Practice Zuhd O' Sisters of Islam !

Our Prophet (saws) was the leader of the devout worshipers and the zuhd (ascetics). There came to him Jibril (as) sent from the Lord of the creation offering him the choice between being sent as a Prophet and king or as a Prophet and slave of Allah, so he chose the latter rejecting the keys to this temporal world as he and his family experienced all kinds of poverty and destitution, while living on the minimal in the company of the best of companions. They are those who ruled the land and to whom the people surrendered.

As for our time, after the duniya was opened up before us we began to lose that spirit – the spirit of that first generation of zuhd, those who weren’t deceived by this worldly life and its beautifications and comprehended that the way to be safe from it is abandoning what is in it.

The one who ponders on the situation of some women today will see from them an excessive indulgence in luxury and aspiration for this debased worldly life. When they shop, they overdo it and spend wastefully and when they request from their husbands, they overtask and inconvenience them and if they are late in delivering what was requested due to inability, they nag and complain. And they often push him to take advances and loans, such that they harm his reputation among other men and he becomes distressed by asking others for so much help.

One of the woman of the Salaf used to follow her husband to the front door of their home daily, requesting from him before he departed that he fear Allah with regards to what he brings home and feeds them of provisions – her concern was the halaal and haraam – whereas some women of today follow their husbands to the door with a shopping list that has no end, with no concern as to where and how he will acquire her demands. You will find some of them having no concern in the world except for food and clothing. If she eats she overdoes it, if she dresses she does so boastfully and if she sits to converse it’s usually centered around food, clothes and hairstyles. From the supplications of the Prophet (saws) was, “Do not make this worldly life from our greatest concerns or the boundary of our knowledge.” [at-Tirmidhi]

O' sisters of Islam, O granddaughter of ‘Aishah (ra) – ‘Aishah (ra) whose house dress was patched – let us reflect for a moment on the best, most honorable and most pleasant of all homes when it comes to lineage, deen, integrity, virtuousness, prosperity and fear of Allah – verily it is the home of your Prophet (saws). It was a small room that was simple and modest and could barely suffice for two. As for his bed on which he slept, ‘Aishah (ra) describes it to us as follows: “The bed of the Prophet (saws) on which he slept was tanned leather stuffed with palm tree leaves.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

‘Umar (ra) reports to us a long narration in which he relates, “I entered upon Allah’s messenger care as he was reclining on a straw mat, and I sat down, so he drew his lower garment closer to him, and he was wearing nothing else. The straw mat had left marks on his side. I looked towards the cupboard of Allah’s messenger where I saw a handful of wheat and leaves of the acacia tree of the similar amount at the end of the room, and skin hanging that had yet to be tanned. My eyes were overcome with tears. He said, ‘What makes you cry, O ibnul-Khattab?’ I replied, ‘O Prophet of Allah, how can I not cry while this straw mat has left marks on your side, and here is your cupboard in which I find only what I see; yet Caesar and Khosrau are amidst gardens and rivers, even though you are the Messenger of Allah and His chosen one, and this is your cupboard.’ He said, ‘O ibnul-Khattab, are you not pleased that for us is the Hereafter and for them is this worldly life?’ I replied, ‘Of course…’” [Muslim]

And what did he and his family eat? A whole month would pass without the glow of fire appearing in his house, and they would mostly live off of dates and water. ‘Aishah (ra) describes to us what they used to receive of meat from time to time saying, “Luhaym” (i.e. small bit of meat)” due to its small amount!

At-Tabari mentions, “The choice of the Messenger of Allah and that of the Salaf, from the Companions and the Tabi’een, to live a life of austerity and to be patient with the bitterness of poverty and endure the coarseness of their clothing and food, despite it being little and despite the sweetness and comfort of being wealthy, demonstrates the virtues of zuhd in regards to the duniya and the taking of its provisions, especially in regards to what suffices for living. Our Prophet (saws) used to spend his days with a rock tied to his stomach due to hunger, an indication of his austere living and his patience upon that despite his knowledge that if he asked his Lord to send for him mountains of gold and silver, He would have done so. And so upon this path the righteous proceeded.”

By Allah, O' Muslimah contemplate the statement of Umm Salamah (ra) where she states, “In the time of the Messenger of Allah, there would befall us our monthly menstruation. Each one of us would spend days on her menstruation and then purify herself and then examine the garment that she was wearing. If it was stained by blood, we would wash it and then pray wearing it, and if it had not been affected by anything we would leave it and he would not forbid that we pray wearing it.” [Abu Dawood] Here was a woman of the best generation that most likely didn’t own more than one garment in times of menstruation and times of washing, while the homes of the women of our ummah today are almost declaring what is inside of clothing and adornments.

One might say, “I see only that you are prohibiting what Allah has permitted and He loves to see the signs of His blessings on His slaves!” To that we say: Refuge is sought with Allah that we prohibit His good things which He has granted His slaves. However, this is a call to follow the best of the creation and zuhd is the jewel of the true believer, he in whose eyes the worldly life is insignificant and in whose heart the Hereafter is magnified. Allah loves to see the signs of His blessings upon His slaves, not the signs of excessiveness and waste and does not love to see the wife fatiguing her husband by requesting everything she craves despite his inability to provide that. We are calling the women towards adorning themselves with this fine jewel. 

We likewise would like to take this opportunity to warn against the consequences of being stingy with regard to one’s family. It is upon the Muslim husband to spend upon his wife and children with what is known to be good without excessiveness and without negligence and when he spends it should be in accordance with his capacity, thereby arriving at a virtuous station without becoming a brother to shaytaan. So let not one have wealth yet behave tight-fisted with his family and let one consider his reward for every mouthful he feeds his family and every delight that enters their hearts and Allah is All-Knowing of what was intended. Likewise he should not at times of financial difficulty overburden himself with what he cannot bear seeking the approval of a wife who doesn’t consider his circumstances or show mercy towards his weakness.