Chapter IV: Poverty and Renunciation
die possessing a single coin, (2) I leave no debt. (3) and there remains no flesh in my bones. God granted him these three things. The saint Amer-bin- Amir said : Jesus Christ used to wear woollen cloth and eat leaves and forages. He had no son to die and no house to be destroyed and he used not to hoard for to morrow. He used to sleep where his night came. The wife of saint Abu Hazem told him one day : The winter has come now and we required now food, cloth and fuel. Abu Hazem said to him :
These things are necessary no doubt, but more necessary are our death, resurrection, waiting before God for judgment and then entry into Paradise or Hell. Hazrat Ibrahim- bin- Adham said : We have covered over minds by three screens. Certain faith will not open them till the screens are removed — (1) to feel pleasure for the things in possession (2) to feel sorrow for not having something. (3) and to be delighted on hearing praises. If you feel pleasure for the things in possession at present you will be greedy. If you feel sorrow for the past things, you will be dissatisfied and for that you are to be punished. If you are delighted at hearing praises, you love self praise which destroys your<Jivine service. Hazrat Ibn Masud said : Two rakats of prayer of a man who renounced the world is better than the divine service of an honest worker for his who'e life and the former is dearer to God. A certain ancient sage said : The gifts of God that will come to us in future are grater than the past gifts of God on us. It seens that he said this looking at the following Hadis:
Surely God saves His believing servant from attachment of the world as you save your patient from food and drink and fear these things for him.' When the patient understands this, he knows also that the gift of health is more valuable than the gifts from which he has been deprived. If they are given to him, his ailment will increase. The saint Sufiyan Saori said : The world is a temporary abode and not an eternal abode. This world is an abode of sorrow and not of happiness. He who knows it does not become satisfied- with his fortune and dissatisfied with his misfortune. The saint Sahal Tastari said : The worship of a worshiper cannot turn out to be with sincere faith for God till he becomes free from four things-hunger, want of cloth, poverty and disgrace. The great saint Hasan Basari said : I saw many such persons and was associated with many such persons who did not become happy at the advent of wealth and sorrowful at its loss. It was more trivial thing to them than earth. Among them there were persons who lived up to 60 years without cloth to put on.
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