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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Ethical Discourses: Volume 2 Discourse 6: Advice Given To Abu Dharr On Sustenance عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللٌّهِ لِرَجُلٍ وَ هُوَ يُوصِـيهِ: أَقْلِلْ مِنَ الشَّهَوَاتِ يَسْهَلْ عَلَيْكَ الْفَقْرُ، وَ أَقْلِلْ مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ يَسْهَلْ عَلَيْكَ الْمَوْتُ، وَ قَدِّمْ مَا لَكَ أَمَامَكَ يَسُرَّكَ اللِّحَاقُ بِهِ، وَاقْـنَعْ بِمَا أُوتِـيتَهُ يَخِفَّ عَلَيْكَ الْحِسَابُ، وَ لاَ تَـتَشَاغَلْ عَمَّا فُرِضَ عَلَيْكَ بِمَا قَدْ ضُمِنَ لَكَ فَإِنَّـهُ لَيْسَ بِفَائِـتِكَ مَا قَدْ قُسِّمَ لَكَ، وَ لَسْتَ بِلاَحِقِ مَا قَدْ زُوِيَ عَـنْكَ.

فَلاَتَكُ جَاهِداً فِيمَا أَنْصَحَ نَافِداً، وَاسَعَ لِمُلْكِ لاَ زَوَالَ لَهُ فِي مَنْزِلِ لاَانْـتِقَالَ عَنْهُ.

It has been narrated from Abu Dharr that he said, “The Messenger of Allah (S) said to a person whom he was advising, 'Reduce the base desires (of your soul) and poverty shall become easy upon you (to bear); lessen the sins so that death shall become easy for you to endure; send things from your own wealth ahead for yourself, so that by seeing this (on the Day of Judgment), you shall become happy; be content with that which is given to you so that your accountability and reckoning is reduced.

Do not busy yourself with the sustenance which is guaranteed to reach you (and do not develop greed to this segment of the provision which is guaranteed to reach you) so that you do not disregard the obligatory acts which are upon you (to perform), since surely that which has been set aside for you will not leave your hand (it shall surely reach you), and that which has left your hand (that sustenance which you have lost) will never come back again.

Do not struggle to attain those things that are not pure and will be destroyed; do not put forth a struggle for those things that are temporal. Rather, struggle for those things which are perpetual and which will last forever (in the next life).'”[^1] In this tradition, the Messenger of Allah (S) has given us various pieces of advice, and at the end of his speech, has spoken about sustenance.

The Prophet (S) first stated that if we were able to reduce our lower desires, then poverty would become something easy to bear! All of the wealth which exists in the world can be spent in three areas: the necessities of life; 2) own personal welfare; and 3) our lower desires (our wants).

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