Excessive Ambitions in this Worldly Life - I

Having excessive ambitions in this worldly life is one of the greatest
diseases of the heart. What is the meaning of this disease? What are
its harmful consequences? What is its treatment?
Meaning of Excessive Ambitions in this Worldly Life
Having excessive ambitions in this worldly life is to
continuouslystrive for its pleasures and persistently indulge in its
luxurieswhilst turning away from the Hereafter. Allaah The Almighty
Says (what means): {And be diverted by [false] hope.} [Quran 15:3]
Commenting on this verse, Al-Qurtubi said, "Their excessive ambitions
in this worldly life turned them away from obeying Allaah." Ibn Hajar
said, "There is an important rationale behind ambitions in this
worldly life. Having ambitions in this worldly life is not totally
dispraised as without it no one would be able to enjoy his life or
look forward to doing anything that is related to this world. What is
dispraised is having extensive ambitions in this worldly life and not
preparing for the Hereafter. As long as a person is safe from this,he
is not required to totally abstain from having ambitions in this
world. Ignorance and love for this world are the causes behind this
disease."
Having Excessive Ambitions in this Worldly Life is Dispraised in the Quran
There are many verses in the Quran that dispraise having excessive
ambitions in this worldly life. The Noble Quran usesmultiple modes of
address to warn people against this incurable and destructive
disease.For example Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):
• {Perhaps those who disbelieve will wish that they had been Muslims.
Let them eat and enjoy themselves and be diverted by [false] hope, for
they are going toknow.} [Quran 15:2-3]
• When talking about the Jews, Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):
{And you will surely find them the most greedy of people for life -
[even] more than those who associate others with Allaah.One of them
wishes that he couldbe granted life a thousand years, but it would not
remove him in the least from the [coming] punishment that he should be
granted life. And Allaah Is Seeing of what they do.} [Quran 2:96]
• {[Allaah] will Say: "How long did you remain on earth in number of
years?" They will say: "We remained a day or part of a day; ask those
who enumerate." He will Say: "You stayed not but a little - if only
you had known. Then did you think that We created you uselessly and
that to Us you would not be returned?"} [Quran 23:112-115]
• {Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts
should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allaah and
whathas come down of the truth? Andlet them not be like those who were
given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so
their hearts hardened; and many of them are defiantly disobedient.}
[Quran 57:16]
Having Excessive Ambitions in this Worldly Life is Dispraised in the Sunnah
The Prophet warned his Ummah (nation) against having extensive
ambitions in this worldly life, as it is likely to drive the person
away from obeying Allaah. It was narrated on the authority of Abu
Hurayrah that he said, "I heard the Prophet saying: 'The heart of an
old man remains young in two respects: his love for this worldly life
and his excessive ambitions init.' " [Al-Bukhaari]
It was narrated on the authority of Anas that he said, "The Prophet
once drew a few lines and said: 'This is [man's] ambitions, and this
is the instant of his death, and while he is in this state [of
ambitions], the nearer line [death] comes to Him.' " [Al-Bukhaari]
It was narrated on the authority of Ibn Mas'ood that he said, "The
Prophet once drew a square and then drew a line in the middle of it
and let it extend outside the square and then drew several small lines
attached to that central line, and said: "This is the human being, and
this [square] is his lease of life which encircles or has encircled
him, and this [line] which is outside [the square], represents his
ambitions, and these small lines are the calamities and troubles
[which may befall him], and if one misses him, another will overtake
him, and if the other misses him, a third will overtake him.' "
[Al-Bukhaari] It was narrated on the authority of 'Abdullaah ibn 'Umar
that he said,: "The Messenger of Allaah took hold of my shoulder
andsaid: 'Be in this world as if you are a stranger or a traveler.' "
Thesub-narrator added, "Ibn 'Umar would say, 'If you survive till the
evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive
till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening; and take
from your health for your sickness, and [take] from your life for your
death.'" [Al-Bukhaari]
It was narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbaas and his father,that he
said, "The Messenger of Allaah said to a man while advising him:
'Utilize five things before the coming of another five: your youth
before your decrepitude, your health before your sickness, your wealth
beforeyour poverty, your leisure before your work, and your life
before your death.' " [Al-Haakim narrated this Hadeeth according to
the conditions of Al-Bukhaari and Muslim, however they did not narrate
it. Ath-Thahabi agreed with him.]
It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet
said: "Take the initiative to do good deeds before you are hindered by
one ofseven calamities: poverty that makes you forget the remembrance
of Allaah, prosperity that leads you to transgression, an ailment that
damages your health, old age that makes you lose your senses, a sudden
death, the Antichrist which is an evil yet to come, or the Hour, which
is indeed even more disastrous and even more bitter." [At-Tirmithi -
Hasan]
When the Prophet was asked about the scriptures of Moosa (Moses) he
replied: "It was allfull of lessons. I wonder at a person who is
certain of death and can still be happy. I wonder at a person who is
certain of Hell and can still laugh. I wonder at a person who believes
in fate and still grieves over hardships that befall him. I wonder at
a person who sees this world and how its wellbeing never lasts for
people and can still feel safe in it. I wonder at a person who
believes that the Day of Reckoning is soonto come and still does not
perform righteous deeds." [Al-Bayhaqi and Al-Bazzaar]

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