should do as Ruwaym did. He concealed his love of this world for forty years.”

He was asked, “How could that be?”

He replied, “Ismā'īl ibn Ishāq the judge was appointed to the judgeship of Baghdad. A firm friendship existed between them, so he drew Ruwaym close to him and appointed him as his agent at his door. Ruwaym abandoned Sufi dress and began wearing khazz cloth, fine linen, and dībaqī cloth, eating fine foods, and building houses. As it turned out, he had concealed his love of this world only while it remained beyond his reach. When he obtained it, he revealed the love for it that he had concealed.”

Nevertheless, he—may Allah have mercy on him—was known for his acts of worship, and he followed the school of Dāwūd.

Such utterances, voiced by someone in a spiritual state who has not considered the implications and consequences of his words, must not be made into a method or adopted as a path. They may, however, indicate the contentment, love, and similar qualities he possesses, along with his limited understanding of the demands of the path and of the piety and patience he can and cannot sustain.

The Messengers—may Allah’s blessings be upon them—have greater knowledge of the path to Allah, are better guided, and offer more sincere counsel. Whoever departs from their Sunnah and their way is deficient, mistaken, and deprived, even if he is not a sinner, a defiantly disobedient person, or an unbeliever.

A similar case is that of “the Bedouin whom the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, visited when he was ill and as frail as a fledgling. He asked, ‘Had you been supplicating to Allah for anything?’

“He replied, ‘I used to say: O Allah, whatever punishment You would inflict upon me in the Hereafter, inflict it upon me in this world.’

“He said, ‘Glory be to Allah! You cannot withstand it or bear it. Why did you not say: “Our Lord, grant us in