Craving For Status (1/5)

A person’s craving after status is even more destructive than his craving after wealth. Seeking after worldly status, position, leadership and domination causes more harm to a person that his seeking after wealth – it is more damaging and harder to avoid since even wealth is expended in seeking after leadership and status. Craving after status is of two types.

The First Type of Craving for Status

The first is seeking status through authority, leadership, and wealth and this is very dangerous – since it will usually prevent a person from the good of the Hereafter and nobility and honour in the next life, Allah, the Most High says:

“That home of the Hereafter We shall assign to those who seek neither haughtiness nor any corruption on earth. The good end is for the pious.” [Surah Al-Qasas (28):83]

So it is rare that a person seeks after position in this world by seeking authority and is guided to and granted what is good for him. Rather he is entrusted to his own self, just as the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to `Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Samurah, radiyAllahu `anhu, “O `Abdur-Rahmaan! Do not ask for authority since if you are given it due to requesting it then you are abandoned to it, but if you are given it without requesting it then you will be aided in it.”[1]

One of the Salaf said, “No one seeks after authority and then behaves justly in it.” Yazeed ibn `Abdillaah ibn Mawhib was a just judge and one of the righteous people and he used to say, “Whoever loves wealth and status and fears adversity will not behave with justice.” There occurs in Saheeh al-Bukhari from Aboo Hurairah, radiyAllahu`anhu, from the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) that he said, “You will be keen to attain authority and it will be a source of regret on the Day of Resurrection. So what an excellent wet-nurse it is and what an evil weaner.”[2]

(Al-Bukhari) also reports from Aboo Moosa al-Ash`aree, radiyAllahu `anhu, that two men said to the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), “O Messenger of Allah! Appoint us to some position of authority.’ So he said, “We do not appoint to authority in this affair of ours one who requests it, nor one who is keen to have it.””[3]

Know that craving after status and position inevitably causes great harm before its attainment due to the striving necessary to attain it, and also afterwards due to the person’s strong desire to hold onto it which produces injustice, haughtiness and other evils.

Aboo Bakr al-Aajurree, who was one of the wise scholars and teachers at the start of the fourth century, wrote at treatise about the manners and the sentiments of the scholars and it is one of the best works on this topic. One who studies it will know from it the way of the scholars of the Salaf, and will know the innovated ways contrary to their way. So he describes the evil scholar at length, from this description is that:

“He has become infatuated with love of this world, and with praise, honour and position with the people of this world. He uses knowledge as an adornment just as a beautiful woman adorns herself with jewellery for this world, but he does not adorn his knowledge with action upon it.”

He then mentions a lengthy speech and then says,

“So these characteristics and their like predominate in the heart of one who does not benefit from knowledge, so whilst he carries these attributes his soul will come to have love of status and position – so that he loves to sit with kings and the sons of this world. The he loves to share in their opulent lifestyle, sharing their lavish attire, their comfortable transport, servants, fine clothing, delicate bedding and delicious food. He will love that people throng to his door, that his saying is listened to, and that he is obeyed – and he can only attain the latter by becoming a judge (qaadee) – so he seeks to become one. Then he is unable to attain it except at the expense of his Religion, so he debases himself to the rulers and their helpers, serving them himself and giving them his wealth as a tribute. He remains silent when he sees their evil actions after entering their palaces and homes. Then on top of this he may praise their evil actions and declare them good due to some false interpretation in order to raise his position with them. So when he has accustomed himself to doing this over a long period of time and falsehood has taken root in him – then they appoint him to the position of judge (qaadee) and in so doing slaughter him without a knife.”[4]

Then they have bestowed such a favour upon him that he is obliged and has to show his gratitude to them – so he takes great pains to make sure that he does not anger them and cause them to remove him from his position. But he has no concern about whether he angers his Lord, the Most High, so he misappropriates the wealth of orphans, widows, the poor and the needy, and wealth bequested as waaf (religious endowment) for those fighting Jihaad and the nobles of Makkah and al-Madeenah, and wealth which is supposed to be of benefit to all the Muslims – but instead he uses it to satisfy his clerk, chamberlain and servant. So he eats that which is haraam and feeds with that which is haraam and increases that which is a proof against him.

So woe to the one whose knowledge which the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) sought refuge from and ordered us to seek refuge from. This is the knowledge which the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) mentioned, saying, “Those amongst the people receiving the severest punishment on the Day of Resurrection is the scholar who is not given benefit through his knowledge by Allah.”[5]

He (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to say, “(Allahumma innee a’oodhubika minal arba’i, min `ilmin laa yanfa`u, wa min qalbin laa yakhsha`u, wa min nafsin laa tashba`u, wa min du`aa in laa yusma`u), O Allah I seek Your refuge from knowledge which does not benefit; from a heart which does not fear; from a soul which is never satisfied; and from a supplication which is not heard.”[6]

And he (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to say:

“(Allahumma inne as`aluka `ilman naafi`an, wa a`oodhubika min `ilman laa yanfa`u), O Allah I ask You for beneficial knowledge, and I seek Your refuge from knowledge which does not benefit.”[7]

This was said by Imaam Aboo Bakr al-Aajuree, rahimahullaahu ta`aala who lived at the end of the fourth century[8] and corruption increased and multiplied greatly since his time – and there is no might and no strength except by Allah’s will.

(Continued)