The 45th Syarah of Wisdom – Syarah al-Hikam

The 45th Syarah of Wisdom – Syarah al-Hikam

Bismillaahirrahmaanirrahiim

Assalamualaikum wr. wb    

 "Charity that originates from a heart that is zuhud cannot be considered small, and charity that originates from a heart filled with greed cannot be considered much"

The simplest sentence for the definition of "zuhud" is: "Turn away from everything other than Allah".  So whoever turns away from other than Allah; wealth, throne, children and wives, popularity, and all, is the true zuhud.

Zuhud from the world, means turning away from the world, namely everything other than Allah. Turning away from something doesn't mean abandoning it altogether. We would of course ignore napkins, even clean ones. But we still use it when we need it. We also will not like drugs, always avoid them. But if needed, we will drink as needed. That's the person who is zuhud to the world. His heart is completely unbound and disinterested, but still uses it when necessary.

This kind of zuhud was taught by the Prophet SAW to his companions. The Prophet taught them that their hearts and souls should not be attached to and attracted to the world. But at the same time, he ordered them to use the world for the benefit of the people and religion. Well, if this zuhud has been implemented, then the heart will be clean, it will not be attracted to anything even if wealth chases it. Like friends: even if they conquer vast territories, riches abound, their hearts remain uninterested. Their hearts remain unwavering, remain submissive to Allah, are not arrogant, do not necessarily accumulate wealth, etc

Well, a person who is zuhud like this, whose heart is not interested in the world, his deeds cannot be underestimated. Even though his deeds seem small, in the sight of Allah he is of great value. If he prays 2 rak'ahs, prays solemnly, does not think about anything, focuses on Allah, then he has met Allah in his prayers. Is there a prayer of 2 rakaat that is accepted by Allah considered a small practice? Certainly not!

If he reads some verses of the Koran, he reads with tadabur filling his soul, until he realizes the greatness of his Lord. Are there readings of some verses like that that are considered small and trivial? No, reading is a great reward with Allah. So the worship of zuhud people, even though the number in the eyes of humans is small, but in the sight of Allah the worship is very great.

On the other hand, a person who does not zuhud is a person whose heart is captivated by the world and its mortal dreams. When he prays, his heart and mind think about his business, career and profession. When he prays, in his prayers his mind is busy planning what he will do to achieve this and that. So the prayer of a person whose heart is like that, no matter how many, will have no value in the sight of Allah.

Likewise with other worship; fasting, remembrance, reading the Koran, etc. Only the name and zero will be rewarded with Allah. Because, as it is said in the hadith, that Allah is tayyib, and does not accept except the tayyib.

How can Allah accept the prayer of a person who when praying he forgets Allah and is busy with his world? How will Allah accept the recitation of the Qur'an and the remembrance of those who turn away from Allah when they do dhikr? So, no matter how much worship you do, it seems that in the sight of Allah, it is not worth anything.

Then it is true what the Apostle said: that Allah does not look at your bodies and forms, but at your hearts. So let's mend our hearts. Clean from the love of the world, let alone from being slaves to the world.

It has been explained in the previous Wisdom, that our world is guaranteed by Allah. Don't worry! Don't worry we didn't eat. Take it easy, definitely eat. Be calm and relaxed in this matter. As for matters of worship, Allah does not guarantee that all of our worship will be accepted by Him. So we must strive so that our worship, even if it is small, has great value in His sight. The trick: zuhud to the world! 

Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh