24. BEWARE OF HUMILIATING YOURSELF BEFORE THE PEOPLE OF WORLDLY PLEASURES
I know of some people who spent all their time in youth seeking knowledge (ilm) and enduring for this purpose all the types of harm. Avoiding all the types of comfort and luxury. All this was because they refused to be in the state of ignorance (jahl) or be in such a low position and because they wanted to acquire knowledge and its virtues. However, by the time they acquired from knowledge what made them distant from the category of those who seek after worldly pleasures and know nothing but the immediate reward. They lacked funds to sustain themselves and so they travelled around seeking assistance of the lowly people, thereby humiliating themselves before the despicable, oppressive and low-life types of people.
I addressed some of them, ‘Woe to you! What happened to the pride you once had that made you refuse to be ignorant and because of which you stayed awake all nights and fasted all days just to gain knowledge (‘ilm)?
How is it that after gaining a high noble status, you sunk to the lowest level?
Do you not have a bit of pride to prevent you from dragging yourself that low?
Do you not have the bit of knowledge that could take you away from the environment of desires (manakh al-hawa)?
Did not knowledge equip you with enough strength to control your desirous ‘self (nafs) from grazing in the fields of evil?!
It seems as if your hard work was only to gain worldly benefits!’
I find your claim that you are only seeking sustenance to support yourself while seeking knowledge! You should know that finding a job from which you can earn a living that keeps you away from the lowly people is better than seeking knowledge.
If you were able to know what harms your religiosity, you would not have thought that seeking from this worldly life was of any benefit! You will know instead that such a daring attempt puts yourself at risk and does not save face, particularly when you have always been keen to maintain your dignity from turning to someone that a person in your position should not turn to.
It is unlikely that you will suffice with the minimum needed for your survival after you have received this type of help. It is most likely you will ask for money beyond that; and you know it is a sin to beg for money beyond your basic needs.
What is even more unlikely is that you can show piety (rvara) with respect to the money you will take! In such case, nothing will guarantee your safety (salama) and ensure your return to your homeland for such deserts have thrown many lives in its remote areas.
Needless to add that whatever you have earned will be spent and the only things that will remain are: the favour of the low-life for helping you, the shame you will receive from the pious, while the ignorant people follow your leading example.
It is enough shame that you know the low rank of worldly life and yet you dared to come after it—particularly having indulged in such affairs after you have grown old in age, and he who does good in the first part of his life, will do good in the latter part.
(Source: al-Hafiz Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-jawzl [d. 597AH] “CAPTURED THOUGHTS being” a translation of his masterpiece ‘Sayd al-K hatir)
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