Zuhd means to detached one's heart from this world. The following tips will assist you in keeping the world out of your heart and staying focused on the obedience of Allah.

1. Look at those who have less than you, not those who have more than you

This is taken verbatim from a Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It has also been proven true by modern psychological studies. The way it works is that whenever you feel the pull of this world, look at people who have less than you and are still content and happy.

You will find in the world many people who don’t earn much but are content and focused on the obedience of Allah. Looking at such people makes you appreciate your situation, and lowers your desire to pile up the things of this world. The next time you feel the pull of this world, try this. It works wonders for one’s faith and contentment.

2. Avoid sources of materialism
To avoid materialism, we must abandon its sources. In the modern world, this includes the advertisement industry. The advertisement industry revolves around getting people to desire and want things that they don’t need. These adverts are often designed by people who have studied NLP and they utilize this knowledge to make the adverts appeal to one’s mind. The result is that when one looks at such an advertisement (whether it is on television, radio, a billboard, or a poster) one feels the desire to purchase the item, even though you don’t need it and didn’t desire it before.

The way to avoid this is to stay in control of your mind and not allow the advertisements to affect you. Look at them objectively and decide rationally whether it is something you need or just something someone else is trying to convince you that you need.
Likewise, we should be careful of the salespeople’s tactics.

Salespeople are in the business of selling stuff, and they wouldn’t be good at their job if they were unable to convince you that you need what they have to sell. Too many people fall for marketing tactics too easily. When dealing with salesmen, be realistic. Objectively look at whether you need the item or not, and do not be afraid to say no if you do not want it. Sometimes it can be difficult to say no to a pushy salesperson but it is a skill that is needed to avoid clutter and piling up the things of this world.

3. Keep the right company
Avoiding the sources of materialism includes being careful about who we hang out with. We often take on the qualities of our closest friends and so if you are constantly hanging around snobbish materialistic people, this company will affect you. They may prod you into purchasing the latest expensive items, take a loan to keep up appearances, or feel bad and ungrateful for what you have because they have more than you. Staying in the company of such people is very dangerous for one’s Zuhd.

On the other hand, good company will keep you focused on the pleasure of Allah. If your friends are righteous people who are focused on the obedience of Allah, they will remind you accordingly. Their contentment and gratitude will rub off onto you, and their noble goals will inspire you to take up likewise noble goals.

4. Keep the Afterlife as your priority
While there is nothing wrong with earning well and enjoying the Halal things of this world, the key to maintaining Zuhd is to remain focused on the Afterlife and the pleasure of Allah. This keeps us in check and stops us from falling too deep into this world.

In every business deal, every purchase decision, every life decision, focus on the pleasure of Allah. This should be the overriding factor governing every aspect of our lives. If we make Allah’s pleasure our priority, every worldly decision of ours will be rightly guided and bring us closer to Him, even when we are making money and growing wealthy. Staying focused on the Afterlife includes remembering that on the Last Day, we will be responsible for every dollar we earned or spent. Allah will ask us how we earned it and how we spent it. This thought should keep us in check and keep our purchasing and business decisions guided in the right direction.

5. Live within your means
The modern lifestyle entices people to live off credit. Instant gratification demands that we get what we want as soon as we want it, even if we can’t afford it. The result is a lifetime of debts to pay off and never experiencing inner peace. Living a debt-free life is crucial for attaining inner peace and it is directly related to Zuhd.

The key is to live within your means. If you mean $1000 a month, then live off $900 and save $100 a month (or save $50 and give $50 in charity). Likewise, if you earn $2000 a month, live off $1800 and save the rest or donate to charity. If you can’t afford something, save up for it. Only if it is a necessity should you borrow money. Then too it must be a Halal loan i.e. interest-free loan.

When you choose to live within your means, you are taming your Nafs (desires) and training yourself to be patient. In doing so, you reject the pull of this world and focus on the pleasure of Allah. This also helps you sleep better at night and attain inner peace as you do not carry around the psychological burden of owing people money.

6. Purchase only that which you are going to use
How many of us have entire storage units full of junk that we bought but don’t use? Many people can’t resist the urge to buy things and as a result, we pile up the things of the world. Because we spent so much money on these things, we feel bad to give them away. As a result, we pile them up and never use them.

These items remain in our lives as a sign of our lack of willpower, and our inability to let go of the world. If you want to experience Zuhd and inner peace, start by decluttering and simplifying your life. Let go of all the things that are piling up in your life but benefitting nobody. Don’t purchase such things in the future and put your wealth to better use instead. This takes us to the final point.

7. Spend time and wealth in the path of Allah
The concept of charity in Islam exists to purify our hearts from materialism and keep us grounded in the obedience of Allah, no matter how wealthy we become. This is why it is so important to have a habit of being generous.

Every time you spend time and resources in the path of Allah, you free your heart a bit more from this world and grow closer to your Creator. This is seen in the example of the companions. Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Abdur Rahman ibn Auf (RA) were all wealthy individuals but they were extremely generous and would always be willing to give large sums of wealth in charity.

They were never afraid to part with their wealth. They would spend on others and so Allah assisted them in both worlds and helped them attain success in this world and the Afterlife. Charity with a pure intention is one of the greatest ways to maintain Zuhd, no matter how wealthy or poor we are.

Extracted by Ismail Kamdar from his book "Earning Barakah" .

H

Jazakallahu khairan

May Allah grant us the will and power to obey him.

Alhamdulillahi

In Allah let the believers put there trust, prophet muhammad (SAW) is the greatest man on the earth ���

Lukgaf:
Zuhd means to detached one's heart from this world. The following tips will assist you in keeping the world out of your heart and staying focused on the obedience of Allah.



Extracted by Ismail Kamdar from his book "Earning Barakah" .

Thanks

بارك الله فيك

وجزاكم الله خيرا

Very helpful tips especially in this times of intense material competition

Jazakallahu Khair

Jazakallah Hubi Nabi

Lukgaf:
Zuhd means to detached one's heart from this world. The following tips will assist you in keeping the world out of your heart and staying focused on the obedience of Allah.
Extracted by Ismail Kamdar from his book "Earning Barakah" .

Jazakumullahu Khair

How I wish the one and only allah's prophet kept the world out of his heart while alive

Jazakumllahu khayran

Don't forget also to pronounce and incease Athkaar as much as you can, including the morning and evening Athkaar.
This includes reciting and thinking of the meaning of the Quran as much as you are able which is the best of Athkaar.

May Almighty Allah SWT make it easy for us to keep Obeying Him SWT, aameen Ya Rabbi-l Alaameen.

Barrakallahu FIKHUM