since love of praise for obedience and of gaining distinction through it in this world predominates in people’s hearts, he described this as asceticism, meaning that whoever renounces such praise will be even more detached from everything else.
Sufyān ibn Uyaynah, another of their number, said, transmitting it from al-Zuhrī: “Asceticism is when one’s patience prevails over the unlawful and one’s gratitude over the lawful.” This is not asceticism itself, but rather a quality of the ascetic, for whoever possesses this quality is an ascetic. It is thus a state that results from asceticism: when someone renounces this world, his patience in refraining from the unlawful grows stronger, so he does not incline toward it, and his gratitude for the lawful grows stronger, so its sweetness does not distract him from giving thanks.
Al-Fudayl ibn Iyād and others among them said: “Asceticism is abandoning this world.” Yet abandoning this world is not asceticism itself; rather, it results from it, for whoever renounces this world abandons it. Nor can his expression “abandoning this world” be taken without qualification, since some worldly matters may not lawfully be abandoned. Had he said, “Asceticism is abandoning those worldly matters that do not bring one nearer to Allah,” this would have expressed his intent more aptly. He did, however, come close to the true nature of asceticism by identifying it with what results from asceticism: its fruit, which brings a person nearer to Allah, mighty and majestic.
Some of them said: “Asceticism is for a man to place greater trust in what is in Allah’s hand than in what is in his own.” Thus, they identified asceticism with one aspect of reliance upon Allah, since trusting in what is in Allah’s hand rather than what is in one’s own prompts a person not to hoard what he possesses, but to send it ahead for his Hereafter. This is not correct, however, for a man may place greater trust in what is in Allah’s hand than in what is in his own, yet still store up his possessions to enjoy them, or give them in charity for praise and acclaim, thus remaining attached to them. Alternatively, he may give them in charity for Allah’s sake, not for praise, and thus be detached from them. Giving them in charity for Allah’s sake is not asceticism itself, however; rather, it results from asceticism.
Some of them said: “Asceticism is hatred of this world.” This is because Allah, mighty and majestic, condemned love of it, saying:
“You love the fleeting life” [al-Qiyāmah: 20].
Since hatred is the opposite of love, they used it to describe asceticism. This applies when someone hates this world because he regards it as insignificant and of little worth. A man may otherwise hate this world because of some harm that has befallen him in it, while still regarding it as immensely important. Asceticism concerning this world is therefore not the opposite of love for it without qualification; rather, it is the opposite of desiring it, for whoever desires it does so only because he regards it as something great. Regarding it as insignificant