least. And if you judge, judge with justice between them. Verily, Allah loves those who act justly."
And there are many more means mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah.
Acquiring the Love of People
If one acquires Allah's Love, Allah will consequently cast the love of this person in the hearts of people.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إن الله تعالى إذا أحب عبدًا دعا جبريل، فقال : إني أحب فلانًا فأحببه، فيحبه جبريل، ثم ينادي في السماء، فيقول: إن الله يحب فلانًا، فأحبوه فيحبه أهل السماء، ثم يوضع له القبول في الأرض، وإذا أبغض عبدًا دعا جبريل فيقول: إني أبغض فلانًا، فأبغضه، فيبغضه جبريل، ثم ينادي في أهل السماء، إن الله يبغض فلانًا، فأبغضوه، ثم توضع له البغضاء في الأرض
When Allah loves a slave, He calls Jibril (Gabriel) and says: 'I love so-and-so; so love him.' And then Jibril loves him. Then he (Jibril) announces in the heavens saying: Allah loves so-and-so; so love him; then the inhabitants of the heavens (the angels) also love him; and then people on earth love him. And when Allah hates a slave, He calls Jibril and says: 'I hate so- and-so, so hate him.' Then Jibril also hates him. He (Jibril) then announces amongst the inhabitants of heavens: 'Verily, Allah hates so- and-so, so you also hate him.' Thus they also start to hate him. Then he becomes the object of hatred on the earth also". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The Companion asked him to direct him to one single act (على عمل), and the Prophet ﷺ replied with one single act, and it is Az-Zuhd:
"ازهد في الدنيا يحبك الله"
What do we mean by الزهد?
ازهد is a command of the infinitive الزهد, its past is زهد, and the present is يزهد.
Linguistic Meaning: Abandoning a little matter; belittling its significance, and exchanging it for what is more significant.
Religious Meaning: Some of the definitions are:
-> Not giving importance to worldly matters and things.
-> To be more certain in what is in Allah's Hands than what you or others have in their hands
-> Ibn Taymiyah said it is abandoning what does not bring about benefit in the hereafter.
Imam Ahmed divided الزهد into three types:
1) Abandoning the Prohibitions. This is the obligatory زهد of the common people.
2) Abandoning what is not necessary of the Halal Matters. This is the زهد of الخاصة (The distinguished, special people)
3) Abandoning anything which will busy one from Remembering Allah. This is the best type of زهد and is practiced by أهل المعرفة (The People who have deep knowledge of the Religion)
The act of زهد is an Act of the Heart. You get it when you rid the love of the Dunya from your heart; you keep it in your hand and not in your heart, while putting in the love of the Hereafter in your heart.
Allah describes this life in the Quran. In Surah Al-Hadid [57:20]:
"Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children, as the likeness of vegetation after rain, thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller; afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw. But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment (for the disbelievers, evil-doers), and (there is) Forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (for the believers, good-doers), whereas the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment."
This shows us the fakeness and shortness of this life. There are many texts in the Quran and Sunnah which encourage the believer to renounce this worldly life. In Surah An-Nahl [16:96]:
"Whatever is with you, will be exhausted, and whatever with Allah (of good deeds) will remain. And those who are patient, We will certainly pay them a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do."
The Prophet ﷺ said:
كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ، أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ
"Remain in this world as though you are a stranger or passing traveler" [Bukhari #6416]
And he ﷺ said:
حب الدنيا رأس كل خطيئة
"Love of the Dunya is the head of all sins" [Shu'b Al-Iman, Al-Bayhaqi]
And he ﷺ said,
لَوْ كَانَتِ الدُّنْيَا تَعْدِلُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ جَنَاحَ بَعُوضَةٍ مَا سَقَى كَافِرًا مِنْهَا شَرْبَةَ مَاءٍ
"If the world to Allah was equal to a mosquito's wing, then He would not allow the disbeliever to have a sip of water from it." [At-Tirmithi #2320]
There are two main rules concerning this worldly life:
-> If anyone chases the Dunya, the Dunya will run away from him. If anyone turns his back away from the Dunya, it will run after him.
-> It is impossible for the believer to collect two loves of the Dunya and Hereafter equally in his heart. One will overpower the other. One of the Tabi'een used to say, "Loving this life and loving the next life are like two sides of a scale. If one is heavier than the other, the other will be lighter"
If we are engrossed in this life, it will distract our intentions from the hereafter. If you busy yourself with the joys of this life, the joys of this life will divert you from the hereafter.
When one looks back at his past years, he comments on how quick it passed. There is no old person who does not feel like the decades he lived was no more than a few years. This is the nature of the worldly life. Allah mentioned this fact in the Quran, for example in Surah Al-Mu'minoon [23:112-114]:
"He (Allah) will say: "What number of years did you stay on earth?"
"They will say: "We stayed a day or part of a day. Ask of those who keep account."
"He (Allah) will say: "You stayed not but a little, if you had only known!"
Why is it better for the person to practice الزهد?
-> When many people of knowledge realized the reality of this life and its deceptive nature, they practiced الزهد. There are many texts from the Quran and Sunnah which mention and belittle the significance of this worldly life, describing it as a short, deceiving life. This encourages the believer to abandon the joys of this life.
-> The strength of the faith of the believer makes the love of the Dunya in his heart little, especially when he remembers his situation when he stands between the Hands of Allah.
-> The slaves awareness that the joys of this life will busy his heart from remembering Allah, and that he will asked about these joys, even if they are Halal, motivate him to practice Zuhd. When Ibn Umar drank cold water he remembered how Allah would ask him about it. Allah says in Surah At-Takathur [102:8]:
"Then, on that Day, you shall be asked about the delight (you indulged in, in this world)!"
-> One cannot acquire any joy in this life unless it is preceded or followed by some kind of pain or effort.
-> The slaves awareness that running after this life will come at the expense of seeking knowledge.
The Fruits of الزهد
The Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ كَانَتِ الآخِرَةُ هَمَّهُ
"Whoever makes the Hereafter his goal:
1) جَعَلَ اللَّهُ غِنَاهُ فِي قَلْبِهِ - Allah will place richness in his heart
2) وَجَمَعَ لَهُ شَمْلَهُ - Gather together his affairs
3) وَأَتَتْهُ الدُّنْيَا وَهِيَ رَاغِمَةٌ - And the Dunya will come to him whether he wants it or not
The Prophet ﷺ and his companions practiced real asceticism. Their hearts did not cling to the Dunya; it was connected to the Hereafter. It submitted to Allah's order, when He warned the people of being deceived by the Dunya. In Surah Fatir [35:5]:
"O mankind! Verily, the Promise of Allah is true. So let not this present life deceive you, and let not the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allah."
So they used this Dunya as a way to Paradise. Nevertheless, this preoccupation of their hearts with the Hereafter did not prevent them from earning their livelihood. There were companions who were rich and traded, like Uthman Ibn Affan and Abdur-Rahman Ibn Auf رضي الله عنهما. But their trade was in their hands, and not in their hearts. They were able to deal with the Dunya and the Hereafter in the most appropriate way, as in the rule mentioned in the Quran in Surah AlQasas [28:77]:
"But seek, with that (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of legal enjoyment in this world, and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land. Verily, Allah likes not the Mufsidun (those who commit great crimes and sins, oppressors, tyrants, mischief-makers, corrupts)."
You are seeking the hereafter, but on your way, do not forget your portion of this world. Not the other way around. When you say do not forget, it means it is behind your back, not very important. When you seek something, it becomes the goal you work for - and this is how we should deal with the Hereafter.
Imam Ahmed Ibn Hanbal رحمه الله wrote a book about Zuhd called كتاب الزهد. In this book he mentioned some events and sayings about the Zuhd of the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions and other Messengers like Yusuf, Musa, and Sulayman عليهم السلام.
There is false Zuhd which is practiced by some who misunderstood the concept of Zuhd. These are people who choose to stay in one place, worshipping Allah all the time, not enjoying the favours of this life, not wearing nice clothes, not eating nice food, not living in nice places, refusing to work, thinking this is real Zuhd and will bring them closer to Allah. Real Zuhd is not limited to physical worship, it is much wider than that. We should not forbid ourselves from what Allah has permitted for us of bounties. Real Zuhd does not clash with any of the permissible matters of this life. Real Zuhd is to put more trust in what is in Allahs Hand than what is in your Hand.
E.g. If someone is afflicted by calamity, such as losing something or someone, he will be more hopeful for the reward of Allah.
The blameworthy kind of Zuhd has no good and darkens the heart of the believer and distorts the religion. People will see this thinking it is Islam. There are some examples of this:
Al-Junaid said, "I like for the new member in their group that he does not busy his heart with these three otherwise his condition will change: working for a living, seeking knowledge of the Hadith, and getting married. I also like for the Sufi that he does not read or write, for this way he will be more concerned"
Abu Sulayman ad-Darani said, "If a man sought knowledge of the Hadith, or traveled to find work, or get married, he will have become content with the Dunya"
This all opposes the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
He ﷺ said:
طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ
"Seeking Knowledge is ordained on every Muslim" [Ibn Majah]
And he ﷺ said:
مَا أَكَلَ أَحَدٌ طَعَامًا قَطُّ خَيْرًا مِنْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مِنْ عَمَلِ يَدِهِ، وَإِنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ دَاوُدَ ـ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ ـ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ مِنْ عَمَلِ يَدِهِ
"Nobody has ever eaten a better meal than that which one has earned by working with one's own hands. The Prophet (ﷺ) of Allah, David used to eat from the earnings of his manual labor." [Bukhari #2072]
And he ﷺ said:
يَا مَعْشَرَ الشَّبَابِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمُ الْبَاءَةَ فَلْيَتَزَوَّجْ
"O young people, he among you who is able to marry, let him marry" [Bukhari #5065]
"ازهد فيما عند الناس يحبك الناس"
Q. Why would the man ask for an act which makes people love him?
Because it is a natural want. Humans, by nature, cannot live alone. He is a social creature by nature. He needs to contact with others, talk to them, sit with them, establish relationships with them, and he has needs from his community. One of the most important needs of any person in this world is to be loved by others. It is one of the most basic and fundamental needs of a human being, as psychologists say. This being loved determines and forms part of his happiness. If he feel he is loved by people, he will be happy. Because of that the Companion asked the Prophet ﷺ regarding this Love.
The Prophet ﷺ said, "Renounce what people possess and people will love you"
This is another type of زهد; to renounce what people possess of material possessions and properties. Do not ask people for what they have, if you want them to love you. When you always ask, people will turn their backs on you, and it might cause hatred between you and them.
People dislike being asked for what they own. They want to keep these things to themselves, because it is dear to them.
Moreover asking people is a type of humiliation. And the one who humiliates himself will be humiliated by others. What should I do if I need something? Do not ask people, ask the Creator of people. He will give you what people do not want to give you, and even more, if you really seek His help.
If one internalizes this rule he will be happy: When Allah created the universe, He distributed provision amongst people fairly and based on wisdom. And no self will die until it completes it receiving of its entire provision.Allah will never forget you, He will give you your complete provision, until the last minute of your death. So why compete with others regarding provision, and take theirs? Leave them, there is other provision for you. Allah says in Surah Ta-Ha [20:131]:
"And strain not your eyes in longing for the things We have given for enjoyment to various groups of them (polytheists and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah), the splendour of the life of this world that We may test them thereby. But the provision (good reward in the Hereafter) of your Lord is better and more lasting."
If one recognizes this fact he will preserve his dignity, refrain from asking people, and will gain the love of people.
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