Some people renounce worldly life to find relief from its toil. Others do so to seek handouts from worldly people and escape their harm. Still others renounce wealth in pursuit of ease. These and similar forms of renunciation are not commanded by Allah or His Messenger. Rather, Allah and His Messenger command a person to renounce what they do not love and desire what they love. His renunciation thus consists in turning away from whatever Allah and His Messenger have not enjoined, whether as an obligation or a recommendation—whether it is forbidden, disliked, or permissible such that doing it and leaving it are equally preferable for that servant. At the same time, he must devote himself to what Allah and His Messenger have commanded.

Merely abandoning what is disliked without doing what is loved is not what is sought. The primary aim is to do what Allah and His Messenger love. Abandoning what is disliked is likewise necessary; through this the soul is purified. For good deeds flourish when evil deeds are removed from them. Through purification, the soul is cleansed of impurities and grows in obedience, just as crops, when cleared of weeds, flourish, rise, and grow.

Section

As for the way to attain this, it lies in striving to do what is commanded, abandoning what is forbidden, and seeking Allah’s help in doing so. In Sahīh Muslim, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is reported to have said:

“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, though there is good in both. Strive for what benefits you, seek Allah’s help, and do not give up. If something befalls you, do not say, ‘If only I had done this, such-and-such would have happened.’ Rather, say, ‘Allah has decreed, and He has done what He willed,’ for ‘if only’ opens the way to the work of