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A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.

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Defining asceticism (zuhd) and scrupulosity (wara').

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Among the best definitions given for both asceticism and scrupulosity.

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The statement of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah.

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Asceticism is abandoning what does not benefit one in the Hereafter.

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And scrupulosity is abandoning what one fears will cause harm in the Hereafter.

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Therefore, asceticism is a higher station than scrupulosity.

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Because one who possesses scrupulosity might still engage in things that do not benefit him in the Hereafter,

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provided there is no harm in them.

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Based on this,

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every ascetic is scrupulous,

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but not every scrupulous person is an ascetic.

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Scrupulosity and asceticism require intention.

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Both asceticism and scrupulosity must be accompanied by an intention.

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For mere abandonment, without regard for its relationship to the Hereafter,

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is not called asceticism or scrupulosity.

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A person might abandon certain worldly matters out of a desire for rest or laziness,

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not because those things distract him from the affairs of the Hereafter.

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Whoever is in this state,

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does not benefit from his leisure for the sake of his Hereafter;

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rather, he suffers the greatest corruption,

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for he neither builds his worldly life nor his Hereafter.

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Asceticism and what aids one in obedience.

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Everything that aids one in the obedience of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,

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is not considered part of asceticism to abandon.

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So, whoever enjoys permissible things without excess that would distract him from the Hereafter,

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and intends by that to gain strength for the obedience of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,

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has not departed from the description of the ascetics,

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because this is something that benefits him in the Hereafter.

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Can there be asceticism alongside wealth?

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Asceticism can exist alongside wealth,

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just as it exists alongside poverty.

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Among the prophets and the foremost of the early believers,

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were those who were wealthy,

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yet that did not remove them from being among the ascetics,

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because they were not distracted by their wealth from the Hereafter;

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rather, they utilized it for their benefit therein.

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Imam Ahmad was asked about a man

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who possesses a thousand dinars:

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Can he be an ascetic?

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He replied: "Yes,

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on the condition that he does not rejoice if it increases,

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and does not grieve if it decreases."

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Scrupulosity is not merely a matter of abandonment.

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It is a mistake

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to believe that scrupulosity is only a matter of abandonment;

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rather, it also pertains to action.

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Performing obligatory duties is considered part of scrupulosity,

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because failing to perform them causes harm in the Hereafter.

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Thus, part of scrupulosity is maintaining obligatory kinship ties,

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enjoining good and forbidding evil,

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fulfilling the rights of the poor and the neighbor,

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and the rights of the general body of Muslims, and so on.

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There must be a legal basis

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for exercising scrupulosity regarding any matter.

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Scrupulosity in any matter should be based,

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whether in abandonment or action,

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upon evidence from the Qur'an or the Sunnah.

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There is no scrupulosity based on whims or corrupt conjecture,

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such as the state of those prone to obsessive doubts regarding purity and impurities,

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where they think this obsession of theirs

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is a form of scrupulosity and concern for the validity of worship,

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even though it is blameworthy in the eyes of the Shari'ah.

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Likewise, for those who exercise scrupulosity by abstaining from marriage,

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or from sleeping at night, or from breaking their fast during the day;

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the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, condemned this,

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and said regarding it: "Whoever turns away from my Sunnah,

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is not of me." (Agreed upon).

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Part of the perfection of scrupulosity is knowing

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the better of two good things and the lesser of two evils.

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Part of the perfection of scrupulosity is knowing

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the better of two good things and the lesser of two evils.

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When there is a conflict,

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one prioritizes the better of the two good actions and the lesser of the two evils.

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Otherwise, a person might fall

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into a type of false scrupulosity.

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For example, one who abandons prayer

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behind imams who are innovators,

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or abandons Friday prayers and congregational prayers,

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thinking that this is a form of scrupulosity.

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The reality of luxury (taraf).

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Luxury is the most intense factor that diverts a person

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from scrupulosity and asceticism in this world.

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It does not simply mean enjoying blessings.

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The one who is immersed in the pleasures of the world

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and its desires—

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for the one whom blessings have made "mutraf" (luxurious/arrogant),

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is the one whom blessings have made insolent and ungrateful.

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Ingratitude (batr) is the rejection of the truth.

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Luxury has never been mentioned in the Qur'an except in a blameworthy context,

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as in the saying of Allah the Almighty:

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“If only there had been among the generations before you men possessing a remnant (of good sense) to warn (their people) from corruption in the earth, as did a few of those whom We saved from them! The wrong-doers followed that by which they were made sapless, and were guilty.” (11:116)

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"And they were criminals."

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“And We sent not unto any township a warner, but its pampered ones declared: Lo! we are disbelievers in that wherewith ye have been sent.” (34:34)

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"But their affluent ones said:

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'Indeed, we are disbelievers in that with which you have been sent.'"

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Among the most important things that aid in scrupulosity

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and asceticism in this world is shortening one's hopes,

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which is the realization of the nearness of departure

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and the swift passing of life.

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Allah the Almighty said:

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Whoever realizes the swift disappearance of this world

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and its transience,

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along with what accompanies its acquisition

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of pains, griefs, and distresses,

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and then realizes along with that

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the inevitability of the coming of the Hereafter

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and the swiftness of its approach,

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along with what follows it of permanence

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and the nobility of the goodness it contains—

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whoever realizes all of that

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will shorten his hopes in this world,

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and his scrupulosity and asceticism therein will be realized,

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and he will be among those who are truthful in their preparation

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for the meeting with Allah.

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This is the key to all righteous deeds

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and the barrier against evil deeds.

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Shortening one's hopes is the first of the means

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that aid in asceticism in this world.

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Among the means that aid in asceticism in this world,

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in addition to the aforementioned shortening of hopes:

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First,

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frequently remembering death,

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visiting the sick,

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attending funerals,

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and visiting graves.

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Second,

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keeping company with the righteous

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whose sight and speech remind one of the Hereafter.

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Third,

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frequently reciting the Qur'an and reflecting upon it.

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Fourth,

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frequently remembering Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,

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supplicating to Him, and beseeching Him.

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Fifth,

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constantly holding one's self to account,

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and thinking about the purpose of its creation and its final destination.

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Sixth,

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reducing social mixing with people

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except in what is beneficial,

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and setting aside times for the servant to be alone with his Lord,

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such as I'tikaf during Ramadan,

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sitting for dhikr from after the dawn prayer until sunrise,

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and from after the afternoon prayer on Friday until sunset.

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Among the fruits of asceticism and scrupulosity:

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Scrupulosity and asceticism in this world

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protect a person from falling into the desires of this world.

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For the scrupulous person who is an ascetic in this world

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is the furthest of people

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from seeking status and leadership therein,

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and from envy and hatred because of it.

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Just as he is the furthest of people

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from the trials of showing off and boasting,

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concealing the truth and mixing it with falsehood,

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and using trickery against the law of Allah,

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and the sins

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that stem from attachment to the desires of this world.

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Asceticism and scrupulosity

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facilitate the journey on the path to Allah.

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That is the general benefit

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of scrupulosity and asceticism in this world:

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facilitating the journey on the path to Allah

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and the sincerity of preparation for meeting Him, the Almighty and Majestic.

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For whoever wishes to reach his destination

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with his message,

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let his heart be lightened of the burdens of the world,

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just as one who travels on foot

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lightens the burdens on his back.