Post by yusuf72 on Oct 8, 2020 22:32:27 GMT
As-Salaam alaikum,
In one of his illustrious works, Sayyadi Harith Ibn Asad al-Anazi al-Muhasibi (781-857), may Allah be Merciful to him, condemned excessive rigorism in the matter of what is dubious, while advocating the need for abstinence and asceticism in life. The basic principle in these matters of personal devotion and interpersonal transaction, among others, we must rely upon Allah (tawakkul).
Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, can be trusted to provide for His Creatures and therefore we have no excuse for recourse to what is unlawful or doubtful in origin. In this regard, Sayyadi al-Muhasibi sets forth a fine conception of Allah as Creator, with discerning knowledge of, and care for His creatures.
Faith in Allah and remembrance with the lips as with the heart, that He is the Sole Provider, the Lord of life and death, and Sovereign over all things, will lead man to this complete trust in Him, and to the observance of His sanctions.
But all this does not mean that a man should refrain from taking lawful means to earn a livelihood, or live in idleness at the expense of others. The right type of abstinence (wara') is to abstain from what Allah Ta'ala has prohibited and what is abhorrent to Him of action, be it in word, deed, thought or motive.