In this blessed month of Ramadan, while many of us reflect on our lives, some of us desperately want to leave riba. In our jobs, in our finances, in our lives.
But something always holds us back.
According to many of our greatest scholars, among the two greatest fears preventing us from leaving the haram and the makruh are fear of poverty and fear of what other people may think.
As we approach the blessed last ten days of this month, let us ponder upon how these two fears affect our own lives. Sheikh Moulay al-Arabi al-Darqawi writes:
“Attacks by the self and shaytan do not get the better of us from any direction as much as that of concern for provision. Yet our Lord — glory be to Him! — has sworn to us by Himself in His Book,
“It is certainly the truth, just as you have speech.” (51:23), and, “Instruct your family to perform the prayer and be constant in it. We do not ask you for provision. We provide for you, and the best end result is gained by taqwa.” (20:132)
There are many verses with this meaning and many hadiths of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace...I only mention this to you out of the fear that what has happened to most people will happen to you. We see most of them have many means — in the deen and in this world, and yet they are intensely afraid of poverty…
Since they are ignorant and have no knowledge, they gather up the means of this world and the deen, and yet their alarm about fear of poverty and fear of creatures is not stilled. This is great heedlessness and a blameworthy state. Most people have this state — almost all of them. We seek refuge with Allah! My brother, watch out for it, and give yourself completely up to your Lord, and you will see wonders.
Do not give yourself to this world like most people or what happened to them might happen to you. By Allah, were our hearts with Allah, this world would come to us, even inside our houses, let alone to their outside, since our Glorious Master said to it: “This world! Serve whoever serves Me and exhaust whoever serves you.”
(Source: The Sheikh al-Darqawi – Letters of a Sufi Master)
