Aslam

The ignorant people purchase the world in exchange of the next world as God says: Wealth and children are adornment of this world's life but the ever lasting good works are better to your Lord in reward and better in hopes. So knowledge and freedom are everlasting good works which will go with soul but wealth and power will vanish. God explains it by an illustration. This world's life is like a shower of rain which God sends from the sky.
God says: Give them illustration of world's life. It is like the rain shower from the sky.

It is understood from the above that wealth and power are considered as progress arising out of ignorance which has got no root. He who searches it takes the world's life as his goal. The saint Abu Tayyab said: He who loses time in earning wealth for fear of poverty creates wants. What he earns for what is necessary leads him to real progress.

GOOD AND BAD THINGS OF POWER

I have already said that lordship means to subdue human hearts and to exercise power over them and as such the rules which are applicable to wealth are also applicable to lordship as they end with the end of death. This world is a seed ground for the next world. Whatever is done in the world is a provision of the next world. As food, drink and dress are necessary to the limit of necessity, so also some power is necessary for the maintenance of men. As food is necessary for life, so servants are necessary for works and friends are necessary to show him the path of religion, guide is necessary for the same purpose and kings and rulers are necessary for his upkeep from lad people. So love of servants, friends, spiritual guide, rulers and kings is not bad. Power is a means like riches to achieve the ultimate goal. This love is not for itself but of achieving the goal. This love should be to such an extent as a man loves places of stools for calls of nature or as a man loves his wife for satisfaction of his sexual desire at his sweet will. When he has got no sexual passion, he leaves his wife.
Similar is the condition of wealth and power. He should love these two things with ultimate object.

THREE OBJECTS: There are three objects of seeking name and fame. Out of them, two objects are lawful and one unlawful.
The object which is unlawful is to seek rank after creating belief in the minds of the people, while he is not qualified with that

218 The Book of Destructive evils VoMII

qualification. He expresses to them that he is high in pedigree or that he is a real learned man or that be is a pious and God fearing man.