Chapter VII: Intention, Sincerity and Truth
The Prophet said : When you pray, pray in such a manner that you are leaving the world. Don't utter such word for which you shall have to offer excuse on the Resurrection Day. Don't greed for the things in possession of men. The Prophet said : Will you not take allegiance to the Prophet of God? The companions said : Yes, He said : Do divine service and don't set up partner with Him. Pray five times a day, hear and obey. Then he secretly said : Don't beg to people. The narrator said : After that day, nobody amongust us required anybody to lift even a stick when
it fell down.
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Wise sayings: Hazrat Omar said : Greed is poverty and despair is wealth. He who does not wait to get from the people is not deprived. A wise man was asked : What is wealth? He said :
Little hope and satisfaction with necessary things.
Mohammad-b- Wase used to eat dry bread soaked in water and say : He who is satisfied with this food does not rely on others.
Sufiyan Saori said : The world is good for you till you do not fall in dangers and calamities in the world. What goes out of your hands is the best of things as trial over you. Hazrat Ibn Mas'ud said : There is no such a day on which an angel does not proclaim : O son of Adam, necessary little provision is better for you than misguidance by enormous wealth. God said : O son of Adam, if the whole world is given to you, nothing remains belonging to you except what is necessary for you. When I give you necessary food therefore and I entrust your accounts on others, you will consider that I am merciful on you A certain sage said : I see an envious man the most distressed, a contended man the most happy, a greedy man the most impatient at the time of distress, a worldly renunciated man the most happy and a transgressing learned man the most repentant.
Once a desert Arab rebuked his brother for greed and said : O brother, what do you search and who scraches you? You have got no way from him who searches you (death) The necessary things which you search must come to you. The thing which is concealed from your eyes is not secret to you now (death), rather it is open. The condition in which you are now must change. You
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have thought that a greedy man is never despendent and a sage who has renunciated the world does not get provision. It is only your conjecture.