“This Dunya is Nothing To A True Believer”, by Shaykh Faid Mohammed Said
We fight and make enemies over the affairs of this world – how misguided are we? Shaykh Faid Mohammed Said writes on warped priorities.
Sulaiman ibn Abdul Malik, khalifah at the time, was doing tawaf (circumambulating) around Ka’aba when he saw Syedina Salim, son of Syedina Salim Ibn Abdullah ibn Omar. Syedina Salim was holding his shoes that were cut in pieces, and his clothes were every humble.
The Khalifah felt sorry for him. The Khalifah came close to Syedina Salim and he said, “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Syedina Salim looked at him angrily and he said, “Are you not shy to say this to me in the House of Allah?”
For Syedina Salim, how could he ask anyone other than Allah? The Khalifah felt a bit ashamed.
The Khalifah watched Syedina Salim until he finished his tawaf. When Syedina Salim finished his tawaf, the Khalifah said, “Now you are outside Allah’s House. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Syedina Salim said, “Do you want me to ask you from the things of the dunya or can you do things of the akhira as well?”
The Khalifah said, “Of course, the things of dunya because the things of akhira are in the Hands of Allah.”
Syedina Salim said to him, “O Sulaiman, I have never asked Allah for the things of the dunya, and He owns it. So how can I ask of things of dunya from the one who does not own it?”
In their eyes, dunya was nothing. They believed in Allah’s description of dunya. Allah said, in Surah Al-An`am:32, “And the worldly life is nothing but amusement and diversion, but the Hereafter is the best for those who are conscious of Allah.”
Dunya was nothing for them. It is not only something they do not ask for, but they were shy to ask for it. Now we not only ask for it, we become friends for it, we become enemies for it, we love for it, and we hate for it because it became so big in our eyes. Dunya is low, and it made our himmas low.
Our Master, peace be upon him, said in his supplication, “O Allah, do not make dunya the biggest of my concern, and do not make the knowledge of dunya the biggest of my knowledge.”
