Wherever you live in the world, there are always going to be problems and issues. The human race is one that is constantly striving for wanting more. You could be the richest person on Earth and still desire more. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) as we know was the epitome of simple. He happily sat on the floor, ate from whatever he had, and never required any sort of military salute. In a nutshell, he wasn’t chasing this dunya. He preferred to keep a low status and even said,
“Do not over praise me as the Christians over-praised Eesa, the son of Maryam, Indeed, I am only a slave. So call me the Slave of Allah and His Messenger.”
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari
Our beloved Prophet (saw) would find solace and peace associating himself with the less influential and less wealthy members of society. It it true that if one spends time with the poor, weak, and orphans, the heart is impacted and one’s worldview changes drastically. Seeing the situation of those who have less than yourself always instill thankfulness and gratitude in the heart.
When the Prophet (saw) became the undisputed leader of all the Arabs in the Arabian peninsula, his simplicity didn’t go away. On an occasion, Umar Ibn al-Khattab (ra) visited him and saw him sleeping on branches. Upon seeing this Umar (ra) couldn’t contain himself and bursted out in tears and said,
“O Messenger of Allah, how can we allow you to live like this? Look at the kings of Roman, Persia. Look at how they live. Surely O Messenger of Allah, you deserve better. “
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari
The Prophet (saw) peace be upon him responded, “O Umar, is this why we are here for? O Umar, aren’t you happy that they have this Dunya (this life) and we have the Akhirah?”
This life is more than just gathering material things. The Prophet Muhammad’s (saw) life is a prime example of how we should live if we want to be truly successful in the akhirah. Stinginess and frugality aren’t looked upon favorably either. Rather Allah (swt) encourages you to give and in return He will give you more. Each person needs to ask themselves, “what is it in life that will truly give me happiness?” Material goods are never capable of soothing the heart. The greatest gist one has is life. Islam is the straight path and the divine guidance of the Qur’an is meant for all of mankind to follow.
My Daily Deen 