26. DEVOTING ONESELF TO THE HEREAFTER CANNOT BE EXCEPT THROUGH SOLITUDE
For a person to be preoccupied with worship and the Hereafter and be able to practice asceticism (zuhd) without enduring any form of distraction, he has to be in solitude He needs to avoid observing people and hearing their words except in times of necessity such as attending the congregational and Friday prayers.
Nevertheless, he should practice cautiousness to avoid people during these hours even if he is a scholar who wants to benefit them; in such cases he should assign specific hours [to teach them] while ensuring caution when talking with them.
As for those who walk in the market places of today to buy and sell in this defiled world, and witness wrongdoings and abhorred actions, they return home with darkened hearts.
The outings of the devotee should be to the vast desert or graveyards.
A group of the righteous predecessors (salaf) used to buy and sell while being cautious, and still could not overcome the distractions of this worldly life until they opted for solitude.
Abu’l Darda’ said, ‘I practiced both acts of worship and trade (business); but they did not conform to each other, hence I preferred worship.’
It was reported in the hadlth that the Prophet said: “Market places distract [people from worship] and invalidate [good deeds].”
That being the case, whoever is capable of following the said beneficial diet and has to mix with people and work to earn his family’s provision, he should be extremely cautious just like a person walking cautiously over thorns seeking his safety.
(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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