Definition of Zuhd
Ibn al-Jallā (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Zuhd (asceticism) is to look at the world with the eye of its transience so that it becomes insignificant in your sight. For this reason, distancing yourself from the world becomes easier for you.”[1]
It is said: “Zuhd is the nafs (the lower self) abstaining from the world without affectation.”[2]
Imam Junayd (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Zuhd is to erase the traces of the world from the qalb (the heart).”[3]
Ibrāhīm b. Adham (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Zuhd is the separation of the qalb from the world, not the separation of the hand.”
This is the zuhd of the gnostics (ʿārifūn). Higher than this is the zuhd of the muqarrabūn (those brought near), who detach themselves not only from the world, but also from Paradise and all else besides Allah Most High. Only those who have attained and drawn near to Allah Most High possess this kind of zuhd.[4]
Zuhd is to empty the qalb of love for the world and its desires, and to fill it with love and maʿrifa (gnosis, experiential knowledge of God) of Allah. The more the qalb withdraws from the adornments and occupations of the world, the more its love, turning, vigilance, and maʿrifa of Allah increase. For this reason, the gnostics consider zuhd to be a condition for attaining the love, riḍā (contentment with God's decree), and nearness of Allah Most High. Zuhd is not an end in itself, but a means to reach Allah.
A. The Legitimacy of Zuhd
Some categorically deny the existence of zuhd in Islam, considering it a later innovation (bidʿa) introduced into the religion. They claim that zuhd infiltrated from Christian monasticism or the religious beliefs of the Persians.
This attitude stems from ignorance of the reality of Islam. If these deniers had referred to the hadiths of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), they would have seen that he explicitly called to zuhd and regarded it as a means to attain the love and affection of Allah Most High. Sahl ibn Saʿd al-Sāʿidī (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “A man came to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: ‘O Messenger of God, show me a deed which, if I do it, Allah and people will love me.’ The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Renounce the world and Allah will love you; renounce what is in people’s hands and people will love you.’”[5]
Furthermore, any Muslim who examines the Book of Allah Most High will find many verses that belittle the status of the world, show its rapid passing, clarify its insignificance, and declare the transience of its blessings. The world is a deceptive abode, a trial for the heedless. To remove love of the world from people’s hearts so that they do not neglect their purpose of creation—to know Allah and establish His religion—Allah Most High says in al-Fāṭir 35:5:
“O mankind, indeed the promise of Allah is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allah by the Deceiver (Satan).”
Similarly, Allah Most High says in al-ʿAnkabūt 29:64:
“And this worldly life is nothing but diversion and play. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter—that is the [eternal] life, if only they knew.”
And in al-Kahf 18:46:
“Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one’s] hope.”
Thus, other verses also address this topic and aim at this great objective.
When we review the life and conduct of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), we find that he often directed his Companions (ṣaḥāba) to distance themselves from the world, to avoid desiring it, and to detach from its adornments. This was done by belittling the world’s status and showing its attractions as insignificant, so that people would not be distracted from their essential and sacred mission.
At times, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would clarify that Allah Most High made the world an adornment, a test, and a trial for us, and wished to see whether He is pleased with our conduct in it. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The world is sweet and green. Indeed, Allah has made you successors (khalīfa) therein and is observing how you act. So beware of the world and beware of women.”[6] Sometimes the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) would remind his Companions that the world is a fleeting shadow and a quickly passing amusement, so that they would not trust in it, lest it cut them off from Allah Most High.
Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrated: “The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) took me by the shoulder and said: ‘Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler passing through.’” Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) also said:
“When you reach the evening, do not expect [to live until] the morning; and when you reach the morning, do not expect [to live until] the evening. Take from your health for your illness, and from your life for your death.”[7]
Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: “The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) lay on a mat and slept, and when he got up, the mat had left marks on his side. We said: ‘O Messenger of God, shall we not provide you with a mattress?’ He replied: ‘What have I to do with the world? I am only like a traveler who seeks shade under a tree, then departs and leaves it behind.’”[8] The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), indicating the insignificance of the world, said: “If the world were worth as much as a mosquito’s wing in the sight of Allah, He would not have given a disbeliever a sip of water from it.”[9]
Thus, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), his successors, and the noble Companions lived upon these noble practices. Their souls avoided inclining toward the world, and their hearts lived in zuhd. They sometimes faced poverty, hardship, and trials, yet they always excelled in showing riḍā, submission, and sabr (patient endurance) to the decree of Allah Most High. The world appeared insignificant to them. Its treasures and keys were placed before them, but they used it as a means to the Hereafter and to deeds pleasing to Allah. Their hearts were occupied with obedience to Allah Most High, and they did not fall into luxury, arrogance, pride, or excessive miserliness, nor did they occupy their hearts with such blameworthy traits. Our master Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) gave all his wealth in the way of Allah Most High. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him: “What have you left for your family?” He replied: “I have left Allah and His Messenger for them.”[10]
ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) was at the forefront in this competition of zuhd. His generosity and zuhd became proverbial.
ʿUthmān (may Allah be pleased with him) provided for the entire army in the Battle of Tabūk (Jaysh al-ʿUsra), spending from his wealth and not caring about the great expense for the sake of Allah’s riḍā. His self-sacrifice, preferring others over himself, and abstention from the world were so great that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said about him: “Nothing will harm ʿUthmān after today, whatever he does.”[11]
The books of sīra are filled with accounts of the zuhd of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and his noble Companions. Without going into detail, we will suffice here with a few examples.
Nāfiʿ (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: “By Allah, neither in the house of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) nor outside it were there ever three garments together. Nor were there three garments together in the house of Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). But I saw them when they entered ihram, each had an izār and a cloak, worth the price of one of your shirts. By Allah, I saw the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) patching his garment, and Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) mending a cloak. I saw ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), while he was Commander of the Faithful, patching his robe with leather. I know that in my time, more than a hundred of the Prophet’s Companions were like this. If I wished, I could mention a thousand such examples.”[12]
Ḥafṣa (may Allah be pleased with them both), the daughter of ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him), said to him: “O Commander of the Faithful! (If only) you would wear a softer garment and eat better food! Allah has increased your provision and goodness.” ʿUmar replied: “I leave your argument to your nafs. Do you not remember that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) faced hardships in life?” He continued to remind her until he made Ḥafṣa weep, and said: “By Allah, if I could live as they did in hardship, perhaps I would join them in ease.”[13]
It is narrated from Qatāda (may Allah be pleased with him): ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) came out later than the people on Friday, and apologized for his delay, saying: “The reason for my delay is that my garment was being washed, and I had no other garment.”[14]
The noble Companions of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) provide a perfect practical example for the sincere believers who follow his path. They are exemplars in zuhd, chastity, purity, and uprightness.
B. The True Meaning of Zuhd
The aforementioned definitions and the clarification of its legitimacy show that zuhd is a spiritual station (maqām) of the qalb. Zuhd is to remove love of the world from the qalb, for the ascetic does not incline to it with his qalb. The zahid (ascetic) is occupied only with that for which Allah created him.
The meaning of zuhd is not that the believer abandons the world, withdraws his hand from wealth and property, gives up lawful earnings, and becomes dependent on others.
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) explained the true meaning of zuhd as follows: “Asceticism in the world does not mean making the lawful unlawful or wasting wealth. Rather, asceticism is not to rely on what is in your hand, but to trust that everything is in Allah’s power. Then, if you are afflicted with a calamity, your love for Allah should be greater than it was before the calamity, even if you do not lose what you had.”[15]
(The hadith uses the term “zuhd”; I have translated it as “asceticism”—the meaning is the same. Translator...)
Allāma al-Munāwī (may Allah have mercy on him), commenting on this hadith, said: “Zuhd is not to abandon wealth entirely. Rather, for the zahid, the presence or absence of wealth is the same, and the qalb is not attached to it. It should be known that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) was an example for the ascetics; he ate meat, halva, and honey, loved his wives, perfume, and fine clothing. Take what is pure and lawful without extravagance or arrogance, and beware of monastic world-renunciation like the monks!”[16]
The Sufi masters (Saādat al-Ṣūfiyya) accept that zuhd is a spiritual station of the qalb. ʿAmr b. ʿUthmān al-Makkī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Know that the root and foundation of zuhd in the qalb is to see the world as insignificant and contemptible. This is the basis, and the reality (ḥaqīqa) of zuhd is only possible through this.”[17]
Our master ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (may his secret be sanctified) summarized the true meaning, interpretation, and explanation of zuhd with his saying: “Remove the world from your qalb; put it in your hand or your pocket so that it does not harm you!”[18]
In this sense, some gnostics say: “It is not zuhd to withdraw your hand from the world while it remains in your qalb; zuhd is to remove it from your qalb.” For this reason, Ibn ʿAjība (may Allah have mercy on him) defined zuhd as: “Zuhd is to prevent the qalb from attaching to anything other than Allah.”[19]
According to Imam al-Zuhrī (may Allah have mercy on him), the true meaning of zuhd is: “To thank Allah Most High for providing lawful sustenance, to be content with the provision Allah has allotted you, and to restrain your nafs from the unlawful.” When asked about the zuhd of a Muslim, he said: “That gratitude for the lawful does not fall short of patience with the unlawful.” (He will not be unable to thank for lawful provision, and will be patient in the face of the unlawful.)[20]
The scholars have agreed that the purpose of the verses and hadiths criticizing the world is not to condemn the world itself, but to warn against occupying the qalb with it. The believer should not make it his goal and strive for it with all his means. The real goal is not to forget to seek the riḍā of Allah Most High. The world is a beautiful means for the believer and a wonderful vehicle for drawing near to Allah Most High. If one worships the world, it becomes ugly. In this sense, Allāma al-Munāwī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The world itself is not condemned, for it is the field of the Hereafter. Whoever acquires it according to the rules of the sharia (the sacred law), the world helps his Hereafter. Therefore, it is said: ‘Do not incline to the world, for it remains for no one. But do not abandon it either, for only through it can one attain the Hereafter.’”[21]
C. The Path to Attaining Zuhd
Indeed, zuhd is a spiritual station (maqām) of the qalb and a lofty rank, for it is to purify the qalb of love for anything other than Allah Most High. Attaining it is a significant matter, achieved through great effort and beneficial deeds. The most important means is the companionship of a murshid (spiritual guide) who takes the hand of the murīd (aspirant), guides him soundly, leads him step by step with wisdom and discernment, and keeps him from stumbling.
Those who make zuhd their sole aim in the tariqa (Sufi path) and fall into error have worn patched garments, eaten coarse food, abandoned lawful earnings, envied the wealthy, filled their qalbs with love of the world, and imagined themselves to be among the ascetics. The root of their error is that they walk without the companionship of a murshid who is aware of their state.
Regarding such people, al-Munāwī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Zuhd is not to empty the hand, but to empty the qalb. Some groups, not knowing zuhd, imagined it to be abandoning the lawful and separating from people, so they neglected rights, cut off relatives, wronged creatures, criticized the wealthy, and their qalbs became filled with the desire for wealth like mountains. They did not realize that zuhd is only with the qalb. The essence of zuhd is to kill the desires in the qalb. When they abstained from their desires with their limbs but not with their qalbs, they imagined they had perfected zuhd. This delusion led many imams to censure them.”[22]
There are many who turn to the world and its pleasures, whose qalbs are occupied with love of the world, who spend all their time accumulating worldly goods, and who imagine they have attained zuhd in their qalbs. They think they understand the reality of zuhd. If only they had a heart-doctor who would give them sincere nasīḥa (advice) and show them the reality of their attributes and guide them to the true path of zuhd. It should be noted that murshids sometimes prescribe certain forms of spiritual struggle (mujāhada) as temporary and necessary remedies for some students, to help them empty their qalbs of worldly attachments. They may encourage eating little and simple food, wearing plain clothes to remove love of the world from the qalb, or giving generously to remove the trait of severe miserliness. Such remedies are necessary and beneficial as long as they are under the supervision and judgment of the murshid. These are not ends in themselves, but legitimate means for the qalb to attain true zuhd.
The Noble Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ate simple food and tied stones to his stomach from hunger, even though the mountains were offered to him as gold. He was content with little. This demonstrates the legitimacy of such practices.
In this regard, Imam Junayd (may Allah have mercy on him), who was trained by the gnostic shaykhs, said: “We did not take Sufism (taṣawwuf) from hearsay, but from hunger, abandoning the world, and abstaining from its beauties and habits. For Sufism is the attribute of dealing with Allah Most High.” The essence of Sufism is to abstain from the world, as Ḥāritha said: “I made my nafs flee from the world. I kept myself awake at night and thirsty during the day.”[23]
The great murshid, our master ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (may Allah have mercy on him), would direct his students at the beginning of their spiritual journey to struggle with their nafs, wear coarse clothing, practice sabr, and accustom themselves to a solitary and simple life. Then he would transfer them to the spiritual stations of zuhd until giving and taking, poverty and wealth, became equal to them, and he would empty their qalbs of everything other than Allah Most High. The Sufi masters would direct their minds to actions that help realize the station of zuhd. Some of these are:
1. To know that the world is a passing shadow and a fleeting illusion. After it comes the abode of permanence (the Hereafter), either the blissful Paradise or painful torment. A person will see the result of his deeds: if good, then good; if evil, then evil.
ʿAbdullāh b. Shikhkhir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I came to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was reciting Sūrat al-Takāthur. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘The son of Adam says: My wealth, my wealth. O son of Adam, do you have anything except what you eat and consume, what you wear and wear out, or what you give in charity and thus preserve?’”[24]
Abū al-Mawāhib al-Shādhilī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “With love of the world, the worship of the murīd (aspirant), the occupation of the qalb, and the exhaustion of the limbs are all for naught. No matter how much worship there is, it is little in the sight of Allah Most High.”
2. To know that beyond this world is an abode of greater value and importance—the abode of permanence (the Hereafter). Allah Most High says in al-Nisāʾ 4:77:
“The enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better for those who have taqwa (God-consciousness).”
For this reason, they directed their followers to turn away from the world and to aim for the life of the Hereafter, Paradise, its blessings, and seeking Allah’s pleasure. They followed the way of the Companions and the righteous predecessors (may Allah be pleased with them), who sacrificed, preferred others, struggled against their nafs, and did not fall for the adornments of this fleeting life, overcoming their desires.
Some of their sayings became their motto:
“Do not look at the built palaces,
Look at the bones that will decay!
When you remember the adornments of the world, say:
Indeed, the real life is the life of the Hereafter, so humble yourself.”
3. To know that the zuhd of the believers in this world does not prevent what is decreed for them. Their desire cannot attract what is not destined for them, nor can what is destined for them miss them.
Summary
In summary: Zuhd is a lofty station, for it leads to the love of Allah Most High. For this reason, the Book and the sunnah call to zuhd, and the imams of the religion praise its virtue. Imam al-Shāfiʿī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Hold fast to zuhd, do not abandon it! For the zuhd of the zahid is more beautiful than adornment on the beautiful.”[25]
For this reason, the Sufi masters realized zuhd and passed through the stages indicated by Ibn ʿAjība (may Allah have mercy on him):
Zuhd of the common people: To abandon whatever is beyond one’s needs.
Zuhd of the elect: To abandon whatever distracts from drawing near to Allah.
Zuhd of the elect of the elect: To abandon looking at anything other than Allah Most High at all times.” He continued: “Zuhd is the cause of spiritual journeying and arrival, for when the qalb is attached to anything other than the Beloved, there can be no journey.”[26]
Imam al-Nawawī (may Allah have mercy on him) described this righteous community of the ummah and said in a poem:
“Indeed, Allah has intelligent servants,
Who divorced the world, fearing its temptation,
They looked at it and realized that,
The world is not a place for the living to settle!
They made the world a sea, and righteous deeds their ship.”[27]
Footnotes
- Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 56
- Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 56
- Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 56
- al-Futūḥāt al-Wahbiyya Sharḥ al-Arbaʿīn Ḥadīth of Nawawī by Shaykh Ibrāhīm Shibrī Ḥayṭī
- Ibn Māja, Kitāb al-Zuhd
- Muslim, Kitāb al-Dhikr wa’l-Duʿāʾ, narrated from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him). The full hadith: “The first trial to befall the Children of Israel was because of women.”
- Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb al-Riqāq
- Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Zuhd, declared authentic
- Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Zuhd, narrated from Sahl ibn Saʿd al-Sāʿidī, declared ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ
- Abū Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Zakāt; Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Manāqib, narrated from ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb. Tirmidhī declared the hadith ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ
- Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Manāqib, narrated from Kathīr (may Allah be pleased with him), the freed slave of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Samura
- Tārīkh ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb by Ibn al-Jawzī, p. 102
- Tārīkh ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb by Ibn al-Jawzī, p. 104
- Tārīkh ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb by Ibn al-Jawzī, p. 102
- Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Zuhd, narrated from Abū Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), declared gharīb
- Fayḍ al-Qadīr Sharḥ Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr, al-Munāwī, vol. 4, p. 72
- Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya by al-Sulamī, p. 203
- Fatḥ al-Rabbānī by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī
- Miʿrāj al-Tashawwuf, Ibn ʿAjība, p. 7
- al-Nihāya fī Gharīb al-Ḥadīth by Ibn al-Athīr, entry on Zuhd
- Fayḍ al-Qadīr Sharḥ Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr, vol. 3, p. 545
- Fayḍ al-Qadīr Sharḥ Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr, vol. 3, p. 73
- Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya by al-Sulamī, p. 158
- Muslim, Kitāb al-Zuhd
- Fayḍ al-Qadīr Sharḥ Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr, vol. 4, p. 73
- Miʿrāj al-Tashawwuf, Ibn ʿAjība, pp. 7–8
- Imam al-Nawawī, Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, p. 3
- Taʿrīfāt al-Sayyid, p. 57
- Miʿrāj al-Tashawwuf, p. 8
- Sharḥ Ṭarīqat Muḥammadiyya by al-Nāblusī, vol. 2, p. 105
- Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 89
- Risāla al-Qushayriyya, p. 89
From the Erginli Dictionary
(signs of zuhd; ḥāriṣ; characteristics of the ascetics; station of zuhd; ascetics; zuhd in something as opposed to something else; zuhd in zuhd; zuhd in the view of the non-gnostic; zuhd of the worshipper; zuhd of the possessors of gnosis; zuhd of the people of spiritual states; zuhd of the people of great realization; zuhd of the people of scrupulousness; zuhd of the possessors of preliminaries; zuhd of the seekers)
Zuhd in the world means comfort for the body. Inclination toward the world brings worry and sorrow. Prepare your provision and send it to the Hereafter! Be the executor of your own nafs, do not make others your executors so that they do not divide your inheritance!
Live your life as if fasting, and let your breaking of the fast be your death! If Allah granted me multiples of what He has given you, it would not please me as much as being occupied with Allah for the blink of an eye.
The sign of knowing the world is to abandon it, to distance oneself from those who rely on, love, prefer, and esteem it, and to live in zuhd and solitude. (Adab, 146)
Abū Yazīd (al-Bisṭāmī) said: O young seeker of knowledge! Seek the knowledge within knowledge. Knowledge is something other than the knowledge you are in. O young seeker of zuhd! Seek the zuhd within zuhd. Zuhd is something other than the zuhd you are in. O young seeker of taqwa! Seek the taqwa within taqwa. Taqwa is something other than the taqwa you are in.
The zahid is one who always thinks of Him, remains with Him, and never turns his gaze to anything else. The worshipper (ʿābid) is one who sees Allah’s favor in his acts of worship, so much so that his worship is drowned in those favors and blessings.
When Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī was asked about the nature of zuhd, he replied: It has no station. Then, describing the beginning of his own zuhd, he said: For three days I was in zuhd. The first day, I was ascetic regarding the world and what is in it. The second day, I was ascetic regarding the Hereafter and what is in it. The third day, I was ascetic regarding everything other than Allah. On the fourth day, nothing remained for me but Allah. A voice called out to me: O Abū Yazīd! You have no taqwa with Us. I replied: This is what I sought. Then I said: I have found it! I invited my nafs to obey Allah, but it turned away, so I deprived it of water for a year.
The thought of the gnostic (ʿārif) gives him hope. The thought of the zahid consumes him.
For the non-gnostic, zuhd is a transaction, as if he exchanges the goods of this world for those of the Hereafter. For the gnostic, zuhd is to purify oneself from anything that veils the secret from the Real (al-Ḥaqq), and to see oneself as greater than anything other than the Real. (Ishārāt, IV, 59)
There are three ranks among the ascetics (zuhhād). Some are beginners, who possess neither wealth in their hands nor in their qalbs. When Junayd was asked about zuhd, he replied: To empty the hand of wealth and the qalb of desire. When Sari al-Saqaṭī was asked about zuhd, he replied: For a person to empty his qalb of what is in his hand.
Some ascetics realize zuhd. When Ruwaym Aḥmad was asked about the nature of zuhd, he described the ascetics as those whose nafs abandons all pleasures related to the world. This is the zuhd of the realized, for in mere abstention from worldly things, there is comfort, fame, praise, and status in people’s eyes, so the nafs finds pleasure in it. The one who is inwardly detached from these pleasures is truly realized in zuhd.
The third group are the knowers (ʿārifūn) and those who have attained certainty. Even if all the world were their lawful property and they would not be questioned about it in the Hereafter, and it would not diminish their reward in the sight of Allah, yet if they abandoned it for Allah’s sake, their zuhd would be for what Allah has regarded since He created it. If the world were worth as much as a mosquito’s wing in Allah’s sight, He would not give a disbeliever a drop of water from it. Thus, they have become ascetic even regarding their zuhd, and have repented from their zuhd. As Shiblī said when asked about the nature of zuhd: Zuhd is heedlessness, for the world is nothing. To be ascetic regarding nothing is itself heedlessness. (Lumaʿ, 73)
Junayd said: Zuhd is for the hand to be empty of wealth and the qalb to be empty of seeking it.
When ʿAlī Abū Ṭālib was asked about zuhd, he said: It is not caring whether the world is consumed by the believer or the disbeliever. Yaḥyā said: Zuhd is to abandon what is unnecessary. Ibn Masrūk said: The zahid can have no cause other than Allah as his master.
When Shiblī was asked about the nature of zuhd, he said: Woe to you! Is there anything worth as much as a mosquito’s wing that one could be ascetic regarding it? (Here, reference is made to the hadith: “If the world were worth as much as a mosquito’s wing in Allah’s sight, He would not give a disbeliever a drop of water from it.” (Tirmidhī, Zuhd, 13), emphasizing that the world is not even worth being ascetic about.) Abū Bakr al-Wāsiṭī said: How much longer will you strive to abandon and turn away from something that is not even worth a mosquito’s wing in Allah’s sight?
Again, when Shiblī was asked about the nature of zuhd, he replied: In reality, it does not exist. For a person is ascetic regarding what he does not possess, which is not zuhd; or he is ascetic regarding what he possesses, but how can he be distant from what is in his hand and with him? Thus, zuhd is nothing but abstaining from the desire of the nafs, distributing what is in one’s possession, and becoming equal to one who possesses nothing. Thus, Shiblī saw zuhd as abandoning what one does not have, which is impossible, for it is already abandoned. (Taʿarruf, 65)
Zuhd calls to letting go of something; miserliness (bukhl) calls to holding onto it. Generosity itself is zuhd. For this reason, miserliness is condemned, for it is inclination toward the world. Greed is a sign of miserliness, for it is evidence of inclination. Contentment is a sign of generosity, for it is included in zuhd. (Kūt, I, 251)
To abstain from one thing while not abstaining from another is a mistake in zuhd. For example, one may be ascetic regarding praise but not regarding wealth, or vice versa. Zuhd may be practiced for the sake of status and position due to the dominance of desire. In any case, when one is ascetic regarding desire, one is truly ascetic regarding the world. This is zuhd regarding the nafs, for the nafs is the very essence of desire, and desire is the spirit of the nafs. (Kūt, I, 268)
The zahid is not one who possesses nothing, but one whom nothing possesses. A scholar said regarding the meaning of zahid: The zahid is one who does not possess things, nor finds tranquility in them. He also said: The zahid’s provision is what he finds, his garment is what covers him, his house is where he takes shelter, and his state is his moment.
Zuhd is to abandon preference and choice due to hardship or ease, and to abandon riḍā and submission. This is the way of the elite (khawāṣṣ). (Kūt, I, 269)
Zuhd in the world means abandoning the excess of worldly goods and their desires, being content with little, and being satisfied with only what is necessary. This brings with it good character, virtuous deeds, and praiseworthy qualities.
The opposite of zuhd is greed and desire for the world, which brings bad character, ugly deeds, and blameworthy actions. (Ikhwān, I, 357)
Chastity and self-restraint are among the important characteristics of the ascetics (zuhhād). These are followed by good character and many virtues, such as: scrupulousness (warāʿ), preservation, dignity, taqwa, trustworthiness, manliness, generosity, gentleness, tranquility, vigilance, caution, health, safety, good praise, purification, envy (in good), joy, love of hearts, innocence, giving tranquility to people, granting them trust and permission, honoring them.
Other characteristics of the zahid include: generosity, nobility, liberality, giving, kindness, ihsan (spiritual excellence), altruism, doing good, compassion, mercy, love, goodness, charity, and gifts. Likewise, other characteristics are: forbearance, patience, seriousness, gentleness, warmth, tranquility, dignity, modesty, forgiveness, pardoning, heedlessness of the world, compassion, mercy, justice, upholding rights, love, acceptance, response, humility, endurance.
Other characteristics include: riḍā (contentment with God's decree), contentment, courteous behavior, sufficiency with what one has, abstaining from greed, comfort in hardship, submission to fate, patience in calamities, and a state of beautiful tranquility.
Other characteristics include: tawakkul (reliance upon God), trust in Him, tranquility with Him, ikhlas (sincerity) in action, dua (supplication), truthfulness in speech, affirmation in the qalb, nasīḥa (advice) to brothers, loyalty to promises, insight, resolve in good deeds, ihsan, goodness, striving in good. They are compassionate out of fear of their Lord. They are the friends of Allah (awliyāʾ), His beloved, and the pure believing servants who love Him. (Ikhwān, I, 359)
Zuhd regarding the world and longing for the Hereafter are among the conditions of iman (faith) and the qualities of the believer. Allah made His Messenger long for the Hereafter: “And indeed, the Hereafter is better for you than the present [life].” (Another verse says:) “But you prefer the worldly life, while the Hereafter is better and more enduring.” There are many verses in the Qur’an commanding detachment from the world and longing for the Hereafter.
My brother, know that man by nature does not abandon or distance himself from present and immediate benefit. He only desires deferred benefit when its superiority over the immediate becomes clear.
Know that the believers, the wise, and the prophets have turned away from the world—because the reality of the Hereafter has become clear to them—and have abandoned immediate desires, longed for the Hereafter, and sought its blessings. They have realized that the blessings of the Hereafter are superior to those of the world, just as the people of the world perceive worldly matters with their senses, so too do they witness the blessings of the Hereafter with the eye of the qalb and the light of the intellect.
My brother, know that to know the reality of the Hereafter and to witness its states is the ...
Source: Zafer Erginli (ed.), Dictionary of Sufi Terms with Texts.