Simple and Moderate lifestyle!

1. If you were to picture yourself as “rich”, what would you envision?Do you see your dream car? A big house? Lots of shoes and clothes?Please share what you pictured.

2. Leading a Simple and Moderate LifestyleIncidents from the Life of the Holy Prophet [sa] and His Followers

3. Simple and Moderate lifestyle! “And those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly but moderate between the two…” [25:68] [6:33] And worldly life is nothing but a sport and a pastime. And surely the abode of the Hereafter is better for those who are righteous. Will you not then understand?

4. Revered founder of Islam lived humblyOnce during the period when the Holy Prophet was living separately, away from his family, Hazrat Omar visited him. He was amazed at the sight of the place bereft of all comforts. The Holy Prophet was sitting in a small room with a loose cloth wound-round his body; there was a bare cot and at the head of the cot was a pillow stuffed with date leaves. In one corner there was some barley and in another corner was a piece of animal skin in which water was stored. Looking at the simplicity of the place where the king of kings was living, Hazrat Omar was overwhelmed and tears rolled down his face. The Holy Prophet inquired, Omar, why are you crying? Hazrat Omar replied: Why should I not cry? I can see the marks of weaves of the cot on your body. On one side I look at your humble belongings and on the other, I imagine the luxury of the kings of Egypt and Persia. They are enjoying such an easy life and you are living in such hardship. To this the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) replied, O, Omar, would you not like that they take this world and I get the Hereafter? (Sahih Muslim)

5. Staying Down to Earth • Once the Holy Prophet was in the company of his companions in a jungle where they were getting ready to cook. He distributed the work-load and himself participated in making food (Seerat Khairul Bashar). • In spite of being the benefactor for the whole world, he worked like an ordinary person. In every household chores, his participation was a routine. His wife Hazrat Ayesha used to say that the Holy Prophet worked in the house like an ordinary person and never gave the impression of being a superior person than the rest.

6. No love for material world The Holy Prophet personified humbleness. This is obvious from the incident that once Hazrat Omar, thinking that, now and then, ambassadors and representatives from other places come to visit the Holy Prophet, he should wear impressive clothes on those occasions and also at religious gatherings like Friday service and Eid. Once Hazrat Omar was walking with the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) in a shopping area where he saw some silken cloth; taking this opportunity he suggested to the Holy Prophet that he should buy that cloth and wear it. The Prophet replied. Only he wears this who does not want any share from the life-hereafter.

7. Living Moderately by Avoiding Excessiveness God the Almighty says: the heretics indeed are the people who are pleased to have the gains of this world and they are contented with them that they do not feel the urge to make a move towards God. The verse 'fala noqeemo lahum yaumal qiyamati wazna', does not mention sin because these are the people who gave all the preference to the worldly desires. At another place God the Almighty says: these people have got the full enjoyment of this world; there also it is not the sin that has been mentioned rather it is pleasure of this world which ordinarily are made lawful by God. These people who have been called heretics got themselves engrossed in the acquisition of these pleasures. This type of people will have no worth in the eyes of God Almighty nor will they be honored. A luxurious life is indeed a Satan which deceives a man. So far as the behavior is concerned he himself runs after the hardships. Were he to make compromises he would live a life of comforts. If the Holy Prophet (pbuh) had done this there would have been no need for him to go to (through hardships of) battlefields but he gave preference to religion over the worldly affairs and therefore all the people turned into his enemies. (Malfoozat vol. 7, pg 108)

8. Choosing to Live Simply… • Chaudhry Zafarullah Khan sahib (ra) was a man of means – he was the first foreign minister of Pakistan, and was the President of the UN General Assembly and International Court of Justice • Imam of the London Fazl Mosque writes that out of his monthly income of thousands of Rupees, Hazrat Chaudhry Sahib would keep only a fewhundred for his personal use • He would donate the rest of the money to the Jamaat ,or to those less fortunate than him • He was willing to undergo the hardship of a simple life so that he could alleviate the sufferings of others and win Allah’s pleasure

9. Discussion Questions:Should someone who is well-off in their career/position and has several employees working under them be exempt from doing hands-on tasks such as cleaning the bathroom when they come to the Masjid?How can someone display humility in their conduct and interactions with others, even if they are of a different status than us? Can you provide examples?

10. Jazakumullah • Presentation should end here • Resources for moderator are below

11. Holy Quran

12. Holy Prophet [sa] on Fleeting Nature of This Life • Until the end of his life the Holy Prophet (sa) used to wear coarse cotton clothing (Bukhari) • Once, he was lying down on a coarse mattress. When he got up, there was such a deep impression on his back that his companions asked him whether they should provide him with something made of softer materials instead? The Holy Prophet replied: I have no connection with this world; my relation with this world is only of a transitory kind like that of a rider who stops by a shady tree while traveling. He rests for a short while in the shade and then takes off. (Jami Tirmidhi)

13. Prayer of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) • My Lord, make me content with what You have given me, and put blessings in it for me, and give me a better replacement for what I don’t have. (Abdullah Ibn Abbas)

14. Are we grateful for God’s Graciousness upon us? It was a long, hard winter. Saadi was very cold because his shoes were worn and they let the water in. For the first time, he was sorry that his family was very poor. He thought how nice it would be if they had enough money to buy a thick coat and some good shoes. One day Saadi was returning from school with his bag in hand. He stopped before the central mosque just as the Adhan for afternoon prayer was being called. Saadi liked to pray in the mosque, so he went into the courtyard and walked up to the fountain to perform his ablution. He left his school bag and rolled up his sleeves. He sat at a fountain and took off his shoes. His socks were dirty and wet. Angrily he threw one of his torn shoes on the ground. Then he saw a man performing ablution next to him. This man washed one leg and then stood up. Saadi noticed that the man had only one leg. Now he was embarrassed. He had been worried about his shoes, but that man had only one leg. Maybe he had enough money to buy shoes; but money wasn't everything. Saadi began to pray to Allah and thanked Allah for his strong legs. Story of Sheikh Saadi (ra)

15. Promised Messiah's [as] Empathy for Others Once, the Promised Messiah (as) was sitting on the roof of the Masjid Mubarik, Qadian, awaiting the arrival of some guests with whom he was to have a meal. One very poor Ahmadi friend, Mian Nizam Din Sahib of Ludhiana, wearing ragged clothes, was also sitting there at a short distance. In the meantime, some well-to-do, respected guests arrived and sat near the Promised Messiah (as). To make room for each of them, Mian Nizam Din Sahib had to move further back and he did so until he reached the place where shoes were kept. When the meal was brought, the Promised Messiah (as) who had observed the whole scene, took a plate of food and addressing him said, 'Come, Mian Nizam Din you and I will eat together inside,' meaning his chamber next to the mosque. At that Mian Nizam Din Sahib's joy knew no bounds, and those who had sat near the Promised Messiah (as), pushing Mian Nizam Din Sahib farther away, were duly mortified.

16. Story of Sheikh Saadi (ra) • A rich merchant of Shiraz invited Sheikh Saadi along with a lot of other big businessmen of the town on the occasion of his daughter’s marriage which was to be a grand affair. Sheikh Saadi accepted the invitation and decided to attend. • On the day of the wedding, the host and his family were receiving the guests at the gate. They were ushering all the guests towards the dining hall. All the rich people of the town attended the wedding. They had come out in best of their attires. Sheikh Saadi wore simple clothes which were neither grand nor expensive. He waited in a corner for someone to approach him but no one gave him as much as even a second glance. Even the host did not acknowledge him and looked away. Seeing all this, Sheikh Saadi quietly left the party and went to a shop from where he could hire clothes. There he chose a richly brocaded dress which was embroidered in gold on the margins. He selected a fancy turban and a waist-band to go with it. As he put on the hired dress and looked into the mirror, he found himself a changed person. • With this, he entered the dining hall and this time was welcomed with open arms. Tasty dishes had been laid out on grand carpets. Saadi was offered a seat with soft cushions. The food was served in fine crockery and cutlery made out of silver. • Saadi dipped the corner of his waist-coat in the food addressing the clothes, he said: “This is a feast for you, you should enjoy it.” • All the guests were now staring at him in surprise. The host said, “Sir, what are doing? How can your clothes eat? ” • “Aren’t you the same person who did not even throw a look at me when I came dressed in simple clothes. I can guess that it is my clothes and appearance that matter with you, not my individual worth. Now that I have put on grand clothes, I see a world of difference in reception here. All that I can now say is that this feast is meant for my clothes, not for me.”