“Don’t worship Allah so He may give you. Rather, worship Him so He may be pleased. For when He is pleased, He will astonish you with His Gifts.”
By the dawn
And the ten nights
And the even and the odd
O you tranquil soul!
Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing
[al-Fajr: 1-3; 27-28]
Loftiness is attained in accordance to one’s struggles,
And whoever seeks nobility, remains vigilant by night.
Whoever wishes to achieve without due effort,
Will waste their life seeking what’s impossible.
You search for glory and yet you sleep at night,
It’s only the seeker of pearls who dives deep into the sea.
– Imam al-Shafi’i, al-Diwan
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A2 – ‘… So long as you are not overjoyed or grieved by it…’
قال الإمام أحمد – رحمه الله
Imam Ahmad (rahimahullah) said:
إن لكل شيء كرم وكرم القلب الرضاء عن الله عز وجل
‘Everything has nobility in it, and the nobility of the heart is to be pleased with Allah, `azza wa jall.’
الدنيا داء والسلطان داء, والعالم طبيب. فإذا رأيت الطبيب يجر الداء إلى نفسه فاحذره
‘This world is like sickness, and the Ruler is also sickness, but the scholar is the doctor. So if you see the doctor draw upon himself sickness, then be cautious of him.’
الزهد في الدنيا: قصر الأمل والإياس مما في أيدي الناس
‘Zuhd (asceticism) in this world is: Severing long hopes and giving up on what’s in the hands of others.’
عزيز عليّ أن تذيب الدنيا أكباد رجال وعت صدورهم القرآن
‘It is difficult for me to see this world devour men whose hearts have gathered the Qur’an.’
سئل الإمام أحمد: عن رجل معه ألف دينار, أيكون زاهداً؟ قال: نعم بشرط أن لا يفرح إذا زادت ولا يحزن إذا نقصت
‘Imam Ahmad was asked about a man who owned a thousand Dinar – could he be an ascetic? He replied, ‘Yes, so long as he is not overjoyed when it increases and is not grieved when it is lessened.’