Chapter VI: Love, Longing, Contentment
(1) What is not done for the sake of God, such as sins, prophibited things and unnecessary .lawful things. These are the things of the world, (2) What is done for the sake of God. (3) Worldly actions done for the sake of God, such as food and drink, marriage etc. The second class of things are again sub-divided into three classes. (1) Fikr or meditation about the creatious of God, (2) Zikr or remembrance of God and (3) abstaining from worldly greeds and passions. When these things are done for the sake of God and not for show, they appertain to the third class. They are food, drink, marriage etc. If they are done for the sake of God, they are next worldly actions but if they are done to satisfy just, they are worldly actions. The Prophet said : He who, searches lawful things of the world to show glory or boast will meet with God in His enraged condition, but he who searches the world to abstain'from begging and to
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save him will come on the Resurrection Day with face bright as full moon. God says : He who restrains himself from vain desires will have paradise as his destination — 19 : 40Q.
FIVE THINGS OF VAIN DESIRES: Passion or vain desire is composed of five things. God says of them in the following verse :
Know that this world's life is a mere sport, vain plays and adornment, mutual boast and increase in wealth and children — 57 : 20Q. In another verse, seven things have been counted as vain desires — 3 : 14 Q. — Men have been given the vain desires of women, children, hoarded wealth of silver and gold, horses of good quality, quadrupeds and crops. These are things of this world's life.
Now you have come to know what is world and what is not world. Food, dress and abode to the extent of almost necessity and if done to please God are not world. What is in excess of these things is called world. There are things which are absolutely necessary and things which are simply necessary. There is the middle course between these two kinds which is best and the middle course keeps near the border line of absolute necessity.