Why must one have an either/ or choice in this matter?

What if a person loves his work, home and money for the sake of Allah; for they make him more thankful to Him.And at the same time he longs to see the Prophet [Allah bless him and give him peace] as well.Does this person not qualify as a true believer? Why must be be asked to give one up [or imagine giving one up] for the sake of the other?

Why must there necessarily be a conflict of interest between the love of Allah and the world [for halaal reasons]?

I fail this test and wonder what the consequences of failing it are and also if worldly attachment is such a bad thing, how do I rid myself of it.

The Companions who emigrated from Mecca to Medina were faced with this either-or choice, and they chose the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) over everything else–the wealth that they had spent a lifetime amassing, the family ties that guaranteed their social security, the parents they loved, and the children they raised.

Most people–fortunately for us!–are not faced with this either-or choice, and we normally don’t need to give up everything to please Allah and His Messenger.

The point here, though, is not that you need to get rid of everything in order to prove your love. The point here is to ask the question, “What if I *did* have to get rid of everything? Would I do it?” The point is how the heart is, not what is in your hands.

If you find that the answer is no, then you haven’t “truly believed”, meaning that your faith needs to be perfected. This is done by treading the spiritual path.

Some practical ways to inculcate this love are: (a) to frequently send blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and (b) to frequently read and reflect about his life, character, sayings, and appearance.

choo sooe mann guzar aari
manne miskee(n) zina daari
fida-e naqsh-e-nalainat
kunam ja, YaRasulAllah! (SAW)

when you pass by me
then even in my immense poverty, ecstatically,

I must sacrifice my soul on your blessed sandal, Ya Rasulullah!

[Mawlana Abdur Rahman Jami-RA]

Jazakum Allah Khayran.

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“If you had an either-or choice, what would you choose: the entirety of your worldly attachments–the house, the bank account, the family, and everything else–or the option of being able to see the blessed Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)?”

If a person comes to a muslim Y and tells him that he can enable him to “see” the Prophet [Allah bless him and give him peace] for 30 seconds, but in return he wants all his worldly possessions.Since muslim Y has a family to look after he thinks about it but then decides not to give up his wordly possessions , for this 30 second vision.Does that necessarily mean he doesn`t “truly believe”?

Wouldn`t the position of the sahaba [Allah bless them all] be different since the Prophet [Allah bless him and give him peace] was physically present then?

Also does “truly beleive” only imply having a perfected belief?

Apologies for dragging this on , but I am unclear on some issues.

Jazakum Allah Khayran.

As salaamu alaikum,

What a beautiful explanation… give it all up for one chance to see the Beloved…

Sal Allahu ‘alaihi wasallam.

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Assalamu’Alikum,

I’d want to give up everything to be with him (saw) but am not sure if i am worthy, as for seeing him (saw) i am not worthy. But as for interacting with him (saw) and being in his (saw) blessed company, I need this more than everything.

I think that I am in a weird place?

wassalam

[Response to “a student” (comment #7 above)]

1. This hadith is speaking of the high stage of perfected belief, not the bare-minimum-belief-that-makes-one-Muslim. So, if one finds that one fails the test, that doesn’t mean that one is no longer a believer. One is still a believer, but one hasn’t realized the perfections of our religion that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) brought to mankind. One hasn’t tasted “the sweetness of faith”, in other words.

2. Shaykh Ibn Hajar (Allah have mercy on him) is illustrating in practical terms what it means to love the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) above all else: it means that one would choose anything to do with him over absolutely everything else. Unless one has that readiness, the quality of one’s belief is still lacking.

And Allah Most High knows best.

Can I ask about Owais Qarni (RA) here who did not come to Madinah to meet the Prophet (SAW) because he had to take care of his mother in Yemen ? How do I understand his decision from the discussion above

I believe the Prophet(SAW)’s eldest daughter Zainab (RA) choose to stay with her husband who was a pagan instead of following her father to Madina. I do not wish to waste anyones time, but this is a fascinating bit of history to me and comments would be welcome.

One thing to remember as well is, what the post is talking about is a high stage which inshAllah all of you will reach. Moreover, with time our love will increase. And you’ll all see him one day. Seeing the Prophet (pbuh) his such a blissful state, that one wouldn’t miss anything (of the dunya) at all.

BTW - Sidi Hamza didn’t say that the only way to see the blessed Prophet is by throwing everything away and waiting for around for him. Rather this has to do with proper adab and zuhud in ones heart. Allahu ‘Alim.