Do you still Hold On to those aspirations?

Salam


I want to have a successfully business, ishallah. Halal bakery or something along them lines. First must move to a Muslims area if I want to earn a successfully business.
It is not happening anytime soon so I shall keep dreaming about it for now.

format_quote Originally Posted by IbnAbdulHakim

Assalamu Alaikum
My dream, soon, is to have a humble home of not more bedrooms then I require in which there is no television set, there are no sofa's, no beds but rather sheets to sit upon and futons to sleep upon. A home where there are no dining tables, and where the food is only that which satiates the stomach and stays within the command of taking care of the body Allah has entrusted us with.

I sincerely believe that living like this, whilst praying five times a day and reading Quran will lead me towards jannah. InshAllaah.

But I ask you brothers and sisters, because I know I have struggled to hold on and persevere with my Islaam! I ask, DO YOU STILL HOLD ON TO THOSE YEAR OLD ASPIRATIONS?

If that lifestyle is what you want, then that's a good thing for you insha'Allaah.

As for myself, I prefer a little level of luxury in my life, so I definitely would want to have a decent home, with sofas, beds, dining tables and sufficient rizq. I want that because that will allow me to be a better person according to my ability. I don't think having or wanting to have that is against the concept of zuhd in Islaam. Obviously you don't want to have too much luxury or too many possessions, but living at a standard level or above standard, there isn't anything wrong with that when it's done via halaal means. After all, we find Sulayman (a.s.) asking Allaah for the greatest kingdom on Earth - but he was still a zahid. We find the likes of Imam Maalik (ra) living quite a luxurious life, eating meat every day (which was a big deal back then), owning around fifty turbans etc - yet he was a zahid.

Whatever level of luxury we have, we're bound by the following ayah which outlines for us the balanced path, {But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters."}[al-Qasas; 77]

As Hasan al-Basri (ra) said:

"Az-Zuhd in this Dunya is not achieved by prohibiting the Halal, nor by wasting money. Rather, it entails your being more certain in what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has in His Hands, than you are about what you have in your hand..."

^ funny thing is I wasnt even thinking about being a zaahid loool



I just find what I said to be more comfortable to me. And the best thing is we have a central home with sofa's, beds (where my mum lives), my place is going to be just for me and my wife so its going to be as simple as simple gets


A zaahid is one which stays away from the permissible indulgence to please Allah. If I do what I do, it will be to keep my selfish ruined nafs under check, nothing more

Since we're on the topic of wanting to live a simple life, how do you get rid of the love of this world?

format_quote Originally Posted by Bedouin

Living a simple life would be cool though. I'd have to find a way to force the wife into agreeing with it too as no woman would live in a house without shiny new furniture out of her own will.

its cool we'll just buy her burgers

Since we're on the topic of wanting to live a simple life, how do you get rid of the love of this world?

fill your heart with the opposite.

for example, love for music and love for Quran cant stay in one heart right?
so can love for the hereafter and love for this life stay in one heart?

Also the prophet sallallahi alaihi wasallaam said keep the dunya in your hands ready to chuck away.

I think you just have to not get attached to anything.


Prayer and recitation helps

format_quote Originally Posted by Crazy_Lady

Since we're on the topic of wanting to live a simple life, how do you get rid of the love of this world?

Strangely sometimes disasters and major losses in our lives are what makes us learn what is actually of any value. I had to loose everything I own more than once, before I come to the understanding of how little value possessions are.

My simple learning from what life has handed me:

Never buy anything you would not be willing to throw away. If you can not throw it away, you do not own it it owns you.

Any living creature that comes into your life is worth more than the most precious piece of gold.

The path to Jannah is not paved with gold, it is paved with prayer mats.

All you will ever need in this Dunyah is as close to you as prostration.

The less you can learn to live with, the more you will gain. Direct your desires to owning just a few items and those view will turn out to be all you need and if you care from them properly they will increase to as much as you can actually handle.

A little thought to ponder.

Imagine you have to leave your home in 15 minutes never to return. You can only bring with you any living creatures you have plus a grocery bag full of your possessions. You have 5 minutes to fill the
bag. What will you put in it?

















Now take half the items out of the bag, what is left is all you actually need at this moment in your life.

We need nothing in this life except that which will guide us to Jannah and sustain life while we are here. All other things are wants not needs and our wants very often are the result of what we see in ads.


Look at the true value of so many things in this life we have been taught as being of value. How valuable is say the Hope diamond? Now suppose you were stranded in a life boat far adrift at sea, it has been 8 days since you had a morsel of food and 3 days since you had a drop of water. You are now offered a choice of 2 things, you can have either the Hope diamond or water and food. which now is the most valuable.

There is nothing wrong in owning and enjoying halal material items and there is joy in sharing them, but remember those are wants and not needs. Look at our wants as being a luxury and the less time we spend on luxuries gives us more time to spend on needs.

Sort out what are the needs and wants in your life. concentrate one the needs and do not get concerned over the wants. Enjoy them if they fall into your life, but always be willing to give them away as a gift or throw them away if they begin to own you.

Strange often the less we strive to gain the more we seem to get. Just last year on Sept 5 Aabidah and I lost virtually every possession we own. We spent the past winter literally homeless living in a Winnebago stranded in ice and snow. Yet, in a very short period of time we again already own way too much and have too many material possessions. Which fortunately we can share with those in need ot them.

format_quote Originally Posted by IbnAbdulHakim

^ funny thing is I wasnt even thinking about being a zaahid loool

I just find what I said to be more comfortable to me. And the best thing is we have a central home with sofa's, beds (where my mum lives), my place is going to be just for me and my wife so its going to be as simple as simple gets

A zaahid is one which stays away from the permissible indulgence to please Allah. If I do what I do, it will be to keep my selfish ruined nafs under check, nothing more

It fell under my definition of zuhd, i.e. what I would consider zuhd..so I commented on it..but no problem! I pray insha'Allaah you get what your heart desires, both here and in the Hereafter.

Living a simple life would be cool though. I'd have to find a way to force the wife into agreeing with it too as no woman would live in a house without shiny new furniture out of her own will.

Very random but I suppose that could work. I'll save the miswaak for another time then.

You really like tempting me to reply don't you ? j/k.

salams...

If the muslim don't struggle to find money and wealth it'll be impossible for them to do hajj and also to pay zakah. so it is important to work for it. and for that...we hope that Allah guide us to be more worried and think more and spent time more on the hereafter compared to this world. Sometimes we worried too much about this world and the misery befallen on us.

format_quote Originally Posted by syilla

salams...

If the muslim don't struggle to find money and wealth it'll be impossible for them to do hajj and also to pay zakah. so it is important to work for it. and for that...we hope that Allah guide us to be more worried and think more and spent time more on the hereafter compared to this world. Sometimes we worried too much about this world and the misery befallen on us.

A person need not limit themselves to a low paying job to live a simple life. In fact if they do have a high paying job and choose to live a simple life, that frees up more money to be used for things like Hajj, Charity, Zakat etc.

If you've got the means and wealth then use it wisely & be thankful for it.. that in itself is a good deed.. If I'm not mistaken, Imam Malik was known to be wealthy, he'd wear very elegant and expensive clothing, usually white and he'd change them frequently & give them away to charity once worn..

Rasoolullah was a merchant, this didn't stop him from leading a simple life, helping the poor, performing Hajj, or fulfilling anything else. We have the perfect example of Rasoolullah .

there is absolutely nothing wrong with being wealthy.


but extravagance and wastefulness are another matter entirely.

one of the things the prophet sallallahi alaihiwasallaam feared for this ummah is its time of richness.



Abu Dharr al ghifari would go to the market everyday to warn people of getting too comfortable.


and i myself have felt the affects of pleasure and luxury taking and saping away at my emaan.






just a few thoughts I had whilst reading the comments

Brother woodrow...alhamdullilah you truly are a blessing to this forum since your posts are filled with years of wisdom that is so beneficial for the rest of us. Alhamdullilah. I wish to live a life without extravagance and hope that I have the strength to detach myself from worldly assets in exchange for heaven, inshAllah. I’m not sure if my idea of a simple life matches that of some of the brothers here though =/

I love giving. I want to earn enough so that I am able to give to others, who otherwise would not have, the equivalent to what I have inshAllah. I think it’s about balancing your life so that you are comfortable and content with what you have and in a state of optimum imaan. For some that would be more and for others less is sufficient and Alhamdullilah we have examples from the lives of the companions and the pious at both ends of the spectrum.

We have so much to be thankful for. Allahumma inni ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ibadatik. <3