3. THE HAPPY ONE IS HE WHO SCRUTINISES HIMSELF
I wonder at the one who exists and yet cannot understand the meaning of existence! If he does, his actions contravene his understanding for he knows for a fact that his life span is short, yet wastes his life sleeping, seeking worldly pleasures and indulging in idle talk all the while his days should be spent in worship not in idleness.
Though religion ordains that he is to spend [part of] his wealth going against his innate nature, he decides to be a miser. As soon as he is on his deathbed however, he bequeaths that after he dies, to give away his wealth in charity and do with it such and such! What does he expect this to be although it is unlikely he will enact this?
The reason for the order to spend his wealth [for the sake of Allah] during his lifetime and while being in a good state of health is to oppose his difficult innate nature that is disposed to collecting wealth and not giving it away!
If you are a person with intellect, you will notice the big difference between the two cases because the one who is content will scrutinise himself and act upon that. He will conclude by his intellect and benefit from time that will come to an end; he will take advantage of his life because its end will be very soon.
Woe to you! What benefit do you find in saving wealth that adds no good deeds to your balance nor will it be a landmark in history.
Have you not heard of the amounts that Abu Bakr gave away in charity as opposed to the miserliness of Tha’labah?
Have you not noticed the effect of praising Hatim as opposed to the niggardliness of Al-Habahib?
Woe to you! If you were to be tested with your wealth, losing some of it; or if you were tested in your health and become sick for one night, you would have complained and yet you still receive what you ask Allah for.
All the while you do not fulfil His right upon you. Indeed, your example is like those whom Allah condemned in the verse,
“Woe to Al-Mutaffifun (those who give less in measure and weight).” [Al Mutaffiffin (83): 1]
You need to know that the amount you have overlooked and neglected is the part that shall lavish you in the eternal reward if it was used in acts of worship.
Free of defects and imperfections is the One who bestowed His grace upon people to understand the purpose of their existence and accordingly exhausted their bodies in performing good deeds— He put a cover on the hearts of others so that their existence becomes as if they do not exist.
How could an intelligent person not exhaust his body in worship when the reward is Paradise? O servitude!
Do you see the power of Allah manifested in your existence? By Allah, your existence is evidence of His existence and His bounties upon you are evidence on His Generosity.
As He favoured you over the rest of creation, favour Him in your heart over all of your wants and needs.
Truly disgraced is he who does not know Him. Poor is he who shuns away from Him. Humiliated is he who seeks pride in other than Him, and woeful is he who occupies his time to serve other than Him.
(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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