Part of Concepts of Ahl as-Sunnah — Collected Episodes (series completed)
· Lesson 34 of 77
Summary of Sunni concepts | 41- Concepts about asceticism and piety - (619-630)
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Transcript
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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.