6. LET THE SLAVE TAKE PROVISIONS AS MUCH AS IS NEEDED FOR THE JOURNEY
I could not find any deed as grievous for the believer as mixing with people of impious nature, for the characters of people susceptible to influencing, and if he does not intentionally simulate their manners— or his character was saved from their influence— he will become slack in his worship.
This is because seeking the pleasures of this worldly life by itself provokes one to chase after them. The Messenger of Allah saw a sheet placed on his door as a barrier so he tore it off and said, “What do I have anything to do with this world?” and he wore a garment having marks so he threw it away and said, “Its markings have distracted me.” and he wore a ring then he threw it aside and said, “I look at it and I look at you” (i.e. it may distract you from your purpose in life).
The same effect also happens when watching people indulge in worldly pleasures and in observing their abodes and life conditions, especially if a person aspires to achieve a higher status in life.
The same is the case with listening to songs and mixing with ascetics whose main concern revolves around securing their provision for the day, and so they would accept it from anyone even if he is an oppressor.
These types of people lack the piety and fear of Allah as the earlier pious ascetics such as Sari Al-Saqtl, who used to cry all night long and practice the highest level of piety.
They are a people who neither have the piety of Sari nor the worship of Al-Junayd; all what they know is eating, dancing, being lazy and listening to the singing of beardless boys. To the point that one whose word is taken with high respect said, ‘I attended one of their gatherings with an old man who is looked up to as their sheikh. They had a beardless young boy as a singer and the shaikh threw on the cheek of this boy one dinar!’
As for their claim that listening to these songs reminds them of the Hereafter or encourages them to work for the Hereafter is beyond lies! I am not surprised to see them in such a condition, but I wonder at the ignorant people who sponsor them financially for such entertainment.
People used to see the worship and piety of ascetics and be impressed by their state and they are excused for feeling so, though some among those ascetics were deviated, which I have mentioned in my book Talbis Iblis.
Today however, the hidden has been exposed and you find them visiting oppressors, accepting their grants, shaking their hands while wearing worn out clothes! This is what Sufism is all about today. Do they not feel ashamed of showing asceticism in their clothes for the sake of people, not for the sake of Allah?
And not care showing this asceticism with respect to food and doubtful matters? Indeed, staying away from these kinds of people is a must.
The one who devotes himself to the worship and obedience of Allah should avoid stepping into the worldly life of people. When leaving solitude out of necessity, one must lower his gaze and not visit nor meet any person assuming a position, but if he finds himself compelled to do so, he should keep it to the minimum.
Do not mix with the common laypeople unless out of necessity and while being cautious; nor showing interest in having wives but rather be content with having a woman who is pious. As for the one whose sole interest is in seeking knowledge, he should seclude himself for his study and avoid learning from the learned followers (i.e. he should carve his own rank in knowledge), but if he is more into worship, he should be more cautious. He must let his solitude be his affable companion and reading the stories of the righteous predecessors be his partner.
He should also dedicate some of his time to visiting the graves of the righteous people and stay there alone for some time, and not to overlook praying night prayers (tahajjud) regularly.
It is better to be after the first half of the night, and let him prolong it as much as possible, and should he think that his death is approaching, to stop hoping for a long time in the future. He should take all supplies needed to make him reach his final destination.
I ask Allah, Exalted be He, to endow us with awakening from His grace, inclination to His servitude and to save us from being diverted from Him.
Truly, He is near and answers.
(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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