The Double-Edged Sword

Unaware as we may be, ambition has smoldered within us since the dawn of creation. Good or bad, every goal or desire we may harbor will undoubtedly be affected by it. If manifested for good, it will result in our salvation; if not, or manifested in evil or for the sake of worldly gain, then it will ultimately lead to our downfall.

The dictionary meaning of having an ambition is “to intensely seek or want something, to be passionately attached to or have a relentless and insatiable desire or greed for it.” As an attribute of morality, it can also be described as “to be consumed by a yearning and craving that permeates all one’s being in the course of attaining an outcome.”

Two types of ambition 

Scholars have divided ambition into two distinct parts. The first is the ambition for trivial and base things, hence the ignoble form. The other is the desire to strive for a higher purpose which is the noble form of ambition.

Humanity has been granted this desire so that he may use it for good and persevere in seeking the truth. Especially with respect to matters concerning our lives in the eternal akhirah, such internal stimuli help prevent people from languishing in despair and losing all hope and will enable them to advance on the one true path. If used to drive a person along a path other than Allah’s, such ambition will only compel the person to pursue status and material wealth.

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Truly man was created very impatient” (Al-Ma’arij, 19).

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) declared:

“Two hungry wolves let loose among a flock of sheep are not more harmful than man’s craving for wealth and status is to his faith” (al-Tirmidhi).  

What condemns a person to their ambition is their nafs: their lower self, ego. One who relents to their nafs’ urges will surely sacrifice their greatest treasure, life itself, to their worldly desires. 

Shaytan’s weapon

Famed 11th-century Islamic scholar Imam Ghazali (rahmatullahi alayh) related a story about an exchange between Prophet Nuh (alayhissalam) and Shaytan:

“Upon receiving a revelation from Allah the Most High, Nuh (alayhissalam) finished building his ark and gathered a pair of each animal onto the ark. When he, too, entered the ark, he noticed an old man he had never seen before.

‘Why did you enter the ark?’ Nuh (alayhissalam) asked. The old man replied:

‘To steal the hearts of your companions. This way, no matter how close they are to you in body, their hearts will always be with me.’ As the old man uttered his words, Nuh (alayhissalam) recognized he was, in fact, Shaytan and said:

‘Leave the ark at once! Oh enemy of Allah, you are the accursed one,’ responded Nuh (alayhissalam). Shaytan said:

‘There are five things I use to lead men astray. Before I depart, shall I tell you three of these?’

At that moment, Allah revealed to Nuh (alayhissalam) that he should disregard the three things and instead have Shaytan reveal the other two. Nuh (alayhissalam) did as instructed and asked for the other two. Shaytan said:  

‘They are two of my most potent weapons I employ against mankind. They have never failed me. No man can escape their potency. I can destroy all of mankind with them. These are greed and envy. As a result of envy, I have been cursed and banished from the mercy of Allah. As for greed, Adam was free to eat from all of the trees in Heaven, with the exception of one. I persuaded him to eat from the forbidden tree using the weapon of greed.’

Abu Abbas Al-Mursi, one of the great awliya, narrated:

“One day, a Sultan visited a wise person and said, ‘Request something from me.’

‘How can I request something of you when you are the slave of my slave?’ replied the wise man and promptly clarified his remark:

‘I have two slaves for which I am the master. However, those two slaves possess you and are your master. I have vanquished them, overwhelmed them, whereas they have overwhelmed you. First of these slaves is lust and the other, ambition.’”

The best ambition

Ambition is present in every man in its purest form. It is essential to channel it in the right direction. We acquire merit or sin depending on how we direct our ambition. Our beloved Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was prone to the noble form of ambition. As the 128th ayah of surah Al-Tawbah says, “There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; (he is) concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful.” That is, he desires for us to be the people of Paradise and strives fervently, so we do not burn in Hell. His ambition was the noblest of all: to provide salvation for all mankind.

The period in a person’s life where his feelings for reminiscing about the past are at their highest is during the final stages of their time in this world. It’s a period where people will lament their weakness and vulnerability, for their bodies are not as they once were. Their eyes do not see as well as they once did, and their hearing is not as efficient as it once was. And yet, as the human body ages, two things remain perpetually young. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) points to this in one of his hadiths:

“An old man’s heart will remain forever young based on two of his loves; the love of life and the love of material wealth.”

Let us conclude with a few words attesting to this from Abu Uthman al-Nahdi (radiyallahu anh):

“I have reached the age of one hundred and thirty. I have seen everything decline with the exception of one thing, and that is my yearning, for I can see my yearning has remained unchanged.”

Abdurrahman Altundağ