Aboo Yazeed al-Bustaamee, rahimahullaah, said, “I have divorced this world finally and
irrevocably three times and have turned to my Lord alone, and called upon Him for
help, “O my Lord I supplicate to You with the supplication of one who has nobody left
but You.’ He knew the truth of my supplication from my heart and my despairing of
myself, then the first part of the answer to this supplication was that He caused me to
forget my own self totally and He placed the creation in front of me despite my turning
away from them.” He used to be visited from the various lands, and when he saw the
people crowding to him he said,
“Woe to me I have become something –
Without preparing for that at allI have become a master to them all – because I am a slave to You.
And in the heart are matters – which cannot be counted.
However concealing my condition – is more fitting for me and more correct.”
Wahb ibn Munabbih wrote to Makhool, “To proceed. By what is apparent from your
knowledge you have attained status and position with the people. But what is hidden
from your knowledge seek position with Allaah and nearness to Him, and know that
one of the two positions prevents from the other.
The meaning of this is that the apparent knowledge – i.e. learning the duties, laws,
rulings, religious verdicts, narrations and admonitions and so on – which is apparent to
the people will cause a person to gain status and position with them. But the hidden
knowledge which is stored in the heart – i.e. knowledge of Allaah, fear and love of Him,
being wary of Him, being satisfied with Him, and longing to meet Him, placing reliance
upon Him, being pleased with what he has decreed, turning away from worldly
matters which will pass away and turning to the Hereafter which will remain. All of
this causes a person to have position and nearness to Allaah. Each of these two
positions prevents the other. So he who remains and stops at the position of worldly
status he gains with the people and preoccupies himself with what he has attained with
them due to his apparent knowledge. So his only concern is to preserve this station
with the people and to remain in it and to cultivate it, and having fear that it will pass
away. Then this will be all that he receives from Allaah the Most High, and he is
therefore cut off from him. So he is just like the one about whom someone said, “Woe
to the one who receives this world as his portion from Allaah.”
As-Sariyy as-Saqatee used to be pleased by what he saw of knowledge of al-Junayd,
and his fine speech and speed in answering, so he said to him one day after having
asked him a question and receiving a good answer, “I fear that your share of the world
has been given to you in your tongue.” So al-Junayd used to weep thereafter because of
that.
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But he who occupies himself with improving his position with Allaah, the Most High,
through what we have mentioned of hidden knowledge, then he will reach Allaah –
and he will be preoccupied with Him from all else. This will prevent him from seeking
for position amongst the people, yet despite this Allaah will indeed give him position
and status in the hearts of the people – even if he does not want that, does not settle for
it and flees from it and runs away from it for fear that the creation will cut him off from
Allaah, the Majestic. Allaah, the Most High, says,
“Verily, those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, the Most Beneficient
(Allaah) will bestow love for them.”
Maryam (19):96
Meaning Allaah will put love for them in the hearts of His servants.
There also occurs in the hadeeth, “When Allaah loves a servant He calls out, ‘O Jibreel!
Indeed I love so and so, so love him.’ So Jibreel loves him [so Jibreel calls out to the
inhabitants of the heavens, ‘Allaah loves so and so, so love him]’ so the inhabitants of
the heavens love him and then he is granted acceptance upon the earth.”55 The hadeeth is
well-known and reported in the Saheeh.
So in any case seeking after eminence in the Hereafter brings along with it honour in
this world, even if the person does not want it and does not seek it. But seeking status
in this world will not come together and be combined with honour in the Hereafter. So
the fortunate one is he who prefers that which is everlasting to that which passes away,
just as occurs in the hadeeth of Aboo Moosa, radiyallaahu `anhu, from the Prophet
(salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) that he said, “He who loves this world – then it will harm
his Hereafter and he who loves the Hereafter then it will harm his worldly life. So
prefer that which will remain to that which will pass away.”56 It is reported by Imaam
Ahmad and others.
Abul-Fath al-Bustiyy indeed spoke well when he said:
“Two matters will be separate, you will not see them both –
Desiring one another’s company and meeting together,
Seeking the good of the Hereafter along with leadership and eminence –
55 It is reported with close wordings by Maalik, Ahmad, al-Bukhaaree (transl.8/41/no.66)
56 It is reported by Ahmad (4/412), Ibn Hibbaan (2473: al-Mawaarid), al-Haakim (4/308) who declared it
saheeh and al-Baghawee in Sharhus-Sunnah (14/239), Adh-Dhahabee said, “Its chain of narration is
disconnected.” I say that is between Aboo Moosa and the narrator from him who is al-Muttalib ibn
`Abdullaah.
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So abandon that which will pass away in favour of that which will
remain.”
Here is the speech of al-Haafidh Zaynuddeen Ibn Rajab in explanation of the hadeeth,
“Two hungry wolves let loose…” is completed, and all praise and thanks are due to
Allaah, and may Allaah send praises and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and
his family and true followers, and his Companions, and those who act upon his
Sharee`ah to the Day of Judgement