An Endless Treasure

“Say, ‘Indeed, my Lord extends provision for whom He wills of His servants and restricts [it] for him. But whatever thing you spend [in His cause] - He will compensate it, and He is the best of providers.’” (Saba, 39)

Having the meaning “making do with what is available and being patient and pleased with whatever share of wealth, possession or benefit Allah ordained for someone,” Rasulullah defines contentment in the following hadiths: "Being content is a form of wealth that will not be depleted." (Mu’jamu’l-Wasit)

Those who lack spiritual contentment (or deep comprehension of appreciation) are deprived of a treasure. Even if such people were to live a life of worldly luxury, their hearts will remain poor and restless, deprived of meaning, purpose, and direction. Such a condition is difficult to escape from. Greed will consume them and lead them to hoard wealth. They will burn with envy at what others have. This world will neither profit nor benefit them – they will not make any gains beyond what has been preordained for them. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) points out this fact with the following hadith:

“Whoever makes the Hereafter his goal, Allah makes his heart rich, and organizes his affairs, and the world comes to him whether it wants to or not. And whoever makes the world his goal, Allah puts his poverty right before his eyes, and disorganizes his affairs, and the world does not come to him, except what has been decreed for him.” (Tirmidhi, 2465)

Mankind’s attitude towards material and worldly goods and his ambition to acquire it are expressed in the hadith as follows:

“If Adam's son had a valley full of gold, he would like to have two valleys, for nothing fills his mouth except dust. And Allah forgives him who repents to Him.” (Bukhari, 6439)

These words serve as an explanation of the following Verses:

“And you love wealth with immense love.” (Al-Fajr, 20)

“And indeed he is, in love of wealth, intense.” (Al-Adiyat, 8)

Humankind, by nature, will never be satisfied with what it achieves or acquires. In the above-mentioned hadith, an insatiable appetite (i.e. ambition, greed) is fulfilled only when the body and fertile ground become mixed. That is, only death can extinguish what appears to be an inextinguishable appetite within a ravenous soul, except for those who possess spiritual contentment within themselves (as mentioned by Saadi Shirazi):

“If you give the whole world to a greedy person their appetite will never cease, but if you give a piece of dry bread to a fulfilled person, they will be content.”

The needs of man may be satisfied but a discontent heart yearns for more

Contentment is a condition of the heart. Insatiability, which is the inability to experience contentment, is at variance with this spiritual state. It is a sickness of the heart, not something related to or caused by the needs of a person being neglected. A content heart is not spoiled by excess or worried about scarcity. One of the great figures in tasawwuf Abu Sulayman Darani (quddisa sirruhu) says:

“Contentment is to be in a state of serenity in the absence of things that one is fond of or accustomed to having.”

Muhammad bin Ali Tirmidhi (quddisa sirruhu) gives the following definition on the matter:

“Contentment is to make do with what is available and not covet what isn’t.”

Contentment is also a matter of rida. As Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says: “Be satisfied with what Allah has alloted for you and you shall be the richest of the people” (Tirmidhi, 2305). Allah (jalla jalaluhu) hands out rizq (sustenance) in varying degrees; some receive it in dribs and drabs, some in droves, all with His infinite wisdom. What falls to us is to submit to the divine allocation. The following ayah is a reminder for us:

“Do they not know that Allah extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]? Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe” (Az-Zumar, 52).

The inability to be content with what has been provided as rizq is a spiritual weakness within a person and the leading cause for their anxiety. Such an unfortunate person soon becomes fixated with the fortune and blessings others have while being blind to their own. Our beloved Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)  advised us on how to escape from this sickness:

“If anyone of you looked at a person who was made superior to him in property and (in good) appearance, then he should also look at the one who is inferior to him.” (Bukhari, 6490). Another hadith also quotes him as saying “Doing so is more appropriate for not looking down upon Allah’s blessings (nimah).” (Muslim, Zuhd 9)

The Cure for Ambition and Greed

A heart filled with greed leaves no room for contentment, and a heart saturated with contentment can’t be assailed by ambition and avarice. Imam Ghazali (rahmatullahi alayh) advised on what needs to be considered in order to subdue and vanquish ambition and greed in the heart and allow serenity caused by contentment to settle:

• Reducing expenditure to only meeting essential needs. Being frugal when meeting needs and acting with moderation in giving charity. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says: “Allah loves that one should be kind and lenient in all matters.” (Bukhari 6256) Ibn Abbas (radiyallahu anh) narrates from Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): “İktisat (ölçülü harcamak) güzel huy ve sâlih bir hayat tarzı, peygamberliğin cüzlerinden bir cüzdür.” “Right guidance, correct behaviour and being moderate form a twenty-fifth portion of prophethood.”
• To believe and have complete trust in the knowledge that every living being depends on the sustenance given by Allah (subhanahu wa taala), to know that such a mindset removes anxiety about the future by directing the individual to rely wholeheartedly on the promise of Allah to always provide for and sustain His creation. Indeed, Allah (jalla jalaluhu) unequivocally establishes this fundamental principle in the following ayah: “There is no creature on earth whose sustenance is not undertaken by Allah. He knows its permanent and its temporary place. Everything is in a clear book.” (Hud, 6).
• Believing that true wealth is found in contentment and that ambition and greed will only bring about a person’s downfall and lead to their humiliation. As a person’s ambition and greed grow, so too does their need for others. They are soon deprived of the opportunity to call people to the path of Allah and are forced instead to curry favor with people in order to please them. A person who does not value the sanctity of his person as much as his avarice is a person of little intellect and one who suffers from a lack of faith.
• Contemplating and reflecting on the knowledge that wealth is not a measure of superiority and that surplus goods possess inherent risks and dangers.

A person who takes this advice, bears it with patience, and condenses their many material aspirations and dreams in this world to shorter-term goals will soon find himself on the path to eternal bliss. Another way to understand this is to observe the willingness of the believer to swallow the bitter pill out of a desire (and need) for the healing that is to follow. (Ihya, III, 307-310)

A Good Life

Allah Taala declares in the Noble Qur’an that the believers who do good deeds in the world will undoubtedly lead a good life:

“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer - We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do” (An-Nahl, 97).

Although the expression “hayatan tayyibatan: a good life” is sometimes interpreted as life in the grave and in the hereafter, there is near unanimous consensus that it denotes this mortal life. After the phrase “a good life” follows “ajr: reward,”which is understood to be good news – this indicates the reward in the hereafter.

Fakhruddin Razi (rahmatullahi alayh) explains what is meant by “a good life” by providing the below view:

• A good life means to earn in a halal way
• A good life means to nourish oneself with halal food and drinks and to worship Allah
• A good life is a life of contentment
• A good life is to be satisfied with the sustenance apportioned for the day, each day.

Wahidi (rahmatullahi alayh), one of the mufassirs who evaluated these arguments, says “The view of those who say ‘what is meant by a good life is contentment’ is commendable and preferable. Because no one leads a good life in this world other than he who is content. On the other hand, the greedy and ambitious person is constantly plagued by feelings of restlessness and weariness.” (Mafatihu’l-Ghayb, XX, 114)

Ebussuud Efendi (rahmatullahi alayh) explains the relationship between a good life and contentment with the following words: “As for those who do good deeds being granted a good life; If such a person is rich, then his situation is self-evident. If he is poor, he derives joy by being happy with what he is ordained and by waiting for the rewards of the afterlife. Consider the resemblance to this in the example of a fasting person finding joy during the day by thinking about the blessings and boons he will receive during the night. A sinner is deprived of such joy. This is self-evident if the sinner is poor. If he is wealthy, then the ambition and the nagging fretfulness that rears its head at the thought of losing his wealth chokes back any enjoyment he might experience in life” (Irshad, V, 166).

As one of the qualities of the human heart, contentment is a treasure a believer should possess regardless of whether he is rich or poor. One needs to protect this precious treasure of the heart from detriments such as wastefulness, ambition, envy, and long-term aspirations that one acquires by setting targets for worldly goals as if life would never end. In order to do that, we must preserve it with the help of safeguards against corrosion, such as frugality, patience, tawakkul, rida and taqwa.

Allah, the Almighty Rabb of the Universe, declares that he will create a way out for those who worship Him with sensibilities that are centered on taqwa and that He will grant them rizq from where they least expect it:

“And whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent” (At-Talaq, 2-3).