a source of relief for a person, for when one cares only about himself, that is true ease. By contrast, the person who chases after other people’s affairs—“What was said? What happened to them?”—will wear himself out with tremendous fatigue, miss out on much good, and gain nothing in return.
So make your constant pursuit the pursuit of your own soul; let your sole concern be your own self. Consider what benefits you and do it, and whatever brings you no benefit, leave it. It is not a mark of fine Islam to go probing into matters that do not concern you.
If we were to live by this rule—each person preoccupied with himself, attentive only to his own deeds—great good would ensue. Yet some people remain absorbed in other people’s affairs, in matters that hold no benefit for them: they waste their time, burden their hearts, scatter their thoughts, and lose many personal interests. Some people remain absorbed in other people’s affairs, in matters that hold no benefit for them: they waste their time, burden their hearts, scatter their thoughts, and lose many personal interests.
By contrast, the diligent man whose only concern is himself and what truly matters to him will be productive, fruitful, and successful; he enjoys peace of mind, heart, and body. For this reason, this hadith is counted among the Prophet’s concise yet all-encompassing sayings. Whenever you contemplate doing—or refraining from—something, first ask: Does it concern me or not? If it does not concern you, leave it alone, have nothing to do with it, and rest from it—give rest to your heart, your thoughts, your intellect, and your body. If it does concern you, then attend to it in proportion to its importance.
In any case, every rational person—as the previous hadith states, “The clever one is he who subjugates his soul and works for what comes after death”—strives to act for the hereafter and holds himself accountable for his deeds. Allah alone grants success.
- From ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “A man is not to be asked about [why] he struck his wife.” Narrated by Abu Dawud and others.