Contentment is a Sign of Wealth

If people become content with the little they have, then there will be
no poor or deprived persons among them. If the slaveis content with
what Allaah The Almighty has given him, he will be powerful and in no
need of others, even if he does not possess a lot in this life.
Ash-Shaafi'i said, "I knew that contentment is the core of richness,
and I adhered to it, so I never stood at anybody's door, orbegged
anyone. Consequently, I became rich without a dirham, passing by
people as if I were a king."
The Prophet advised his Ummah (nation) to have contentment when he
said: "Be content with what Allaah has given you, and you will be the
richest person." He would supplicate to Allaah the Almighty,saying:
"Allaahuma qanni'ni bima razaqtani wa baarik li feeh wakhluf 'ala
kulli ghaa'ibatin li bikhayr [O Allaah, make me content with what You
have provided me, bless it for me and grant me good thing in
compensation for whatever I miss]."
A person who is content with what Allaah The Almighty provides him
enjoys tranquility, satisfaction and peace of mind ashe does not long
for what others have or desire what he does not possess. Accordingly,
Allaah The Almighty, as well as people, will love him, and the
following Hadeeth of the Prophet would apply to him: "Do not incline
to the worldly life and Allaah will love you. Have no desire for what
people possess, and people will love you."
Moreover, a slave cannot reach the degree of the thankful unless he
becomes content with the provision that he receives. This meaning is
indicated by the saying of the Prophet to Abu Hurayrah : "O Abu
Hurayrah! Be pious, and you will be the most worshipping person. Be
content, and you will be the mostthankful person. Love for people what
you love for yourself, and you will be a [true] believer." A content
slave, therefore, has a virtuous self as he does not hurt his pride
for the sake of a worldlygain that will soon vanish. Such people are
the ones whom AllaahThe Almighty praised in His Saying (which means):
{[Charity is]for the poor who have been restricted for the cause of
Allaah, unable to move about in the land. An ignorant [person] would
think them self-sufficient becauseof their restraint, but you will
know them by their [characteristic] sign. They do not ask people
persistently [or at all]. And whatever you spend of good - indeed,
Allaah is Knowing of it.} [Quran 2:273] Also, the Prophet gave us glad
tidings when he said: "Successful is the person who adopted Islam, has
been provided with what is just sufficient for his needs, and been
made content by Allaah with what He has given him." 'Umar ibn
Al-Khattaab said, "Greed is [in essence] poverty and despair [of what
others have] is richness. Anyone who despairs of[i.e., does not long
for] what is possessed by others, becomes in no need of that."
An amazing story in this regard ismentioned in the book of Al-Ihyaa',
Al-Khaleel ibn Ahmad Al-Faraaheedi refused to be the private tutor of
the son of theruler of Al-Ahwaaz. He brought out dry bread to show the
messenger of the ruler, and said, "As long as I find this, I am in no
need of Sulaymaan [the ruler]. Then, he said some poetic verses which
mean,
"Inform Sulaymaan that I enjoy ease and richness, although I have no wealth.
I keep my pride as I see no one die of hunger, or remain in the same
state all his life.
We realize that poverty lies in souls not in properties, as does richness."
Indeed, the Prophet was truthful when he said: "Richness is not the
abundance of wealth; rather it is self-contentment." O Allaah, make us
content with what You have given us and make us the most contented
people of what You have decreed to us of provisions!