Footprints in the Sand: Lessons from the Pious | Muftī Azeemuddin Ahmed | 02/25

Footprints in the Sand: Lessons from the Pious

By Muftī Azeemuddin Ahmed

True Wealth and Contentment

The chapter heading references Allah's words:

Ibn ʿUyaynah said regarding the verse وَمِن دُونِ ذَٰلِكَ هُمْ لَهَا عَامِلُونَ: even if they have not yet done those deeds, it is inevitable that they will do them.

There are two kinds of happiness and contentment in a person's life. And whoever has that will be able to achieve that. In this hadith — or rather, in this chapter — we understand that the actual wealth and richness and happiness that's going to come to a person's life will be when a person is content with what Allah has decreed for him.

And a person who has immense amounts of material things but is desirous for simply more, and is suffering from ḥubb al-dunyā — which is a greed for more, a never-ending desire for more — then this person is definitely not wealthy but rather poor.

Means of Comfort vs. Actual Comfort

So Mawlana Talibi (rahimahullah) said a very beautiful statement. He says: The things that give comfort is something, and actual comfort is something else.

So you have a beautiful, most expensive, top-of-the-line bed. You have very expensive beds nowadays, mattresses. A person has that. What is that? A bed is supposed to give you comfort. It's amazing — five, seven, eight, ten thousand dollar beds you have. Similarly, a person has a sofa, a hammock, whatnot. These are all things that give you comfort. But whether you're going to get comfort or not is a different story.

Allah has blessed me in my travels to go to many different places and many different homes. And I have seen some, my own share of really beautiful places that people stay in. But by Allah, I have also — Allah has been so kind to me that He has shown me what happens also — the absolute lack of any happiness in those homes. Rather the home completely broken, that you would be wanting to just get a nice, quiet corner in the masjid and sleep with your sleeping bag — you would feel more content than having a lake-facing mansion or a mountain-facing mansion with every amenity you can imagine inside the house. But there's no sukoon, there's no peace of mind. SubhanAllah.

If wealth and luxury were to be a means of bringing happiness, then that's what would happen. People would never be looking towards elsewhere. They would not be looking towards intoxicants. They would not be looking towards other things to be able to give them their peace of mind. SubhanAllah, it's so true.

My ustad, Mawlana Abbas (damat barakātuhum), would say: "Mansion may have tension." And another ustad of mine, Sheikh Ramzi Al-Ḥabib — both of these very blessed teachers of mine — the other one would say, and he was an Arab, he would say:

Al-hamm — hamm means stress, worry, concern — is found in the word dirham (silver coin). And al-nār — fire — is found in the word dīnār (gold coin). Meaning, if a person does not spend their wealth properly and does not earn their wealth properly, then silver and gold will only bring worry and concern in this world, and fire in the Hereafter. Isn't that powerful?

That is, of course, if it's not used properly — that's what will happen. These two things will cause immense problem to a person. So we should not confuse sāmān-e rāḥat with rāḥat. When we look at someone and see that they have the means of happiness, the means of comfort, we should not confuse it as meaning that they are leading a comfortable life.

If a person understands that, we will seriously spend our life differently. There are people who can fall asleep in economy class, and there are people who cannot fall asleep in business class. It happens. All the sāmān and the method of giving you comfort is present. But if your mind and heart is not at peace, you could be in business, you could be in first, you could be in your private jet also — you're not going to be able to fall asleep, or you're not going to be able to rest. And the flip side: if a person is on a very basic economy class, and he's tired, and subhanAllah he's not worried about this and that, he may be able to fall asleep. That's something just to think about.

You Cannot Purchase Sleep

The more effort a person makes towards gaining these material things, the desire comes that I need to do a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more. That's why they say that a person can adjust the height of the bed, can choose the type of bed, can choose the firmness and the softness of the bed, and all these things — but you cannot purchase sleep. You can purchase every means of trying to bring sleep, but sleep itself, you can't purchase it. Then people take the assistance of tablets and all sorts of other things, which is very common today.

It was mentioned that there was a king who was unable to sleep. And for that he was very perturbed — how can I not fall asleep? He had owned everything of the best, but could not sleep. On the footpath of the king's castle, there was a person walking by. He sat down. He opened up his huge turban — he had a big turban — took it off from his head on this footpath. And inside the turban there were two rotis, two pieces of bread. He ate these two pieces of roti dry, drank some water, took his turban — which was used as a lunchbox — placed it under his head, and he promptly fell asleep, snoring away.

The king, on seeing this, remarked: "I am prepared to part with my whole kingdom in exchange for a short while of such peaceful sleep."

If you've ever suffered insomnia — may Allah grant all who suffer from insomnia shifā kāmil, ājil — it's horrible. SubhanAllah. We should make du'ā. We never even think about what a muṣībah this is. And I didn't realize how painful this is until a couple of times in my life, for some reason or the other, I just somehow couldn't fall asleep. And I was thinking, Allahu Akbar, this is just one night for me — how do people live like this? You can't. You'll crash. Everything falls apart.

So the niʿmah of sleep itself — we don't value it, the ability to fall asleep, for those who don't suffer from this. And those who suffer insomnia, they usually fall asleep during the day, possibly, or they take medication. But imagine someone who can't sleep in the day or the night — you will go literally crazy. You'll have to go to the mental hospital if you stay awake that many days. The niʿmah of sleep is something we should make shukr for every night that we are able to fall asleep. SubhanAllah.

Those who are in pain, may Allah grant them shifā. SubhanAllah. One of our students has been going through a lot of difficulty, and I would like you to please make a specific du'ā for him. He mentioned today that today was the first day — after like three weeks — that he was able to sleep without waking up every two minutes. He's undergone so many surgeries and so many long stays in the hospital. His name is Hudhaifah. Say Ameen.

These are the blessings that a person needs to constantly be reminding himself of. That I need to make shukr for all that I have.

The Train Compartment Parable

Mawlana Abdul Hamid Sahib mentions an example. A person is standing at a train station and he watches a train pass by him. He sees a person sitting in the first-class compartment. Before him, all the delicacies and a host of delicious foods have been laid out. There is an air conditioner as well as other items of comfort in the room. It seems that this person is in great comfort. The train passes by and the sight of this person is lost.

A little while later, the third-class compartment passes by. This coach is packed to the brim — all the people who can't afford the first or second class are here. There's no place even to sit properly. The people are standing. If a window is open, it can never be closed. If it's closed, it can never be opened because you can't even reach the window. It's just sardined with people. There he sees a man standing in the coach carrying heavy parcels, luggage, sweating — he can't breathe, he can't move around, he's carrying luggage and things for his wife and kids.

When the person investigated more closely, he finds out that the person in the first-class compartment — Allahu Akbar — is on his way to death row. The government fulfills the final desire of all the inmates on their way to the gallows. And so he decided that he wanted to go to the gallows in a first-class train compartment. As he moves closer to the gallows, station by station, his anxiety and apprehension increases. Outwardly it seems he is in great enjoyment, but his heart is completely uneasy.

As for the person in the third-class compartment — he had worked for one month in the city and now he's returning home to the village, carrying with him groceries as well as gifts for his family members. And as he passes by each station, his joy and happiness increases as he waits in anticipation to meet his wife and his children. Outwardly he seems to be in difficulty, but in reality he is experiencing great joy.

A person must therefore never be deceived by outward appearances. Today also, if a person becomes close to the wealthy people and finds out their internal affairs, he will find out how unhappy and uneasy they are. SubhanAllah.

What a profound example. It's not about the situation you're in — it's about where you're headed. So for a disbeliever, no matter how much dunya he has, if he's headed towards the destruction of hellfire, he might not even realize it. What's the point? You'd rather be walking — not even on a train — going to your family or going to Jannah, than being in first class going towards destruction.

Quranic Proof: Wealth is Not a Sign of Allah's Pleasure

Thereafter, Imam Bukhari mentions the following verses to prove this. Allah says:

Do the disbelievers think that by us granting them an increase in wealth and sons — mashaAllah, five boys, four boys, and lots of money — that we are actually pleased with them and that's why we're giving this to them? Allah says: بَل لَّا يَشْعُرُونَ — they fail to perceive. What do they fail to perceive? That an increase in material possessions does not mean that Allah is pleased with them. Rather, Allah is merely granting them time to involve themselves in more sins so that they become deserving of more punishment. They are being given a rope to get more indulged in sin so that they become more worthy of greater punishment.

You can give the example of a piece of cheese placed in a trap for a mouse. The homeowner puts the cheese and peanut butter in the trap — he's not doing it out of kindness to all the mice in his home. He's using it as bait to get them in and to rid his house of all these mice. So similarly, the disbeliever or a fāsiq who is not close to Allah and who is involved in sin — his dunya is that bait. But it's not being given to him out of Allah's happiness. It has been given to him to bring him to his destruction.

Verily, those who are fearful of their Sustainer, those who believe in the signs of the Sustainer, and those who do not ascribe partners to the Sustainer — they are steadfast in tawḥīd.

And those who spend of those resources that Allah has granted them, and whose hearts tremble with fear because they have to return to the Sustainer — when it will be known whether their deeds are accepted or not. They keep on giving, but while they're giving, Allah says: قُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ — their hearts are trembling. Because they don't know: What if what I gave is not going to be regarded as accepted?

Think about those who don't give and yet feel so relaxed. That is not an attribute of īmān. The attribute of īmān is that you give — ṣadaqah, zakāh, everything — but while you're giving, your heart is trembling, afraid: What if this is not going to be accepted? What if, Allah forbid, it is flung back on my face?

Allah says: These people hasten to perform good acts and are the foremost in it, in the race to good. And doing good acts is not difficult for people, because:

Allah does not place on any soul a responsibility except that which is within its capability. We have by Us a book that speaks the truth, and they will not be oppressed.

Having these bounties does not mean that a person will live a happy life. Never regard these outward bounties as true wealth. The true wealth is the inner wealth which is found in the heart.

For example, a person has an immense amount of wealth, he is retired, and his children have taken control of his business. Still, he goes to work, stands at the door like a beggar and calls out: "Come, come, come inside — very cheap, buy these goods, they are on sale." This person, subhanAllah, is like a beggar. Allah gave him so much wealth and his business is huge. But now he feels he has to miss his prayers and spend time directing people, inviting people to come into the store — when he already has more than he can eat and consume. He does not need to flatter the people to buy his goods and disgrace himself. He could come to the masjid early, perform his ṣalāh comfortably, and have enough time to spend with his family, his wife and his kids. This is what you call actual wealth — the person is content. May Allah grant us this. Allāhumma Ameen.

The Qualities of the Believers

Allah mentions the qualities of the believers: those who are fearful of their Sustainer, those who believe in the signs of the Sustainer, those who do not ascribe partners to the Sustainer, those who spend of what they have been granted while their hearts tremble because they have to return to their Sustainer. These people hasten to perform good acts and are foremost in it. Allah does not place on any soul a responsibility except what is within its capability. We have by Us a book that speaks the truth and they will not be oppressed.

If you want to be a true Muslim and a muʾmin, these are the qualities we have to have, and these are some of the qualities we have to stay away from.

And they have other acts that they will carry out besides this. Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah says: the fact that Allah says they have other acts besides this means they will definitely carry out these acts. Why? Because it has been ordained. And this is what we call taqdīr — pre-destiny.

Understanding Taqdīr (Pre-Destiny) and Free Will

The details of taqdīr will be studied later on in other texts — he says in Kitāb al-Īmān, etc. Imam Bukhari mentions the details of that. However, what we need to understand is that Allah does not force any person to disbelieve, to kill, or to commit adultery. No one is forced to do these actions.

For example, a father tells his son: "Go to the city tomorrow and do this work for me." Thereafter, the father tells the mother: "I have commanded our son to go to the city to do certain work, but I'm sure he will not go there — he will go somewhere else. He will not listen to me." The father knows his son very well. The following day, the son goes exactly against the father's instruction — he was told to go to the city and ends up going somewhere else.

Now we'll say the father is not at fault. The son cannot say: "You told my mom I'm not going to go and do the work, so that's why I didn't do it." You can't say that. Instead, we'll say that the father knew, based on the experience he has with his son, that this is his weakness — that's why he said it. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So the ʿulamā give this example — as the scholars say:

— to just bring this topic a little bit closer to the minds. Allah has the most knowledge. So when Allah says that this shall happen, we will not say Allah is forcing it. Allah is basically telling us that based on what you usually do, this will happen. Does Allah know it? Of course. But we cannot blame Allah — just like we cannot blame the father for the son's choice.

It is our own individual responsibility to do our actions. The second question may arise: if Allah knows that I'm going to be doing this, why didn't Allah stop me? And the answer for that is — Allah gave us free will, and that is where the ajr comes in. If a person were to be forced into what he's doing, then what's the point of the reward?

If Allah willed, they would not be doing what they're doing right now — these acts of sin. "Leave them and whatever they are concocting." So the idea of free will is necessary for us to be able to gain the ajr in the Ākhirah. Allah is not forcing a person to make those decisions, but rather has given the person an ability and a will.

There is a famous saying:

Sustenance is in accordance to taqdīr, and guidance is in accordance to effort. What this means is that Allah gives dunya to whoever He likes and whoever He doesn't like. Sometimes a person born into a wealthy family didn't work hard at all and he gets it. Another person is working and working, just facing closed doors, again and again, SubhanAllah, every day and every week worse than the previous one. So Allah gives whoever He wishes, whether or not they are striving.

But hidāyah — Allah will not give it unless a person is actually making an effort for it. And if a person is sincere and makes effort, then Allah will definitely grant him hidāyah.

A person who is content with whatever Allah has written and destined for him — he is the one who is truly wealthy. One of the awliyāʾ Allāh has mentioned:

We sit comfortably, O my Sustainer, since You are the Wise as well as the Absolute Ruler. Small problems, big problems — 100% are in Your hands. My small issues, no one can take care of besides You, and the One I have to face on the Day of Judgment is also Yourself.

Is not Allah the Most Just of all judges?

The Example of Ibrāhīm (AS) in the Fire

Ibrāhīm (AS) was flung into the fire. Jibrīl (AS) and Mīkāʾīl (AS) came forward to offer their assistance. Ibrāhīm (AS) refused to take their help, saying: "Does not Allah know my condition? Why should I then worry about it? Why should I turn to you for help when Allah already knows my condition?"

That is why, my beloved friends, whatever wealth we're looking for — it will not come through material things. And whatever wealth we're looking for will not even come through just sitting back and waiting for things to happen. We have to make effort ourselves. It is not sufficient to pave the way for somebody else's ibādah, someone else's ʿumrah and ḥajj. A person has to do that, and along with that has to do their own individual ibādah as well.

Closing Du'ā

May Allah make you and I from amongst the dhākirīn and amongst those who recite the Quran abundantly in Ramaḍān and outside of Ramaḍān — say Ameen. And may Allah inspire us to make the most of these moments and these days with dhikr and with duʿāʾ. May Allah save us from neglecting any aspect of it. Allāhumma Ameen.

We can, inshāAllāh, proceed downstairs for iftār and we'll have dhikr and duʿāʾ. Please join us for the duʿāʾ after that.