Releasing Wealth and Self to Allah
The most profitable trade offered by Islam to humanity is giving up what is transient and finite in exchange for what is permanent and eternal. This trade isn’t merely about donating excess charity; it’s about completely relinquishing the feeling of ownership within the heart. Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Geylani (may Allah be pleased with him) stated, “Submit your wealth and ego to His decree. Lay your existence before His judgment. Leave what is to be sold to the Buyer,” indicating absolute surrender. When a person understands that they are not the true owner of their life or possessions, but merely a trustee, they free themselves from a heavy burden by transferring these temporal trusts to their rightful Owner.
Giving Everything and Only Seeking The Truth
For a true lover and knower (arif), even expecting paradise or spiritual stations as a reward for their acts of worship and sacrifices is a significant deficiency. The goal is far more sublime: only the Essence of Allah! The lament, “Let ego, wealth, and paradise be yours. Let everything else be yours; give us Your Essence. We desire nothing else,” is the inner voice of those truly possessing tawakkul (reliance on God). Even the beauties and palaces of paradise are no different from a prison for these perfect lovers if they do not contain “Allah’s pleasure and witnessing His beauty.” It’s the wisest trade to seek the homeowner, rather than the house itself.
True Ownership of Worldly and Afterlife Possessions
Whoever spends (infaqs) everything they possess – their ego, ambitions, and all that they have – for the sake of Allah, does not actually lose anything; on the contrary, they become the true master of the universe. Geylani (may Allah be pleased with him) reveals this secret as follows: “If you desire dominion in this world and the hereafter, spend your entire being upon the path of Allah. At that time, you will become a leader and ruler.” The servant who strips themselves of their selfish existence (ego) dons the garment of Allah’s power. The person who sacrifices the transient gains the eternal and attains an immense spiritual sovereignty (spiritual wealth) that is envied by angels and created beings in both worlds.