Imām Ibn Qudāmah -rahimahullāh- said:
Explanation on the boundless Blessings of Allāh Ta’āla.
Know verily that, grace is divided into that which is a goal and it is sought in itself and that which are means to achieve a goal.
As for the goal, it is for one to be successful in the Hereafter which entails immorality, eternal enjoyment, knowledge without any ignorance, and endless prosperity. Thus, this is real pleasure.
As for the means, they are used to achieve the aforementioned pleasure in the Hereafter, and are subdivided into four divisions:
1). Virtues of the soul, like Īmān, and good conducts.
2). Virtues of the body, such as strength and sound health and the likes.
3). The blessings which surround the body such as wealth, position and family.
4). The means which combines these surrounding with virtues be it guidance, tawfīq and divine assistance, and all these are great graces.
If it is said:
What’s the role of wealth, position and the likes regarding the journey of the Hereafter?
The answer goes as follows:
All these blessings are just as though a wing of a bird, and an instrument which is used to attain a goal. As for wealth, if a knowledge seeker lacks enough provision for his journey, then his situation is like the one who went out for war without a sword, and for the fact he may spend much of his time for seeking sustenance and that may hinder him from pursuing knowledge, Zikr, pondering, and the likes.
As for authority, it is used to protect oneself from humiliation and oppression. Otherwise, one’s heart may be preoccupied with defending oneself, and the heart is the main capital. Therefore, one can only get rid of these distraction with honor and authority.
As for sound health, power and long life and the likes, then they are blessings. This is because it is neither possible to attain knowledge nor good deeds except with them.
In this context, the Rasūl sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam was reported to have said:
_نعمتان مغبون فيهما كثير من الناس: الصحة، والفراغ._
_There are two blessings which many people lose: They are Health and free time for doing good._
Transmitted by Imām Al-Bukhārī#6412.
Also, the Rasūl sallallāhu a’layhi wasallam was asked:
Who are the best of the people? He said:
_من طال عمره وحسن عمله._
_It is he whose life is long and deeds are good._
Transmitted by Imām At-tirmidhī(6/621).
As for wealth and authority, though they are both blessings, and they are not both blameworthy in general, but in them are evils which we have dealt with in our past chapters.
As for guidance, divine assistance and Tawfīq, it is obvious that they are of the greatest blessings, and no one is sufficient of the need of Tawfīq.
Allāhu A’alam! Bārakallāhu fīkum!
9th Safar,1440H.
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