The Dunya – Ponder! Oh Those Who Believe
1. YOUR PREFERENCE!
Ibraaheem Bin Adham (rahmatullah alayh) said to a person: “What do you prefer: A dirham (a silver coin) in your dream or a dinar (a gold coin) while you are awake?’ The man said: ‘A dinar while I am awake.’ Ibrahim said: ‘You are a liar! Whatever you love in this world is like a dirham you love in a dream.’
The world with its pleasures and comforts is like a dirham in a dream. Man hankers after this unattainable dirham while he abandons the dinar which is presented to him when he will be awake, that is, in the Hereafter. His love for this world signifies his abhorrence for the treasures of the Aakhirah.
2. LUXURY AND EXTRAVAGANCE
Someone asked Hadhrat Hasan Basri (rahmatullah alayh): “What do you say about a man to whom Allah Ta’ala has bestowed abundant wealth – he gives munificently in charity and with it he maintains family ties? Is it valid for him to enjoy his wealth (for luxuries)?” Hadhrat Hasan replied: “No! Even if he possessed the entire world, it would not be lawful for him to spend except for that which is absolutely necessary, and he sends it ahead for the day when he shall be in need of it (the Day of Qiyaamah).”
Possession of an abundance of halaal wealth is not a license for extravagance and unfettered indulgence in even permissible luxuries. The avenues for spending in the Path of Allah are innumerable. The objective of wealth is not for amassing and hoarding, but to dispose of it constructively to build up your capital in the Aakhirah. Every unnecessary expenditure, be it for the acquisition of a lawful luxury, will prove to be a calamity in the Hereafter.
3. THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL
Hadhrat Umaamah Baahili (radhiyallahu anhu) said: “When Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was appointed the Nabi, the armies of Shaitaan said to him: “A Nabi has been appointed and an Ummah has been sent forth (for him).” Shaitaan said to his legions: “Do they love this world?” They responded: ‘Yes!”. Shaitaan said: “In that case I shall not be concerned even if they do not worship idols. I shall visit them in the morning and evening with three allurements:
(1) To earn wealth unlawfully
(2) To spend wealth unlawfully, and
(3) To abstain from spending on those who are deserving of it. All evil will then emanate from this.”
Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: “The world will come to you after me, and it will devour your entire Imaan just as fire consumes fuel.”
4. THE UMMAH’S DESTRUCTION
Worldly deprivation in any field whatsoever is never a disadvantage nor harmful for the Ummah. The less of the world possessed by the Ummah, the better it is for the Muslimeen. Worldly wealth has destroyed the Ummah.
Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: “I take an oath by Allah! I do not fear poverty for you. However, I fear that the world will open up its treasures for you. You will then vie with one another to gain it just as they (the Yahood and Nasaara) had competed before you. It will destroy you just as it had destroyed them.”
Thus, the destruction of the Ummah was initiated by the massive wealth and treasures which flowed into the coffers of the Ummah with the political rise of the Ummah, and with the discovery of oil, this Ummah, especially the Arab component, has been utterly demoralized and destroyed.
If ever the oil reserves of Muslim countries are depleted, it will be one of Allah’s greatest bounties for this Ummah. Barren deserts dotted with oases are best suited for this Ummah. In worldly frugality, austerity and poverty is the strength of this Ummah – its physical, moral and spiritual strength.
