Deeds to Habit
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Free Your Hands and Heart
It's easy to turn to our more selfish nature in times of uncertainty. Ustadha Nuriddeen Knight explains the connection between zuhud and being charitable, particularly in difficult times.
Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. As we face this difficult time of a pandemic that feels so uncertain that has shifted our lives, many of us have unfortunately turned to our more selfish natures. We ran to the grocery store and bought as much food as we could, as much tissue as we could, and stocked our basements for fear of the unknown. Today I want to introduce the good deed of Zuhud in connection with being charitable. So the Messenger of God, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, said, Indifference towards this world does not mean forbidding what is permissible or squandering wealth. Rather, indifference towards this world means not thinking that what you have in your hand is more reliable than what is in Allah's hand. In the time of the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, there was a woman who came to A'ishah, and she was poor. And A'ishah herself, the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, and his family, they chose the life of Zuhud at times, but there were times when it was truly difficult for the Muslims and there was not a choice. So this poor woman comes to her in need of charity, and she's able to give them three date fruits. The woman gives one each to her two daughters, and then as she's about to take the third date fruit up to her own mouth, they look towards her in desire of that date as well. And so she splits it between the two.
A'ishah was so impressed by this charity that she told the Messenger of God, and he said, Verily, Allah has assured Jannah for her because of this act of hers. So how do these two things connect? Zuhud and being charitable. When you truly know that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is the only one you can fully 100% trust in, it frees your hands from wanting to hold on too tightly, from wanting to hoard and consume in order to feel safe, because your safety first comes from Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. So how do you turn this into a practical notion? First, it has to happen in your heart. As you buy your groceries, as you get everything you feel you need to be secure, you have to still remember that your trust should be first and foremost with Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. But secondly, you ensure that trust by being charitable. So instead of filling your entire basement with cans, goods, and tissue and whatever else you think you need to be safe and secure, once you have what you need, then think about giving over to others if you have anything left over. When you trust in Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and you know that ultimately Allah is the one who feeds, who clothes, who protects, you don't feel such a need to attach yourself to this world. So in this time of uncertainty, let's not only think, first let's not attach ourselves to this world
and think that that will save us. And secondly, let's not only think about ourselves, but think about others and free our hands from the burden of trying to grab onto this world and utilize it to give to others.
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