6. BEGGING IS FROM THE WORST HUMILIATION
Humans are subjected to needs that distract their attention. The eyes require pleasant visions, the tongue requires talking, the stomach requires food, the sexual organs require copulation and the (natural) habit requires attaining wealth.
We were commanded to focus our attention towards the Hereafter, yet whims distract us from it. So what can be done when the self is drawn by necessary needs of providing for oneself and one’s family?
Man wakes early to go to the market and consider his livelihood. He uses his intellect to acquire for his necessary needs, how then can he have any focus left? Particularly if greed overtakes him in one of its forms; leading him to flee through life that takes him from his market to his grave. How can he then acquire knowledge, enact good deeds and maintain sincere intentions or seek other virtues?
Whoever is given self-awareness must strive to attain virtues. If he was an ascetic without a family, he should restrict himself to little work.
Al-Sabtl used to work on Saturdays only, and have enough for his whole week.
If one has surplus money, he should give it to someone who’s religious and trustworthy for investment purposes. If he has a family, he should focus his attention on providing for them—which is a form of worship or to purchase real estate that he can lease part thereof to cover his expenses. He should try to lower personal rations as much as possible in order to use some of it in pursuit of the Hereafter. Otherwise, he will be distracted with his negligence and regret it in his grave.
The worst case for a jurist is whenever he gathers the resolve to work for the Hereafter, he is distracted by providing for his family. He may even need to beg from oppressors, taking from doubtful sources and thus, compromising his dignity. This must be taken into consideration regarding expenditure. If something happens, he must manage it.
The shortness of life must not drive him to spend what he has. The Messenger said, “It is better to leave your heirs independent of means than to leave them poor and holding out their hands to people.”
The worst humiliation of all is to beg from the stingy and the ruler. Therefore, one must manage his affairs, reduce rations and preserve his dignity, for indeed life is short. Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal was sent money and so his son asked him to accept it. He responded, ‘I will consult Allah.’ In the morning he said to his son Salih, ‘I have decided not to accept it.’
In addition, it was a generous offering and it came to him from many ways, unlike today.
(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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