The Immutability of Sustenance and the Eternal Decree
Anxiety over livelihood and fear of sustenance is the greatest psychological enslavement, dragging one into covetousness and forcing submission to transient possessions. However, according to Islamic belief, every living being’s sustenance has been predetermined from eternity, and this allotment neither increases nor decreases, not advances nor delays. Shaykh Geylani warns those who strive with greed with this absolute truth: “Sustenance is apportioned at its time; it does not increase or decrease, cannot be hastened or delayed.” Human striving does not increase one’s sustenance; rather, it leads to unlawful means and lays the groundwork for spiritual bankruptcy.
The Absolute Independence Granted by Contentment
True wealth is not the fullness of bank accounts or the abundance of possessions, but the heart’s feeling of independence (mustaghni) from need. “Contentment is an inexhaustible treasure. What is destined for you in this world is fixed; it does not go to another.” A believer who ceases to beg of creation and does not fawn upon oppressors for their sustenance is the wealthiest person in the universe. “Trusting in Divine existence is the greatest wealth.” Those who understand that worldly possessions are transient say, “How can you rely on the material and temporal possessions in your hand? No matter how you hold onto them, they will slip through your fingers,” declaring that eternal capital lies only in acceptance (tawakkul) and contentment.