A journey of a young, UK based, Muslim

‘Ali bin Fudail related that he heard his father say to Ibn Mubarak, “You order us to seek little from this world, yet we see you trading in merchandise. Please explain how you reconcile one with the other?” He said, “O Abu ‘Ali, i do so only to protect myself (from begging), to be genorous to my family, & to use wealth to help me in obedience to my Lord.” ‘Ali said, “O Ibn Mubarak, if you achieve all of that, then your way of earning & spending are both noble indeed!”

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Imam Ibn Taimiyyah (ra) said: “Anyone whose heart is attached to the creation, hoping for someone from the creation to help him or provide for him or guide him, then his heart submits to them & to the degree that his heart submits to them he becomes their slave. This holds true, even if he is outwardly a ruler or a guardian over those whom he treats as masters. The wise one looks at realities & not at appearances. So if a man’s heart is attached to his wife, even though that is permissible, his heart remains a prisoner to her, & she may rule over him as she pleases-though outwardly he is her master & her husband. In reality, he is her prisoner & her slave, especially if she knows how much he is in need of her & how much he feels that she cannot be replaced by anyone else. At that point, she rules over him as the tyrant master rules over subjugated slave, who cannot escape or go free. Indeed for the heart to be taken as a prisoner is a much greater matter than for the body that is a slave can have in it a serene & peaceful & happy heart. As for the heart that is a slave to other than Allaah (the Exalted), then that is true humiliation, imprisonment & slavery.

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