Chapter IV: Poverty and Renunciation
bachelor is like one who gives up food and drink fearing them.
That is not renunciation, as to give up food and drink means destruction of body. Similarly, to give up marriage is not renunciation as it will not preserve his dynasty. So to give up marriage for forsaking conjugal joy is not renunciation. If you fear to remain busy in case of marriage of several wives, then marry only one. The saint Abu Solaiman said : There is also renunciation is marriage. That is to marry orphan girls or ugly girls and not to marry beautiful and respectable girls. The saint Junaid said : I like three preliminary things for a traveller towards religion — (1) to carry on some trade, (2) to search for Hadis and (3) to marry.
(6) Another necessary thing — Wealth and honour. Honour is obtained by capturing the minds of the people and with the help of honour, a man attains his object.
WEALTH — Limited wealth is necessary for livelihood. The earning man should give up earning if he has got necessary things for a day. This is the condition of renunciation. If one crosses this limit, he suspasses the ways of the Prophet and goes out of the lowest stage of renunciation. If he has got landed- properties and has got no such strength as to rely on God, he may hoard for one year his necessary things and by this act he will not go out of renunciation. If he does not make a gift of the surplus things keeping the yearly things of necessity, he will be the weakest person in renunciation. The condition of renunciation is a personal affair but it is not a duty to be imposed upon family members. It is true that one should not surpass the middle course. The Prophet went out of Fatema's house seeing her screen of varied colours and her bangles, as these were adornments, not necessary things. Wealth and honour in necessary measure are not prohibited and what is beyond necessary things regarding wealth and honour is like poison and therefore injurious. Wealth and honour to ward off wants are not worldly things but are included within the next worldly things.
Once the Prophet Abraham fell in want and wanted loan from one of his friends, but he did not give him loan. God then sent revelation to him: If you wanted it from your Friend; He would have surely given it to you. He said : O my Lord, I know that you do not love the world. I feared for that reason to invoke you for that. God revealed to him: The thing which is necessary
1 92 THE BOOK OF CONSTRUCTIVE VIRTUES Vol-IV