One's life does not become beautiful when occupied with the nafs (the lower self).
When Junayd was asked what zuhd (asceticism) is, he replied: "It is for the hand to be emptied of property, and the qalb (the heart) to be emptied of seeking."
When Shibli was asked about the nature of zuhd, he replied: "It is to turn away from everything except Allah."
Yahya Muʿādh said: "One who does not possess these three qualities cannot attain the reality of zuhd: action without attachment (performed solely for Allah), speech without greed, and possessing dignity without carrying the desire for riʾāsa (leadership, ambition to be foremost)."
Abū Hafs (al-Ḥaddād) said: "Zuhd is only possible in what is ḥalāl (permissible); in the dunyā (worldly life), there is no ḥalāl. In that ḥāl (spiritual state), there is also no zuhd."
Abū ʿUthmān (al-Ḥīrī) said: "Undoubtedly, Allah gives the ascetic (zāhid) more than he desires, gives the one who desires the world less than he wants, and gives the upright as much as he wishes."
Yahya Muʿādh also said: "The zāhid (by constantly emphasizing Allah's majesty, punishment, and fear of Allah) makes you taste vinegar and mustard, while the ʿārif (knower of God), by speaking of Allah's beauty, blessings, and love, makes you smell musk and ambergris."
Hasan al-Baṣrī said: "To be ascetic toward the dunyā means to hate the people of the world and everything in it."
When a Sufi was asked, "What does it mean to be ascetic in the dunyā?" he replied: "It is to leave what is in the world to those who are in the world."
A man asked Dhū al-Nūn al-Miṣrī, "How long must I observe zuhd in the dunyā?" He replied: "Until you become ascetic toward your own nafs!"
Muḥammad Faḍl said: "The iʾthār (altruism) of the ascetics is when they are in a state of istighnāʾ (independence, not in need), while the iʾthār of the people of futuwwa (chivalry) is when they are in need." (Qushayrī, 61)
Allah the Exalted has said: "The remainder from Allah (the lawful profit He has left for you) is better for you." (Hūd 11:86) Zuhd is the complete removal of desire for a thing. For the common people, zuhd is qurb (nearness to God); for the murīd (aspirant), it is necessity; for the elite, it is khashyah (awe of God).
Zuhd has three degrees. The first is zuhd regarding doubtful matters, out of fear of divine reproach, avoiding deficiencies, and dislike of acting like the wicked.
The second degree is not valuing superfluous things: not desiring too much, being content with little to make good use of one's time, abandoning excess, and adorning oneself with the qualities of the prophets, awliyāʾ (friends of God), and ṣiddīqūn (the truthful).
The third degree is zuhd regarding zuhd itself. This is achieved by: seeing what you have turned to as insignificant; regarding all states related to zuhd as equal in your eyes; and, by looking to the valley of ḥaqīqa (inner reality), becoming absent from seeing your own effort in zuhd. (Manāzil, 13)
Patience (sabr) in the face of hardship is called zuhd; its opposite is ḥirṣ (greed). If one is patient with little, this is called qanāʿa (contentment); its opposite is sharah (insatiable greed). Most of the moral qualities of iman (faith) are included in sabr. (Iḥyāʾ, IV, 82)
Living in zuhd regarding the dunyā is one of the noble maqāmāt (spiritual stations) of the sālik (spiritual traveler). Like other stations, it is regulated by knowledge, ḥāl, and action. As the early scholars said, all matters of iman are based on belief, speech, and action. Speech is for the manifestation of iman. Through it, the station of ḥāl is established, for it reveals the inner state. Otherwise, the aim is not the speech itself.
If speech does not arise from ḥāl, it is not called iman but islām. The knowledge that leads to ḥāl is like a tree that bears fruit; action is the result of ḥāl, like the fruit itself. Let us mention ḥāl together with knowledge and action. By ḥāl, we mean what is called zuhd. In this sense, ḥāl is simply turning one's desire from something to something better.
To give up something for a price or for any other reason is not zuhd; rather, it is not desiring it. To take something else in its place is due to desire for that thing. What is abandoned is called zuhd in relation to it; what is turned to is called desire and ḥubb (love). Thus, zuhd means turning away from something and turning to something better. However, what is turned away from must have some desirability; abandoning things like stones or sand, which have no desirability, is not called zuhd. The zāhid is one who abandons things that are desirable, like dirhams and dinars, not things like dirt and stones. (Iḥyāʾ, IV, 266-267)
Zuhd, according to its strength, has three degrees. The first is the lowest: the qalb inclines toward the dunyā, and the nafs is attracted to it, but the person strives to turn away from the dunyā through struggle, even though he still desires it. This is called mutazahhid (one striving for zuhd). This is the beginning of zuhd for one who attains it through effort. The mutazahhid first exhausts his nafs, then his intellect. The zāhid, however, first expends his intellect, then disciplines his nafs, not in patience against what he has left, but in obedience and worship. The mutazahhid may fall under the sway of his nafs, succumb to desires, and risk returning to comfort in the dunyā.
The second degree is to leave the dunyā with contentment, seeing it as insignificant compared to the hoped-for paradise. Like someone who gives up one dirham for two, even if he must wait, it does not trouble him. However, this zāhid may become attached to his zuhd, admiring himself and his zuhd, thinking he has chosen something more valuable by giving up something less valuable, though the opposite is true. This is a deficiency.
The third and highest degree is to be a zāhid willingly and to be a zāhid even in one's zuhd, thus not seeing one's zuhd as anything. He knows the dunyā is nothing. Like someone who gives up pebbles for a jewel, he does not see it as a transaction or himself as one who has given up something. He believes the dunyā is as insignificant compared to Allah and His rewards in the hereafter as pebbles are to jewels. This is the point of kamāl (perfection) in zuhd, and its cause is the perfection of maʿrifa (gnosis) regarding zuhd, things, the world, the hereafter, and Allah. Just as one who exchanges pebbles for jewels would never return to the pebbles, so too the zāhid at this level will never return to the dunyā. (Iḥyāʾ, IV, 277-278)
Zuhd has three further degrees. The highest is not assigning oneself a special place, being content with any part of the mosque like the Aṣḥāb al-Ṣuffa. The middle is desiring a hut made of palm leaves or something similar. The lowest is wanting a room for sale or rent. If the dwelling is not larger or more ornate than needed, this does not remove one from the degrees of zuhd. (Iḥyāʾ, IV, 290)
Yahya Muʿādh said: "The sign of zuhd is these three qualities: action without attachment (performed solely for Allah), speech without greed, and possessing dignity without the desire for riʾāsa (leadership, ambition to be foremost)." (Iḥyāʾ, IV, 299)
According to our scholars, zuhd is of two types: that which is decreed (maqdūr) for the servant and that which is not decreed (ghayr maqdur). The first is achieved by: abandoning the desire for what is lost from the dunyā, separating from what is gathered in the dunyā, and abandoning the desire and preference for the dunyā.
The second, not decreed for the servant, is when the zāhid's qalb becomes cold toward something. The first precedes the second: when the servant abandons the desire for what is lost from the dunyā, separates from what is gathered in it, and abandons seeking the dunyā for Allah's sake, reflecting on its calamities and the greatness of Allah's reward, his qalb becomes cold toward the dunyā. This, in my view, is true zuhd. (Minhāj, 13)
Zuhd, in our view, can occur in both ḥalāl and ḥarām. If it concerns the ḥarām, it is obligatory; if it concerns the ḥalāl, it is supererogatory. For one who fulfills all acts of obedience, the ḥarām is like carrion: it is only consumed in necessity and only enough to remove harm. Zuhd in the ḥalāl is only at the maqām of the abdāl (spiritual substitutes). For them, the ḥalāl is like carrion, and they only take what is necessary. For them, the ḥarām is like fire, and they never consider taking it. This is the meaning of coldness in the qalb. Thus, one's thoughts are cut off from the dunyā, seeing it as filthy and detestable, leaving no desire or will for it in the qalb. (Minhāj, 14)
Tawhid (the oneness of God) is in the qalb, zuhd is in the qalb, taqwa (God-consciousness) is in the qalb, maʿrifa is in the qalb, knowledge of the Truth is in the qalb, love of the Truth is in the qalb, and drawing near to Him is in the qalb. (Fath, 49)
The mutazahhid is one who has given up his dunyā outwardly. The zāhid who has realized zuhd is one who has removed the dunyā from his qalb. They have become zāhid toward the dunyā with their qalb, so that zuhd has become their nature. Their outward and inward have merged, the fire of their nature has been extinguished, their desires broken, their nafs satisfied, and their evil changed. (Fath, 106)
The believer is a stranger in the dunyā, the zāhid is a stranger in the hereafter, and the ʿārif is a stranger in everything except the Master. (Fath, 142)
Zuhd is for an hour; warāʿ (scrupulousness) is for two hours; maʿrifa is constant action. (Fath, 294)
Faqr (spiritual poverty) is distinct from Sufism (taṣawwuf). Rather, the end of faqr is the beginning of Sufism. Zuhd is also distinct from faqr. For them, faqr is not poverty or lack, but rather praiseworthy faqr is to trust in Allah and be content with His apportionment. (Ādāb, 7)
Zuhd, as one of the maqāmāt, is to abandon the ḥalāl of the dunyā and to turn away from the dunyā and its desires. What follows is faqr: not possessing property and removing love of wealth from the qalb... (Ādāb, 20)
The servant advances through the maqāmāt by increasing his ḥāl. Thus, ḥāl and maqām are intertwined up to tawba (repentance). There is no virtue without ḥāl and maqām. Zuhd, tawakkul (reliance upon God), and riḍā (contentment with God's decree) all have ḥāl and maqām.
Unless tawba and restraint become established as a maqām, the servant cannot maintain them due to the constant dominance of the nafs's desires. The same applies to zuhd. The servant first experiences a ḥāl that shows him the sweetness of abandoning the dunyā and reproaches him for turning to it. Unless aided by Allah, the effects of this ḥāl disappear due to the nafs's greed and desire for the dunyā. Thus, the servant attains zuhd, becomes steadfast in it, and zuhd becomes a maqām... (ʿAwārif, 275)
Junayd said: "Zuhd is for the hand to be emptied of property, and the qalb to be emptied of seeking (to possess property)."
When Shibli was asked what zuhd is, he replied: "Zuhd is heedlessness, for the dunyā is nothing. Zuhd regarding nothing is also heedlessness."
For one who possesses zuhd fi'l-zuhd (zuhd regarding zuhd), the presence or absence of the dunyā is the same. If he abandons the dunyā, he does so only by Allah; if he takes it, he does so with Allah. This is zuhd fi'l-zuhd (living zuhd within zuhd). We have seen ʿārifūn (gnostics) who reached this station.
Above this is another station related to zuhd: due to the breadth of his knowledge and the purity of his nafs at the maqām of baqāʾ (subsistence in God), Allah returns will and choice to him. After settling in a corner of the dunyā and having the gift returned to him, he abandons it by his own choice, which comes from Allah's choice. He prefers to abandon the dunyā by looking to and taking solace in the prophets and the righteous.
In the station of zuhd fi'l-zuhd, acquiring the dunyā is seen as a blessing granted due to one's weakness in attaining the degree of the strong prophets and ṣiddīqūn. Then, this blessing from Allah is also abandoned for and with Allah. In this station, with the guidance inspired by manifest knowledge, he benefits from the dunyā by his own choice, out of compassion for his nafs. This is the station of the strong ʿārifūn in terms of ḥāl and maqām. First, they are zāhid for Allah, second, they desire Allah, and third, they are zāhid with Allah. (ʿAwārif, 286)
The zuhhād (ascetics) are those who abandon the dunyā because they lack the power to acquire it. Our companions have differed regarding one who has the power to seek and gather worldly goods but refrains and abandons the desire, so that he possesses nothing of the dunyā: should he be counted among the zāhids or not?
Some of our companions accept that such a person can be included among the zāhids, while others hold that zuhd is only possible regarding what one possesses. According to the latter, if a person possesses worldly goods, zuhd cannot be realized in some cases. The leader of those holding this view is Ibrāhīm ibn Adham, whose story is well known. (Futūḥāt, II, 20-21; Nabahānī, I, 47)
Zuhd is only possible regarding what is in one's possession. Desire is also related to what is possessed. (True) zuhd is zuhd related to desire (abstaining from wanting). Our companions have differed as to whether it is correct to call a poor person without property a zāhid or whether he has any share in this station. Our view is that the poor person is firm in his desire for the dunyā (his station requires him to desire it); even if he cannot obtain it, he tries to do so. This effort, due to his desire, means his abandonment of the dunyā is undoubtedly called zuhd. (This desire is present in his possession due to his station. For this reason, we have defined it as such. (Asfār)) (Futūḥāt, VI, 174; Asfār, 95)
Know that the sālikūn (spiritual travelers) we have mentioned are of various ranks: the sālik who journeys from Him to Him passes from one manifestation to another. The one who journeys to Him, from Him, and in Him, journeys from one divine name to another.
The one who journeys in Him, from Him, to Him, and with Him, journeys from one divine name to another by means of that name.
The one who journeys not in Him or to Him, but from Him, departs from creation to creation from Allah's presence. The one who journeys not in Him or from Him, but to Him, flees from creation to Him, like Moses' flight (cf. Qur'an).
The sālik who does not journey from Him, in Him, or to Him, passes from the dunyā to the hereafter in terms of righteous deeds; these are the zuhhād (ascetics) who are not ʿārifūn. (Futūḥāt, II, 376)
The stations of yaqīn (certainty) are nine: tawba (repentance), zuhd, sabr (patient endurance), shukr (gratitude), khawf (fear), riḍā (contentment with God's decree), rajāʾ (hope), tawakkul (reliance upon God), and maḥabba (love). None of these stations should be considered together with the elimination of planning or choice with Allah.
Zuhd is only valid when one leaves planning aside, for you are addressed only when you leave planning aside. Zuhd regarding planning is your planning.
Zuhd is of two types: the outward and manifest, and the inward and hidden. Outward and manifest zuhd is abstaining from excess in ḥalāl things like food and clothing. Inward and hidden zuhd is abstaining from riʾāsa (desire for leadership, ambition to be foremost) and the urge to stand out. Abandoning planning while with Allah also falls into this category. (Tanwīr, 8)
If patience (sabr) is in the face of hardship, it is called zuhd. If one is patient with little, it is called qanāʿa. (Qudāma, 286)
(The first of five states regarding poverty:) If wealth comes to him, he does not desire it, is troubled by it, and flees from it out of aversion, avoiding its harm and preoccupation. The possessor of this state is called a zāhid.
The strongest of these five states is the first, the state of zuhd. There is a higher state: being indifferent to the presence or absence of wealth, neither rejoicing when it is found nor grieving when it is lost. (Qudāma, 338)
Some people, though desiring the dunyā, act as zāhid toward it, struggling with their nafs. Such a person is called a mutazahhid. Thus, mutazahhid-ness is the beginning of zuhd. (Qudāma, 347)
Zuhd, in relation to what is desired, has three degrees: one is zuhd to escape punishment, reckoning, and similar fears that lie ahead.