Contentment In Dunya, Ambition For Akhirah: The Islamic Balance

Contentment in Dunya, Ambition for the Akhirah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَكَفَى، وَسَلَامٌ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَى

Allah says in His noble revelation, after seeking refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, in the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Allah has granted us this beautiful deen which is balanced on all accounts.

Two Opposing Qualities: Qana'ah and Hirs

One of the manifestations of the balance of this deen is that Allah, on one side He teaches us qana'ah — contentment — and He also teaches us hirs and desire for more, ishtiaq, to have burning desire and ambition. These are two opposing qualities, two opposing frames of mind and conditions of the heart. And we are commanded to actually have both.

The question is: what are we supposed to be content about? Where should we have qana'ah and contentment, being happy with the decision of Allah? And where should we have more ambition and desire for more, and a burning passion to increase?

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, the answer is quite obvious to us. But the point is, unfortunately, most of us are in the opposite scenario. When it comes to worldly blessings of this fleeting material dunya, whatever condition Allah has placed us in, we are commanded to have qana'ah, we are commanded to have contentment, to thank Allah.

And when it comes to the akhirah, to gain the pleasure of Allah — in this field, in this regard — there are clear instructions from the Qur'an and the Sunnah, examples of the salaf, that we should be competing with one another. We should have this burning desire to excel, to gain closeness to Allah. And as I mentioned, our situation, unfortunately, is the reverse.

When it comes to material things in this dunya, we are competing and striving to beat one another. This is our concern day in and day out. But when it comes to the akhirah, when it comes to the deen of Allah, when it comes to coming closer to Allah, then whatever condition we are in, we are very happy. In fact, we look at those beneath us and say, "At least I'm better off than so and so."

Quranic Guidance on Contentment with the Dunya

What are some of the Quranic guidelines and ayat of the Qur'an, and what are some ahadith of Rasulullah ﷺ, pertaining to contentment and gratitude — having qana'ah, being happy with whatever Allah has decreed, when it comes to the dunya?

Allah says — and He is addressing the Prophet ﷺ:

Allah is saying: "Do not extend your gaze towards the worldly luxuries that We have granted other people. Do not look at them and covet them and desire them." And those blessings He has given them — the ayah continues — لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيهِ, those worldly blessings that they have are actually a test for them. And what Allah has decreed for you is better for you and far more everlasting. This is a very clear prohibition.

Moreover, having qana'ah and contentment, Allah has tied it to being peaceful and having happiness in this dunya. Allah says:

Look at the beautiful balance here. لِكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمْ — you should not have grief and sadness over worldly blessings that may have passed you over, that you may have missed out on. And at the same time, وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ — do not become boastful over what you were able to achieve. What Allah has given you, do not boast about it, and likewise, do not be sad or in grief over what you have missed. Such a beautiful balance.

When it comes to worldly things, most of us find ourselves in the opposite scenario. If we miss some worldly deal — whether it's a promotion, whether it's some savings — there is extreme sadness. And when we get something in this dunya, we become exultant and cross the bounds of happiness and gratitude into being boastful and arrogant.

Another thing we want to highlight: when we speak about qana'ah and contentment when it comes to the dunya, by no means does this mean that a person should become lazy. This is not laziness or kasal. Rather, it means that a person puts forth his effort. But whatever the final decision is from Allah, then a person is رَاضٍ بِقَضَاءِ اللهِ — pleased with whatever is the decree of Allah.

Quranic Guidance on Ambition for the Akhirah

What are some ayat on the opposite side — the ambition of hirs and ishtiaq and having more desire when it comes to the akhirah? Allah says:

Sabaqa yusbiqu means to go ahead. When there is a race, the one who comes in first place is called the sabiq. But when there is a competition between people, then the verb sabiqa yusabiqun, musabiqa, is used — it is not a person jogging on his own, but an actual race. So سَابِقُوا means: do not merely speed towards Allah on your own, but rather compete with one another, race against one another. Race against one another to achieve the maghfirah, the forgiveness of your Lord.

There is a spirit of competition within us that our Creator has put within us. We love to compete with one another. It is just that the direction of this competition has to be changed — from the material, fani dunya towards the baqi akhirah, towards the eternally lasting akhirah.

And then Allah describes the Jannah: وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ. When there is an object that has a length and a width, the length is known as the tul and the width is known as the 'ard. In a rectangle, the shorter side is the width. So Allah is saying: the shorter dimension of Jannah — its width — is as expansive as the heavens and the earth. SubhanAllah. أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ — it has been prepared for those who have taqwa and fear Allah.

Likewise, Allah describes the blessings of Jannah in another place, and then says:

Notice the word comes doubled — فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ. In English we could translate some of that feeling by saying: "Let those who want to compete, compete." If you have the spirit of competition within you, this is where you need to use it — in acquiring the blessings of Jannah.

And then Allah makes it very clear at the end of Surah al-A'la. He summarizes this concept and says:

"Why in the world are you giving preference to the worldly life? Whereas the hereafter is far better and everlasting." Two words are used here — one is with regards to kayfiyya (quality) and one with regards to kammiyya (quantity). خَيْرٌ refers to the quality of the akhirah — it is far better. أَبْقَىٰ refers to the quantity — it is eternal. This life is temporary and of far worse condition.

Taking the word daar (abode) as an example: if you have an option of two homes to choose from, one is a shack where water is leaking, there is no heat, no furniture, in a very disheveled condition in the bad part of town — and you can only stay there for one week, after which you will be forcibly removed, expelled, kicked out. And on the other hand, you have the option of a palace, a mansion with all comforts and luxuries, in which you can live permanently — no expulsion, no being kicked out, you can live there eternally. Which house would you choose to stay in?

This is what Allah is saying: the quality of the house is much better, and the time period is also eternal. So which part of it is so hard to understand? Why are you behaving the way you are?

Hadith on Contentment and True Success

Now, when we come to the hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ regarding this, the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1054)

"Indeed, he is truly successful." The Prophet ﷺ is defining success. We are following the definitions of success set by the people of the dunya — people who do not know about Allah nor about the akhirah, who are so ignorant they do not know where they came from and where they are going, what is the purpose of their life — and they are defining success for us. Woe to us if we follow their definition. Here we have the definition of none other than Rasulullah ﷺ. He says that the truly successful individual is the one who submits to the will of Allah, وَرُزِقَ كَفَافًا — and he is given a provision that is sufficient for his needs — and Allah grants him contentment with what He has given him.

And this connects back to the Quranic ayah:

"Whoever is saved from shuh (miserliness), then that individual is truly successful." What is shuh? Shuh is a very terrible disease — may Allah protect me, you, and all of us from shuh. It is a compounded disease, a murakkab disease — two sicknesses added together. Shuh is حِرْصٌ مَعَ بُخْلٍ: two sicknesses which could potentially exist independently of one another, but when they are together, it is called shuh.

The first is hirs — a person wants more and more and more dunya, and is never satiated. The Prophet ﷺ said:

"If the son of Adam had a valley full of gold, he would desire to have two valleys. And nothing will fill his mouth except the dirt of the grave." We can just hear this hadith and say, "Okay, one valley" — but do you understand what a valley is? You have a mountain range. From the top of the peak you come all the way down to sea level, where a river flows at the bottom. Then on the other side you travel up to the top of the mountain. From the top of one mountain to the top of the other — this whole expansive region with the river flowing through is one wadi, one valley. If this entire wadi were filled with gold, and all of it belonged to you — لَتَمَنَّى أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ وَادِيَانِ — that person would want two valleys.

Just look at the billionaires now becoming trillionaires of today — it is never enough. For the rest of their life, if they are non-stop earning and non-stop spending, they still can't spend it all. But that doesn't make them stop. More and more. وَلَنْ يَمْلَأَ فَاهُ إِلَّا التُّرَابُ — the only thing that will fill the mouth and belly and make one say "I don't need more" is the dirt of the grave. This goes back to the Quranic ayah:

The desire for more, takathur — more, more, more — will destroy you, until you enter your graves.

The Disease of Shuh: Hirs and Bukhl Combined

The second component of shuh is bukhl — stinginess. Whatever you have, you want to hold on to it, hoard it, not let it go. This is a separate sickness. It is possible that somebody wants more and more, but whatever he gets, he is spending it away — in good causes or bad causes, he keeps spending. He always wants more money and whatever he gets, he spends it.

And there is another person who does not have a desire for more, but whatever he has, he is just hoarding it, even if it is a little. He does not want to spend a single cent, even on necessary things. Now it is cold outside — perhaps he has enough money to heat the home properly — but he says, "Why should I spend? Everybody wear five coats, wear three socks." He has the money, but he does not want to spend it on heat, on basic necessities. This is bukhl.

So if hirs — wanting more and more — is combined with bukhl — hoarding what one has and refusing to spend — this is a very, very terrible situation. This is called shuh. And whoever is saved from it: فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ — they are the successful ones.

Look Below You in Dunya, Look Above You in Deen

In another hadith about contentment, Rasulullah ﷺ said: when it comes to worldly blessings, look at those who are below you — do not look at those above you. If Allah has given you a house — whatever house — look at the condition of those beneath you and be thankful. Do not look at those above you.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2963)

Our situation is exactly the opposite. The person who has a one-bedroom apartment says, "Man, it's so difficult, I wish I had a two-bedroom." And then the two-bedroom looks at the three-bedroom, the apartment person looks at the condo, the condo looks at the townhouse, the townhouse looks at the ranch house, the ranch looks at the two-story, three-story — everybody is always looking at the one above. And if you are always looking at the one above, then there is no way you can ever be truly thankful for the blessings of Allah.

The Story of Shaykh Sa'di and the New Shoes

Today is a very cold Jumu'ah. There was once a very hot Jumu'ah. Shaykh Sa'di, who was a beautiful and amazing poet, mystic, Sufi, and philosopher, tells his own story. It was a burning hot day of Jumu'ah, and he had bought some very nice new shoes and was very happy with them.

This reminds us that even in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, a man came and — rather than identifying himself — said, "There is a man I know, يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ ثَوْبُهُ حَسَنًا وَنَعْلُهُ حَسَنًا, he likes to wear nice clothes and he likes nice shoes. Does this count as arrogance?" It is always "somebody else's question" — a very common phenomenon we observe till today. The Prophet ﷺ replied:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 91)

"Indeed Allah is beautiful and loves beauty." So simply having nice shoes does not mean you are arrogant. The Prophet ﷺ then defined kibar (arrogance): الْكِبْرُ بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاسِ — "Arrogance is to deny the truth despite knowing it, because of your ego, and to look down upon people."

So, Shaykh Sa'di had his new shoes, and after Jumu'ah, when he went to the shoe racks, he could not find them. He searched here and there — they were gone. Someone else had liked them as well. He went out, and since it was an extremely hot day, the black tar on the road was burning the soles of his feet as he walked barefoot. He was very upset, filled with anger.

Until — on the side of the road — he saw a man sitting with both of his feet amputated. Double amputated. And all of a sudden, he said: Alhamdulillah that I still have my feet. Yes, I lost my beautiful new shoes on the first day I wore them for Jumu'ah — it is okay — but at least I have my feet, and I can get other shoes.

Such a simple lesson. We can share this story with our children and they can appreciate it. But we as adults need to learn the lesson as well — that whatever condition Allah has placed us in, when it comes to the dunya, we have to have qana'ah.

The Misapplication of Qana'ah

When it comes to the akhirah, we must have hirs and ambition. What happens, unfortunately, is that this same qana'ah we misapply. Today is Jumu'ah and we are here in the mosque. We say, "Alhamdulillah, look — so many Muslims of the ummah only come for Eid. I come every Jumu'ah. At least I pray Jumu'ah. Look at the rest of the people." Today Jumu'ah fills this space to here, but on Eid it goes all the way outside. Where did those people come from? They are from the same ummah — they did not come from some other planet.

Then another brother will say, "I am better than those who come only for Jumu'ah — I come for Isha, I come for Fajr, I come daily. I never miss my tahajjud." So at whatever level we are at, we are comparing ourselves with those beneath us when it comes to the deen. We are supposed to be looking at those who are above us in deen. We are supposed to be looking at those beneath us in dunya. We have got the whole thing upside down. May Allah protect us, guide us, and allow us to straighten our affairs.

Conclusion

There are many more things to share, but the time is up. May Allah allow us to realize the lesson of the day: that we must have hirs and we must have qana'ah — but we have to apply them in the correct place. The qana'ah when it comes to the dunya and contentment, and the hirs and the desire for more when it comes to the akhirah. May Allah give me, you, and all of us tawfiq to make amal.

وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

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