The Struggles of this Dunya

By Abdul Nasir Jangda | 2026-01-19T07:23:40.242464+00:00 | Topic: General

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The Struggles of this Dunya

Shaykh Abdul Nasir Jangda

Opening

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ مُحَمَّدٍ يَا رَبِّ، بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِيْنَ، اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

Allahumma salli ala Al Habib Muhammad ya Rabbi, Bismillah walhamdulillah, was-salatu was-salamu ala Rasulillah wa ala Alihi wa Sahbihi Ajma'in, As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

The Central Quranic Verse

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Quran:

۞ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۖ وَنَبْلُوكُم بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً ۖ وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ

Kullu nafsin dha'iqatul mawt. Wa nabluukum bil sharri wal khayri fitnatan wa ilayna turja'un.

In surah number 21, ayah number 35, Allah, surah al-Anbiya, He states, that each and every single soul, every single living thing is actively tasting death. Meaning they are inching closer and closer to their expiration from the life of this world and to the transition to the life of the hereafter.

And then Allah says that we will test, we will test, and we do test, and we will test, all of you. Allah addresses all of humanity. (بِالشَّرِّ - With difficulty). (وَالْخَيْرِ - And with ease). (فِتْنَةٌ - As a trial). To see how you perform through that.

Understanding the Concept of Trial (Fitna)

Now I've translated the words (الشَّرِّ - ash-shar) and (الْخَيْرِ - al-khayr) very specifically due to the context of the ayah. But what I wanted to do was take a little bit of a moment here to define a couple of the terms that are very central to our discussion here today.

The very first thing is that this entire session is based around the concept of trial. Now the word for trial in Arabic and more specifically the Qur'anic word and the prophetic word for trial and tribulation, for test, is fitna.

Now this is a very fascinating word if you understand it in terms of its etymology and its origins. The root of the word actually means to put something to fire, to apply heat to something. And in classical or dare I say ancient Arabic, the word fitna was specifically or in the derivatives of this root were used for the process of purifying metals, purifying gold and silver.

Now if you've ever seen or even read about the process, the way that that's done is that it's put to the fire, its heat is applied to it. And then that word by the Arabs even pre-Islamically, and then the Qur'an officially coined this term as the word, as the term for putting human beings through different types of tests and trials.

Two Dynamics of Trials

Now right off the bat we understand that there are two dynamics that are at play here:

Number one is that it's the application of heat. So any test and trial will test, right? Will quite literally test the limits and the boundaries and the capacity of every human being.

The second dynamic that is in play here, just like when you apply that heat to that precious metal, what you end up with as a consequence and a result of that process is something that is pure, something that is clean, and something that is a lot more valuable than before the process, right? The product afterwards is a lot more valuable.

So similarly the second dynamic in play here with a test and a trial is that the human being, it has the potential to make the human being better than he or she was going into that particular test and trial. So keep those two things in mind. Number one, you will be challenged. But number two, you'll be better for it.

Two Types of Tests

Now the next thing that I wanted to talk about is, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala presents two things here. That you'll be tested in two fundamental ways.

Number one is through ash-shar, which again can be translated in a number of different ways. But I translated it here through difficulty or adversity. And insha'Allah that's the topic that our brother Mu'attasim insha'Allah will be talking about.

The second word, the second concept that it uses here is al-khayr. Now khayr normally is translated as good. But even in the Qur'anic usage, what's very fascinating is that the word khayr in the Qur'anic usage is used for wealth. It's used for material belongings. It's used for even assets, comfort and ease, prosperity. The word khayr is used for prosperity.

Different Arabic Terms for Prosperity

And that's how we're going to be discussing it here today. And that'll be the focus of my discussion or my talk, my presentation with you here today. Now this idea of prosperity and ease, there are a few different words that are used to communicate this particular meaning in the Arabic language.

You have the word that is very prominently used in the Qur'an as well and in the prophetic tradition as ar-raha. Which basically refers to a type of ease or a type of opening that somebody finds himself in a very comfortable situation.

Another word that also expresses the same idea of prosperity is rafahiyah. Which almost starts to now talk about a level of luxury.

And then you also have the concept of tharaa. Tharaa refers to a type of abundance. Now somebody has way more than they would ever need in their lifetime. So these are the different concepts at play now.

How Prosperity Becomes a Trial

Now what we're going to talk about is, how is this a trial? How can ease, comfort, luxury, abundance become a test and trial for the human being?

One of the things that the scholars mention in terms of the eloquence of the Qur'an, the verse, the ayah that I presented to you, surah 21, ayah number 35. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala first mentions difficulty, then He mentions ease. And the scholars say that this is gradualism, or this is a progression of the test and the trial.

And there are hadith of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as well, where the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) gives us the same understanding in the idea, that there is the difficulty, or there is the test of difficulty, and then there is the test and trial of prosperity.

And the test and trial of prosperity is greater, more severe, and more difficult to overcome and succeed in, than the test and trial of difficulty. The trial of prosperity is more harsh, is more severe, is more testing and trying, than even the trials and tribulations of adversity and difficulty.

Hadith About Abu Ubaidah and the Wealth from Bahrain

I'll present to you a couple of a hadith from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). The first hadith occurs both in the books of Bukhari and Muslim.

(Reference: Sahih Bukhari 3584 and Sahih Muslim 1064)

It's an authentic narration, in which it mentions a situation that the Prophet of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had achieved, had realized, was able to formalize a treaty and a truce with the people of Bahrain. And the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) he sent Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah (رضي الله عنه), whom the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) described as (أَمِينُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ) the most trustworthy individual of this ummah. He sent him to go and just, you know, make sure everything was in place, and put all the systems, and the processes into place properly.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had also appointed Alaa ibn al-Hadrami as the Amir over Bahrain, reporting back to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Now Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah (رضي الله عنه) when he returned back from Bahrain, after making sure everything was in place there, the people of Bahrain had sent many many gifts. And they were very wealthy people, so they had sent a lot of money and a lot of, you know, different material things as gifts and as relief for the people of Medina.

So when Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah (رضي الله عنه) came back with this huge caravan of all this money and all these goods, he came and they basically stored it in the masjid.

The Sahaba's Eagerness for Relief

And he had arrived in the evening. The next morning the narration says that (فَسَمِعَتِ الْأَنْصَارُ بِقُدُومِ أَبي عُبَيْدَةَ) That when the Ansar heard that Abu Ubaidah had come back, when everybody came for Salat al-Fajr the next morning, everybody was, you know, very eager to try to get some of the money, get some of the material things, because they were truly in need. These were not people that were greedy, these were people that had been struggling and suffering for a very long time.

So they were looking forward to some type of relief and some type of financial reprieve. So while as they were waiting and they were all kind of inching closer to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as soon as the prayer ended, to start lining up so they could start receiving something, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) turned around in sarafah. He turned around after his prayer and he saw the sahaba lining up and getting in position to receive something.

The Prophet (فَتَبَسَّمَ رَسُولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حِينَ رَآهُمْ) smiled when he saw them lining up and how eager they were to receive something. And then the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, assuming that you've received the news that Abu Ubaidah has returned back from Bahrain with quite a bit of money. So they said, yes, O Messenger of God, that's exactly why we're here.

The Prophet's Warning About Prosperity

Then the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, okay, well, congratulations, it'll be good for you. Take whatever it is that you need. However, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) then offered the following disclaimer.

And he offered this cautionary tale. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said (فَوَاللهِ مَا الْفَقْرَ أَخْشَى عَلَيْكُمْ) The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, it is not poverty. It is not poverty that I fear upon you.

And what that means is not that you won't go through poverty. But the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is saying that I do not fear that poverty will be strong enough of a force to undo your faith and your belief. Poverty will never dissuade you from what you believe.

But the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said (وَلَكِنْ أَخْشَى عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ تُبْسَطَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَيْكُمْ), said the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, however, what I fear for you is that you will come into an abundance of wealth. You will find ease comfort. You will find prosperity.

Just as prosperity and ease was provided to the people that came before you. (كَمَا بُسِطَتْ عَلَى مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ) The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that, then you will also obsess over things. And the acquisition of more and more and more material things, just as those people before you did. (فَتَنَافَسُوهَا كَمَا تَنَافَسُوهَا)

And what will happen? That prosperity will destroy you. (وَتُهْلِكَكُمْ) It will destroy you (كَمَا أَهْلَكَتْهُمْ) As it destroyed the people before you. This the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) laying out very clearly that the trial of prosperity is much more severe than the trial of adversity.

Hadith About Nations Converging on the Ummah

In another narration that's found in the sunan of Imam Abu Dawood, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) he says that (يُوشِكُ الْأُمَمْ أَنْ تَدَاعَى عَلَيْكُمْ) That the time is coming where all the other nations and all the other people will basically converge upon the ummah and will start to pick the ummah apart. Just as hungry people converge upon a tray of food. And the sahaba were very taken aback by this.

(Reference: Sunan Abu Dawud 4297)

And they said, O Messenger of God (وَمِنْ قِلَّةِ نَحْنُ ؟) Will it be because we will be so few and so weak that they'll be able to pick us apart? And the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, That's not the case at all, but you'll be abundant and you'll have prosperity at that time. And the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) even gives a very beautiful and eloquent example, (وَلَكِنَّكُمْ غُتَاءٌ كَغْثَاءِ السَّيْلِ) But you'll be abundant as the foam or the debris that gathers on top of the water when it floods and it rushes. That's how abundant you'll be.

But then Allah, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) says (وَلَيَنْزِعَنَّ اللهُ مِنْ صُدُورٍ عَدُوِّكُمُ الْمَهَابَةَ مِنْكُمْ) But rather nobody will respect you any longer. Other people will not respect you. (وَلَيَقْذِفَنَّ اللهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمُ الْوَه) will afflict you with a disease within your hearts.

And it's called الوهن. And they asked, O Messenger of God, what is الوَهَنَ And the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said (حُبُّ الدُّنْيَا وَكَرَاهِيَةُ الْمَوْتِ) It will be the love and the obsession over wealth and material things and a complete disdain for the afterlife. The afterlife will become something you don't even want to hear someone talk about it.

If somebody brings up the life of the hereafter, it puts a bad taste in your mouth. But you obsess over the acquisition of material things day and night, morning and evening, all the time. So these are two statements from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) which really lay out for us and demonstrate for us the severity of the test of prosperity.

The Nature of Trials of Faith

Now, one of the things that I wanted to talk about here specifically before I proceed, is the fact that a trial of faith and a trial of belief is anything that diverts your attention away from Allah. And that diverts your attention away from what Allah wants you to do in any given situation. So sometimes when things are going badly, you can get a little distracted. But when things are going really, really well, and you feel like you don't have a worry in the world, a lot of times it's very difficult for us to recall, for us to remember at that time that how connected are we to Allah.

Are we completely indulgent within that moment? We have so many expressions in our culture that communicate the same idea. We talk about living in the moment. We talk about making the most of our opportunities, having fun, whatever else the expressions may be, the ideas that might exist within our societies, in our culture, in our communities. But what we have to fundamentally understand is that all of these comforts, and all of this ease and luxury, is it distracting us from Allah?

A Frank Discussion About Our Communities

This is a very difficult topic, you know, and an issue to address. Particularly in our communities today. If I may be, I'd like to be just, I'd like to, you know, drop with the formalities, you know, leave with the formalities and the pretenses, and just talk very honestly and openly for a minute. This is a very difficult and extremely unpopular subject to talk about in our communities.

We don't wanna hear this. We want people telling us that prosperity is good. It's the glory of the ummah. We're bringing the ummah back to prominence. We're making the ummah respectful again. Big homes, nice cars, good jobs, fancy things. The ummah is doing good, the ummah is looking good. That's the idea that's popular.

But what we have to do, these are those gut-check moments. This is why we were given the Qur'an. This is why we were given the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) in his beautiful blessed life. So that there are gut- check moments where we just sit down for a moment, look at what the sacred text is telling us, and then take a long hard look in the mirror, and understand and realize whether or not we have strayed from our objective.

Whether we are confused or not. And I'm not here to say that money and wealth and prosperity and doing well is evil in and of itself. Absolutely not. But at the same time, we also need to dispel with the notion that it is good in and of itself. We feel that if the ummah is financially doing well, then that means the ummah is well. We have to understand it has no direct translation of our level of spirituality.

Quranic Warnings About Material Distractions

Whether we are comfortable or we are in adversity. Our spirituality is a completely different gauge altogether, and we have to gauge it. And not only that, but I'll take it a step further and say, we also cannot deny the fact, إِنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ God says that it's a test and a trial.

إِنَّمَآ أَمۡوَٰلُكُمۡ وَأَوۡلَٰدُكُمۡ فِتۡنَةٞۚ وَٱللَّهُ عِندَهُۥٓ أَجۡرٌ عَظِيمٞ

"Your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allah has with Him a great reward."

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تُلۡهِكُمۡ أَمۡوَٰلُكُمۡ وَلَآ أَوۡلَٰدُكُمۡ عَن ذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِۚ وَمَن يَفۡعَلۡ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡخَٰسِرُونَ

O you who have believed, do not let your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that - then those are the losers.

Do not let your material things distract you from (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللهِ) the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

وَقَطَّعْنَٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أُمَمًا ۖ مِّنْهُمُ ٱلصَّٰلِحُونَ وَمِنْهُمْ دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ وَبَلَوْنَٰهُم بِٱلْحَسَنَٰتِ وَٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the Quran, in surah al-A'raf, He says (وَقَطَّعْنَاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أُمَمًا مِّنْهُمْ الصَّالِحُونَ وَمِنْهُمْ دُونَ ذَلِكَ) We've distributed, we've separated, scattered human beings throughout the land, throughout the earth. Some are righteous, some are not so good and righteous.

وَبَلَوْنَٰهُم بِٱلْحَسَنَٰتِ وَٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

And we test people with good and with bad. We test people with prosperity, and we test people with adversity. Also that they may return back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّبِىٍّ إِلَّآ أَخَذْنَآ أَهْلَهَا بِٱلْبَأْسَآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَضَّرَّعُونَ

And in another place in surah al-A'raf, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala He says, (وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا فِي قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّبِيِّ إلا أَخَذْنَا أَهْلَهَا بِالْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَضَّرَّعُونَ) That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that amongst a people, that the people were initially afflicted with difficulty and adversity, so that they may humble themselves before Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنَا مَكَانَ ٱلسَّيِّئَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةَ حَتَّىٰ عَفَواْ وَّقَالُواْ قَدْ مَسَّ ءَابَآءَنَا ٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَٱلسَّرَّآءُ فَأَخَذْنَٰهُم بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ

Then Allah says that we replaced their difficulty with prosperity to the point where they forgot where they came from. maybe in the past there was some difficulty and adversity.

وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ ءَامَنُواْ وَٱتَّقَوْاْ لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَٰتٍ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَٰكِن كَذَّبُواْ فَأَخَذْنَٰهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ

Then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, our punishment came upon them all of a sudden, and they didn't even see it coming towards them: (وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَى آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَاتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ) if the people were to believe and live a life of God consciousness, Allah says we would have opened the gates of blessings from the heavens upon them. And notice Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said the gates of blessings.

What is barakah? Barakah is the ability to do more with less. Barakah has everything to do with quality, and nothing to do with quantity. So Allah says we would give them quality in what they had, not quantity.

وَلَٰكِن كَذَّبُواْ فَأَخَذْنَٰهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ

But they rejected this truth and reality. And Allah says that we afflicted them with a terrible punishment.

فَلَمَّا نَسُواْ مَا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِۦ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَٰبَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا فَرِحُواْ بِمَآ أُوتُوٓاْ أَخَذْنَٰهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ

Then on the flip side Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, (فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا به) When people forgot the lesson that came to them from Allah.

(فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ) Now here Allah talks about quantity. Allah says then we give them an abundance. Then we give them quantity.

(حَتَّى إِذَا فَرِحُوا بِمَا أُوتُوا) Then what happens? They get completely lost in the abundance of material things that they have. They become completely lost. They drown in their luxury.

(أَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ) And then we come and we grab all of them of a sudden. And then they are left standing there empty handed with nothing to show for. This is a very very harsh reality that we have to wake up to, that we have to understand and realize.

The Story of the Man with Two Gardens

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the Qur'an one of the most, a very important passage that we were advised to read every single week. And we need to get back to reading it. Not only that, we need to read the translation of it. And we need to understand it, and we need to reflect on it and think about it. Is in surah al-Kahf, surah number 18, in which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about the man with two gardens.

وَٱضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلًا رَّجُلَيْنِ جَعَلْنَا لِأَحَدِهِمَا جَنَّتَيْنِ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَحَفَفْنَاهُمَا بِنَخْلٍ وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمَا زَرْعًا

One of them had two gardens. And they were big, luscious, beautiful gardens. Allah lays out some really remarkable descriptions of these two gardens.

وَكَانَ لَهُۥ ثَمَرٌ فَقَالَ لِصَٰحِبِهِۦ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُۥٓ أَنَا۠ أَكْثَرُ مِنكَ مَالًا وَأَعَزُّ نَفَرًا

And then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says (وَكَانَ لَهُ ثَمَرٌ فَقَالَ لِصَاحِبِهِ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُ) The man with the two gardens says to his acquaintance who doesn't have much wealth. He says (أَنَا أَكْثَرُ مِنكَ مَالًا وَأَعَزَّ نَفَرًا) I have a lot more wealth than you. And I'm a lot more respected amongst our people than you are.

And he walks into his garden. And he is completely unaware and disconnected from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So Allah describes him as (ظَالِمٌ لِنَفْسِهِ) He is harming himself, no one else.

وَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُۥ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِۦ قَالَ مَآ أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَٰذِهِۦٓ أَبَدًا

He says, (مَا أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَذِهِ أَبَدًا) He says, this will never go away. Look at my wealth. Look at the empire that I have built. This is not going anywhere. This will never go anywhere.

وَمَآ أَظُنُّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ قَآئِمَةً وَلَئِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّى لَأَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا مُنقَلَبًا

The life of the hereafter is not a concern for me.

(وَلَئِن رَّدِدتُّ إِلَى رَبِّي لَأَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا مُنقَلَبًا) Even when I do go to the life of the hereafter and return back to Allah, I'll be rich and prominent over there. Does that sound familiar? That's exactly what we're talking about. Where we've convinced ourselves of the idea that luxury in this world will naturally translate to success in the life of the hereafter.

قَالَ لَهُۥ صَاحِبُهُۥ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُۥٓ أَكَفَرْتَ بِٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكَ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ سَوَّىٰكَ رَجُلًا

And so his acquaintance, his friend, his acquaintance, he advises him. He says (أَكَفَرْتَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَكَ مِن تُرَاب ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ سَوَّاكَ رَجُلًا) You are being completely disrespectful. And ungrateful to the One who created you from nothing. And made you the man that you are today.

لَّٰكِنَّا۠ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ رَبِّى وَلَآ أُشْرِكُ بِرَبِّىٓ أَحَدًا

(لكِنَّا هُوَ اللهُ رَبِّي وَلَا أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًا) And he says that however, I affirm my faith and my connection to Allah. And I would never let anything get between me and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

وَلَوْلَآ إِذْ دَخَلْتَ جَنَّتَكَ قُلْتَ مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِٱللَّهِۚ إِن تَرَنِ أَنَا۠ أَقَلَّ مِنكَ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا

Now here's a little bit of a secret. What if somebody just is, it is written for them, it is destined for them. Allah has provided some level of prosperity to someone.

Then he advises him, all you have to say is (ما شاء الله) This is what God has provided. The credit goes to Allah. But this is not a statement of virtue on my own part. (لا قُوَّةَ إلا بالله) Only Allah can provide.

And in fact he even says, admonishes his friend. And he says that you see, I have a lot less wealth than you do, I have less people than you do.

فَعَسَىٰ رَبِّىٓ أَن يُؤْتِيَنِى خَيْرًا مِّن جَنَّتِكَ وَيُرْسِلَ عَلَيْهَا حُسْبَانًا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَتُصْبِحَ صَعِيدًا زَلَقًا أَوْ يُصْبِحَ مَآؤُهَا غَوْرًا فَلَن تَسْتَطِيعَ لَهُۥ طَلَبًا

He says that, what would happen if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives me something beyond these two gardens. And what if these two gardens would be completely destroyed.

And the water that, the beautiful sweet spring water, the well that exist in your garden that irrigates and provides water for the garden. What if Allah was to make that water recede down into the earth?

وَأُحِيطَ بِثَمَرِهِۦ فَأَصْبَحَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَىٰ مَآ أَنفَقَ فِيهَا وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا وَيَقُولُ يَٰلَيْتَنِى لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّىٓ أَحَدًا

And in fact the Qur'an says that his gardens were burned to the ground. (فَأَصْبَحَ يُقَلِّبْ كَفَّيْهِ) (عَلَى مَا أَنفَقَ فِيهَا) And he stood there flipping his hands back and forth, back and forth, trying to figure out what happened here. (وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا) And he witnessed his gardens lying there in ruin.

(وَيَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًا) And at that moment he regretted, and he expressed from his heart that I never should have let this get in between me and Allah.

وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُۥ فِئَةٌ يَنصُرُونَهُۥ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ مُنتَصِرًا هُنَالِكَ ٱلْوَلَٰيَةُ لِلَّهِ ٱلْحَقِّ ۚ هُوَ خَيْرٌ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ عُقْبًا

And there was no one to help him and nor could he help anyone else.

.Ultimate success (هُنَالِكَ الْوَلَايَةُ للهِ الْحَقِّ هُوَ خَيْرٌ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ عُقْبًا)

The Key to Success

And the key to succeeding not only in this life but in the life of the hereafter is in establishing, building, maintaining, and continuing our relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Whether we find ourselves in difficulty or in prosperity, maintaining a relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Example of Abdurrahman ibn Auf

I'll finally end and conclude here with a very sobering comment and a very sobering moment from the life of a great companion of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم

And he was putting it down in front of him and it was nice clean water and it was some nice good dates and good food. And he put it down in front of Abdurrahman bin Auf رضي الله عنه . He looked at the food and he said that, (مُصْعَبُ بْنُ عُمَيْرٍ اسْتُشْهِدَ مُصْعَبُ بْنُ عُمَيْرٍ، مَاتَ مُصْعَبُ بْنُ عُمَيْرٍ، وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي - Mus'ab ibn Umayr was killed in the battle of Uhud and he was better than me). (وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي اسْتُشْهِدَ حَمْزَةٌ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ - And he said, Hamza, the uncle of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was martyred in the battle of Uhud. And he was better than me). And he said, look at you, oh Abdurrahman. You sit here today and eat this nice food and drink this nice water, wear nice clothes and enjoy all this luxury. And he started to cry and sob like a child does, uncontrollably. And he said that, I fear, I'm afraid that Allah is rewarding me for all my deeds and all my sacrifices in this world.

A Personal Reflection

I'll end and conclude here. I wanted to share something somewhat personal. I spent the last week visiting with some of my senior teachers that I'd studied with overseas. And I was sitting in the masjid after the day I got there. I was sitting in the masjid. And a brother came up to me, he approached me, he said, (السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ)

I didn't recognize him. And he said that, in fact his name is Abdul Nasser. And he said, I'm Baba Abdul Waheed's son.

Sheikh Abdul Waheed was one of our teachers, senior teachers, he taught us Sahih Muslim. And he taught Sahih Muslim for 50 years. He taught the hadith of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam for 50 years.

And he's from northern Pakistan and it's part of their culture that an endearing term for an elderly gentleman is like grandfather. You refer to even the shuyukh, refer to them as grandfather, Baba, Baba Abdul Waheed. And he passed away about four years ago.

And we started talking and, you know, kind of reminiscing and catching up. And he told me that, he said, there was this white thobe that you had given Baba. And I said, yeah, I remember.

And he said that he used to wear it every single Friday. Till the end of his life, this man taught hadith to tens of thousands of students of knowledge and scholars. And he had three pairs of clothes.

For 15 years he wore the same exact thobe that he'd wash on Saturday and he'd wear it again on Friday. And I sat there just thinking for a moment. And it's almost to the point where this that, it's been haunting me since, that there are people who choose such simplicity.

And with all that time and energy that they save, they utilize it not only to benefit themselves but benefit all of humanity. And I'm not admonishing anyone or shaming anyone here. I'm just talking out loud to

myself.

That I thought for a moment that, how much time and energy and resources and effort do I put into my own luxury and my own comfort? And what more could I be doing with all of that?

Closing Du'a

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala guide us to simplicity. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us from the adversity of prosperity. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

وَصَلَّى اللهُ عَلَى نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ

Wa sallallahu ala nabiyyina Muhammadin wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam

And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala join us with the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in the life they're here after.

جَزَاكُمُ اللهُ خَيْرًا، وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

Jazakumullahu khairan, As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh