# Ep. 16: Two Hungry Wolves | The Faith Revival **Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman **Series:** The Faith Revival **Published:** 2017-06-12 **YouTube:** https://youtu.be/jjB94NN2sJ0 **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-16-two-hungry-wolves **Topics:** Allah, Faith ## Description What are the biggest threats to our faith and how can we overcome them? ## Transcript **[0:01]** As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh everyone. Welcome back to the Faith Revival. So if I was to ask you what is the most dangerous thing to your iman, what's the biggest threat? You might think about circumstances, major sins, you might think social media, you might **[0:18]** think a bad friend. You'll think about certainly things that aren't haram, things that are forbidden and prohibited and some of the things that we've already spoken about, like adultery, fornication, drinking alcohol, theft. All these things that we said that iman would even depart from a person if they are guilty **[0:37]** of these things. But listen to what the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said is the greatest threat to a person's iman. So the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam says in this hadith that's narrated in al-Tirmidhi, he says, اَلِعْبَانِ جَائِعَانِ أُرْسِلَا فِي غَنَمٍ بِأَفْسَدَ لَهَا مِنْ حِرْسِ الْمَرْءِ عَلَى الْمَالِ وَالشَّرَفِ لِدِينِهِ **[0:57]** He said salallahu alayhi wa sallam that there is nothing more dangerous to a person's faith like two wolves that are let free amongst a flock of sheep. Imagine what the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam is saying. Imagine two wolves that go into a flock of sheep. **[1:13]** He said salallahu alayhi wa sallam, the two most dangerous things, those two wolves to your faith, your faith being the sheep, are the love of wealth and the love of fame that a person has. The love of wealth and the love of fame are the two most dangerous threats to your iman, **[1:30]** to your faith. So it's not a major sin, it's not some horribly haram thing, it's wealth and fame. The love for wealth and the love for fame. Now is wealth a bad thing? No, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam taught us to have the upper hand instead of the lower hand. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala teaches us to say رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسْنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً **[1:48]** To give us the best of this world and the best of the next. But if a person has an uncontrollable desire for this world, for materialism, and they constantly pursue more and more and more wealth, then they're going to find themselves in a situation where they will resort to unethical things, where they will start to place expectations **[2:08]** in that wealth and that will distance themselves from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And sometimes having a lot of money changes a person's personality. Wealth can actually change a person's behavior. So they'll start to resort to some of the things that we've spoken about in the past, **[2:23]** these major sins that we've spoken about in previous episodes. And then the desire for fame. If I want to be famous and it's all about the fame, then a person starts to resort to unethical behavior to get that fame. Or when a person gets that fame, once again they change and they find it very easy to **[2:39]** resort to some of the major sins that have been described. So what's the solution? Number one, the uncontrollable desire for wealth. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam gave us a few things to deal with materialism. First he taught us salallahu alayhi wasalam charity. It sounds simple enough, but if you dictate on yourself to give a certain amount of charity **[2:58]** every time you earn, then it's going to be routine and it'll be already baked into anything that you're going to receive. Number two, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam taught us not to be extravagant. So the difference between needing something and wanting something, to check your extravagance. **[3:15]** Number three, as we learn in the month of Ramadan in fasting, the importance of sometimes breaking off from something that is available to you of this dunya as a means of gaining a greater appreciation for it. So Umar radiyaAllahu anhu said, if you have a comfortable bed, don't always sleep on it. **[3:31]** Take a night off and sleep on the floor. The next day you're going to appreciate the comfort of that bed. When you fast, you appreciate the blessing of that food. So a person becomes content with what they have. Number four, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam taught us to constantly be grateful for what is given to us. **[3:47]** As for the love for fame, the Messenger salallahu alayhi wasalam taught us that we need to make sure that we never pursue something for the sight of the people. And he taught us that riya showing off, particularly doing something to be seen by the people, is a hidden shirk. **[4:03]** It's actually a hidden form of polytheism because you turn those people into gods by acting in accordance with their sight. And essentially what we learn from our scholars of tazkiyah, our scholars of spirituality, Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahullah says, a person has to make the sight of Allah more beloved **[4:21]** to them than the sight of the people. So secret good deeds, essentially try to get famous in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala and with the angels that he boasts to and forget about being famous with the people. So again, the two wolves that are let out on sheep that would destroy a person's iman **[4:39]** are an unchecked love of wealth and fame. May Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala protect us from both and may Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala grant us the wealth and the fame of the hereafter in the presence of his angels and our Messenger salallahu alayhi wasalam. Allahuma ameen. See you all next time inshaAllah. Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. ## Other Episodes in "The Faith Revival" - [Ep. 30: The End of the Journey of Faith | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-30-the-end-of-the-journey-of-faith.md) - [Ep. 29: Yaqeen is Full Faith | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-29-yaqeen-is-full-faith.md) - [Ep. 28: The Ultimate Gift | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-28-the-ultimate-gift.md) - [Ep. 27 Bend Don't Break | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-27-bend-dont-break.md) - [Ep. 26: Friends of Faith | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-26-friends-of-faith.md) - [Ep. 25: Fortress of Faith| The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-25-fortress-of-faith.md) - [Ep. 24: Quran: The Guardian of Faith | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-24-quran-the-guardian-of-faith.md) - [Ep. 23: Unreasonable Goals | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-23-unreasonable-goals.md) - [Ep. 22: Why Do People Leave Faith? | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-22-why-do-people-leave-faith.md) - [Ep 21: They Don't Believe Until... | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-21they-dont-believe-until.md) - [Ep. 20: Sweetness of Faith | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-20-sweetness-of-faith.md) - [Ep. 19: Faith in Hardship | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-19-faith-in-hardship.md) - [Ep. 18: Envy and Faith | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-18-envy-and-faith.md) - [Ep. 17: Poverty Leads to Disbelief | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-17-poverty-leads-to-disbelief.md) - [Ep. 15: The Faith of the Prophets Before | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-15-the-faith-of-the-prophets-before.md) - [Ep. 14: Allah Rewards You for Your Doubts If... | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-14-allah-rewards-you-for-your-doubts-if.md) - [Ep. 13: Guidance After Iman | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-13-guidance-after-iman.md) - [Ep. 12: Omar Was Always In The Zone | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-12-omar-was-always-in-the-zone.md) - [Ep. 11: Remembers His Place in Front of Allah | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-11-remembers-his-place-in-front-of-allah.md) - [Ep. 10: Move Beyond the Catalyst | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-10-move-beyond-the-catalyst.md) - [Ep. 9: Ammar's Heart and Omar's Shirt | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-9-ammars-heart-and-omars-shirt.md) - [Ep. 8: Two Supplications of the Prophet | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-8-two-supplications-of-the-prophet.md) - [Ep. 7: You're No Angel | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-7-youre-no-angel.md) - [Ep. 6: Healthy Fluctuations | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-6-healthy-fluctuations.md) - [Ep. 5: Even If Abu Dharr Doesn’t Like It | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-5-even-if-abu-dharr-doesnt-like-it.md) - [Ep. 4: He is Not a Believer When... | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-4-he-is-not-a-believer-when.md) - [Ep. 3: Shaky Foundations | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-3-shaky-foundations.md) - [Ep.2: Your Faith Wears Out | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-2-your-faith-wears-out.md) - [Ep. 1: Faith is Refuge | The Faith Revival](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/faith-revival/the-faith-revival-ep-1-faith-is-refuge.md)