# Episode 9: The Greed of the Soul | Prayers of the Pious **Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman **Series:** Prayers of the Pious **Published:** 2018-05-24 **YouTube:** https://youtu.be/Hac1gKT7juk **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/prayers-of-the-pious/the-greed-of-the-soul-prayers-of-the-pious **Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia ## Description Sh. Omar Suleiman talks about the supplication of Abdulrahman ibn ‘Auf, one of the richest men at the time of the Prophet ﷺ, and how to refrain from the temptations of greed ourselves. [ Day 9 Du’a ] اللَّهُمَّ قِنِي شُحَّ نَفْسِي “O Allah, protect me from the greed of my soul!” ## Transcript **[0:01]** Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu, welcome back to Prayers of the Pious. Many of the times when you look at the fears of the prophets and the fears of the companions and the fears of the righteous, you see that they actually fear things that wouldn't make sense to us because they were so good at so many things **[0:20]** and they were so far away from the evil traits that they feared falling into that it almost doesn't make sense. And that's really because of the standards that they held for themselves. So Ibrahim alayhis salam, Abraham is called the Siddiq, the truthful one, but Ibrahim alayhis salam feared dishonesty. **[0:37]** Maryam alayhis salam is the most modest of them all and the greatest and purest woman of them all, but she feared immodesty perhaps more than anyone else. And that really just speaks to the standards that these people had. So when you think of a rich companion, the richest companion that you could think of is probably Abdurrahman bin Auf radiallahu ta'ala anhu. **[0:57]** And he's a man who is known for his great generosity. Abdurrahman bin Auf would bring caravans back to Medina and there would be so much that he would come back with that people would actually think that Medina was under occupation, that there was an army that was attacking. **[1:12]** But he constantly just gave and gave and gave so that he could make a case to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to not just provide more for him in this world that he may continue to give, but that he would enter him into paradise by his generosity. So he was observed making this one supplication in tawaf over and over and over again, **[1:33]** la yazidu alayha, meaning he would not do anything but this. Imagine this man, this generous man walking across or walking around the Ka'bah seven times and the only dua he makes is, Allahumma qini shuhha nafsi, Allahumma qini shuhha nafsi, Allahumma qini shuhha nafsi. **[1:52]** Oh Allah, protect me from the greed of my soul. Oh Allah, protect me from the greed of my soul. Oh Allah, protect me from the greed of my soul. And he was asked why he was only making that dua. He said because if I'm protected from the greed of myself, lam azni walam aslik walam af'al shay'ah, **[2:10]** then I would not steal, I would not commit adultery, and I would not do anything evil. Now what he meant by that is first and foremost there's greed in the obvious sense, that a person becomes greedy with their money and so they start to cheat people, they start to take advantage of people, they start to exploit people, even when they don't need to. **[2:28]** And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that if the son of Adam was given a valley of gold, then he would want a second valley of gold. And if he's given two valleys of gold, he tried to convert it into three valleys of gold, then he would never be satisfied until he has dirt in his mouth, meaning he would continue to always want more, more, more, more. **[2:45]** So that's one form of greed. But what Abdurrahman ibn A'uf is really talking about is that a person who's in spiritual poverty is just like one who's in financial poverty and starts to exploit people as a result of that, or starts to do things as a result of that that are unethical. **[3:03]** And I should clarify here that I'm not talking about the poor, but a person who always feels like they're in poverty, even though they may have a lot. And so they start to do things that are unethical and that are wrong. And in this situation, that's what Abdurrahman ibn A'uf radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu is talking about, **[3:19]** that we sin out of a feeling of emptiness, and we sin when there's a void that's not properly being filled. And often that same emotion that triggers exploitation in the financial sense allows a person to do things that are well beyond the bounds of decency for their self and for their soul as well. **[3:42]** So this is a dua that we should learn. This is a dua that we should say, اللهم اقن شح نفسي Oh Allah protect me from the greed of myself, whether that greed is financial or whether that greed is emotional, whatever greed that is that would cause me to transgress, **[3:57]** and that would cause me to desire or to try to attain more than what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has written for me in a way that is not pleasing to Him. اللهم اعمين جزاكم الله خيراً I will see you next time. والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته ## Other Episodes in "Prayers of the Pious" - [Episode 30: Show Us Guidance and Error | Prayers of the Pious](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/prayers-of-the-pious/episode-30-show-us-guidance-and-error-prayers-of-the-pious-ramadan-series.md) - [Episode 29: Beautify Me Internally | Prayers of the Pious](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/prayers-of-the-pious/episode-29-beautify-me-internally-prayers-of-the-pious-ramadan-series.md) - [Episode 28: If You Have Written Me From The Sinful... | Prayers of the Pious](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/prayers-of-the-pious/episode-28-if-you-have-written-me-from-the-sinful-prayers-of-the-pious-ramadan-series.md) - 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