What is the philosophy behind the importance of “Zohd” or reluctance to the world?
“Zohd” in literal means reluctance and in our discussion, means to be reluctant to the material world.
There are a close relation between Zohd and piety.
This word is sometime misunderstood by some people, they think that if we say that one of the moral characteristics of human is to be reluctant to the worldly attraction, we mean that a believer must leave in the desert or in a wreckage and must eat nothing other than dry bread, etc. but this word is translated in the moral books: not to be attached to the world in a way that makes human away from religious duties and paying attention to Allah and prevents human from helping the poor etc.
There is a deep difference between Islamic Zohd and monasticism, in Islam if we want to have Zohd, it does not mean to escape from the family and social responsibilities.
Islam does not wants its nation to be weak and out of date and always be in need of others, so leaving the world in its wrong meaning is not what Islam wants.
It can be understood from the saying of Imam Ali peace be upon him that Zohd is summarized in these two sentences in the holy Quran, chapter Hadid verse 23:
لِكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا عَلَى مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ
“So that you will not be saddened for whatever does not come to you, nor be overjoyed in what has come to you.”
Of course the meaning of this verse is not to leave the world in a way that you never think of future or take lessen from the past.
Zohd can be defined in these words too:
-Leaving freely in this world and not getting stuck and hunted by it.
-Not having the very long wishes and being thankful while having bounties.
-Not looking at the material world as the last and ultimate goal and destination.
No let’s talk about the role of Zohd in the perfection of mankind.
The one, who is a little familiar to the spiritual perfection, knows that till human does not get free from the chain and limitation of selfish desires, he/she cannot be successful in spiritual matters.
The real meaning of worshiping Allah is to prefer His wills on our wills and if we get so much attracted by what our wishes order us to obtain, we cannot reach to that level of worship.
Let’s look at the life of Imam Ali peace be upon him, his Zohd is admitted by his enemies, imagine if he was a fun-oriented man and a man who always looks after his own wishes and pleasure, can he be in that very high position?
Yes, it is narrated from the life of the holy Prophet or Imam Ali peace be upon them, that for example Imam Ali was eating the dry bread and salt, but the Imam said: that I eat in this way because I am the governor of the society and I want to be in the lowest level of the society members in order that the poor do not feel so much difficulty in their life.
If the human has Zohd, he/she has more consideration while worshiping Allah.
The one who has Zohd, is very tranquil, because the one that always looks at the properties of others, always wants to have the same properties and it might happen that for obtaining them, he/she uses every way, even through committing the sins and usurping and many cruelties, but imagine the one who is reluctant to the attractions of the world, what a tranquil heart he/she has.
The holy Prophet of Allah narrated a divine Narration in which Allah said:
“My best and most beneficial of my friends to me is a man who is carefree who enjoys from his prayer and worships his lord well and is unknown among people and the livelihood reaches to him in convenience and to the extent of being enough (lowest amount) and he is patient on it and at the time of death, his heritage is little and his weepers are few.”
And at the end I mention some of the benefits and effects of Zohd which have been mentioned in a Narration form Imam Sadiq peace be upon him, he said:
“The one who has Zohd in the world, these things happen to him/her:
-Allah puts wisdom in his/her heart.
-And makes his/her tongue to talk out of wisdom.
-And shows him/her the defects of the world and the illnesses and the medication of it.
-And makes him/her come out from this world healthy to the adobe of eternity.”
From this Narration we understand that the material attractions of this world are like veils and as much as we are away from it, our eyes find more sight to the extent that the reality of this world becomes obvious for us.
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Sources:
Hawzah.net
Makarem.ir
Resalaat.ir
