Sister Theresa wrote: I am not a materialistic person. As a child, I chose to wear second-hand clothes. My wedding cost $5. My dream car? One that doesn’t break down. But the idea of asceticism or living a zuhd lifestyle never appealed to me. As a Muslim, I have always sought to live as much like the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) as I could. And I always found myself falling short because he was the epitome of asceticism.
The Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) was an Ascetic
When I compared my life to the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him), I felt ashamed of my materialism. Since I enjoy my comfy place to sleep, I thought I could never measure up to the messenger whose mattress was crude and rough.
“He would lay down on a reed mat, and it left marks on his skin.” […] (Narrated in Ibn Majah)
I thought that I could never be an ascetic because, while I am mindful of what I eat, I enjoy eating rather a lot. How could I measure up to a man who, Mother of believers Lady Aisha said: […] would sight three new moons in two months without lighting a fire (to cook a meal) […]
Her nephew asked: “O Aunt, what sustained you?”, She said: “The two black things, dates and water […].” (Narrated in Sahih Muslim)
While I was in the process of beating myself up, I often thought of how much I own in comparison to a man, about whom a companion said: “When the Prophet died, he left neither money nor anything else except his white riding mule, his arms, and a piece of land which he left to charity.” (Narrated in Sahih Bukhari)
I try to live a minimalist lifestyle, but I couldn’t see myself implementing the extremes of a zuhd life.
Looking at Asceticism in a Different Light
That was until I read something that changed my mind about the term zuhd:
Practicing Zuhd means achieving that balance between being a world-savvy survivor and a Paradise-achiever. It’s about being content with where we are at, who Allah made us to be, what Allah has given us and what situation and conditions He has permitted us to be in.
It’s most importantly about being content and making peace with ourselves and making the best and full use of what Allah has blessed us with and avoiding grey matters which we are not sure of.
A light switched on. Maybe I could be ascetic, I thought. Has my misunderstanding been holding me back from implementing this kind of balance in my life, I wondered. How could I forget that Islam is about balance, I beat myself up.
But this misunderstanding didn’t happen in a vacuum. Like most people, the image I conjured in my head of an ascetic was one who wears tattered clothes, rejects owning anything, is disgusted by any kind of creature comfort, and basically is living on that thin line between life and death.
Ali ibn Abi Talib’s famous statement, “asceticism is not that you should own nothing, but that nothing should own you,” perfectly explains what this misunderstood concept means.
A Better Understanding of Asceticism
I started to open my eyes to the reality of how the Prophet (PBUH) practiced asceticism, why some other prophets were rich beyond imagining (Solomon, for example), and what was actually required to be an ascetic.
It was in the story of Job (peace be upon him) that I really started to gain some understanding. Here was a man who had every worldly thing some believe will fill our souls and make us happy.
But when he was tested, and everything was taken away, it didn’t break him. He didn’t lose hope. He didn’t lose heart.
Job, Prophet Muhammad, and all the prophets understood even when they had material wealth that: The enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better for he who fears Allah. (Quran 4:77)
In reality living like the Prophet is simple, living a zuhd life is easy. All anyone ever has to do is look at their life and, in their heart, and remove what shouldn’t be there.
