Those Who Work Gain This World and the Hereafter
Islam commands reliance on Allah (tavekkul) while strongly rejecting laziness and burdening others. Striving tirelessly to secure one’s livelihood in this world and build a home in the hereafter is a duty of a believer. Abdülkadir Geylani (q.s.) proclaims with these words how laziness leads people to ruin: “Laziness throws man into terrible precipices… Do your work properly and be diligent. Those who work gain this world. Those who work gain the Hereafter.” The lazy person not only misses out on the blessings of this world but also falls short of worship and righteous deeds, which are provisions for the afterlife.
Working is the Sunnah of the Prophets
True Sufism is not about abandoning work and becoming idle in a corner. The greatest friends of Allah and even the prophets themselves have earned their sustenance through hard labor. “The prophets worked, borrowed, adhered to means… They combined effort with reliance.” Pursuing lawful livelihood is an honorable path that disciplines the ego and saves one from the humiliation of begging others. If someone, through laziness, looks to the small handouts given by people, he loses the honor of being a believer and draws Allah’s wrath upon himself.
The Ruin of Laziness in the Spiritual Realm
Laziness is an even greater disaster not only in the material realm but also in the spiritual realm (in worship and self-discipline). He warns those who harbor hope without action, saying, “You have spent your lives with laziness, night and day, and you are content with it. With this flaw, do you expect goodness from Allah Most High?” Those who think Paradise and the Beauty of Allah are free are in a great state of heedlessness. Adhering to commands, avoiding prohibitions, and relentlessly fighting the desires of the ego are not positions that can be gained without sweating and tiring oneself. Happiness in both worlds is the fruit of endless striving (cehd).