Al-Hikam002. Wisdom 2: Beware When Seeking Higher Acts of Worship — The Hidden Desires Within
Ibn ‘Aṭā’illah al-Sakandarī (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
اِرَادَاتُكَ التَّجْرِيْدَ مَعَ إِقَامَةِ اللهِ إِيَّاكَ فِي الْأَسْبَابِ مِنَ الشَّهْوَةِ الْخَفِيَّةِ, وَاِرَادَتُكَ الْأَسْبَابَ مَعَ إِقَامَةِ اللهِ إِيَّاكَ فِي التَّجْرِيْدِ اِنْحِطَاطٌ عَنِ الْهِمَّةِ الْعَلِيَّةِ
“Your desire to abandon worldly means (tajrīd) while Allah has established you within causes and means (asbāb) is a form of hidden lust (shahwah khafiyyah). And your desire to pursue the means (asbāb) while Allah has established you in detachment (tajrīd) is a descent from lofty aspiration (himmah ʿaliyyah).”
Your wish to abandon worldly means while Allah has placed you among them is a subtle form of desire — a hidden passion of the ego. Conversely, your wish to engage with worldly means while Allah has placed you in detachment is a sign of declining from noble aspiration.
Shaykh Ibn ʿAbbād explains that “asbāb” (means) refers to all instruments or worldly engagements that lead to achieving certain ends, while “tajrīd” (detachment) means freeing oneself from worldly occupations.
Whoever Allah has established within the realm of causes, yet desires to abandon them, falls into hidden desire. It is called “desire” because such a person is not content with Allah’s decree and instead yearns for something else. It is “hidden” because it does not seek overt worldly pleasure; rather, the person believes that leaving worldly means will bring them closer to Allah — a mistaken notion that neglects adab (spiritual courtesy) toward the Divine arrangement.
A sign that Allah has placed a servant in the realm of means is when the person remains occupied with them and finds results therein — their religion remains sound, their hearts are free from dependence on creation, and their wealth becomes a means for good intentions such as maintaining kinship ties, helping the poor, and other virtuous purposes.
On the other hand, whoever Allah has established in detachment (tajrīd) yet wishes to move toward worldly means (asbāb), has fallen from a higher degree to a lower one — a sign of poor adab and evident desire. Tajrīd is a noble station, bestowed upon chosen servants among those who truly know and affirm the Oneness of Allah.
If Allah has placed someone among His chosen in the state of tajrīd, why would he lower himself to the level of those still bound by worldly attachments?
Shaykh Abū ʿAbdillāh al-Qurashī (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“Whoever does not feel shame in sharing dependence upon means with partners (in reliance), his aspiration is lowly.”
The sign that Allah has established someone in tajrīd is the stability of that state and the fruits it yields — clarity of heart, purity of soul, and serenity even amidst contact with creation.
Aspiration (himmah) is the heart’s inner drive — a powerful will and determination to attain a desired goal. It is high when directed toward lofty matters, and low when attached to base ones.
As a poet said:
“When someone asked me, ‘Why are you anxious while your affairs are cared for by people?’
I replied: ‘Let me be, for my restlessness matches the height of my ambition.’”
Another poet said:
“If the hands of the base cannot quench your thirst,
Then let self-contentment suffice as your comfort and fulfillment.
Be a man whose feet are on the earth,
Yet whose aspirations reach the stars.”
What has been explained concerning Allah’s decree — whether He places one within causes or in detachment — can be understood from the later saying of Ibn ‘Aṭā’illah:
“Among the signs that Allah has established you in a certain state is your persistence therein, accompanied by the fruits that arise from it.”
And Allah knows best.
In the book At-Tanwīr, this issue is elaborated as follows:
“Know, O brother — may Allah have mercy on you — that it is the enemy’s habit (Satan’s) to approach a person who is in the state Allah has decreed for him, and to make that state appear despicable in his eyes, so that he longs for another state different from what Allah has assigned. Thus, his heart becomes distracted, and his time is wasted.”
Satan comes to those occupied with worldly means and whispers:
“If only you abandoned these means and embraced tajrīd, light would shine upon you, and your hearts and inner selves would be purified. This is what so-and-so has done!”
But that person may not be suited for tajrīd nor capable of it. His goodness lies in remaining within asbāb. If he leaves them, his faith weakens, his certainty fades, and he begins to seek from people what should only be sought from Allah — until he falls into the pit of separation from Him.
This is Satan’s aim: he comes disguised as a sincere advisor, just as he came to our forefathers Adam and Eve and said,
“Your Lord did not forbid you from this tree except that you might become angels or immortals.”
Then he swore to them:
“Truly, I am a sincere advisor to you both.”
(Qur’an, al-A‘rāf 7:20–21)
Likewise, Satan comes to those in tajrīd and whispers:
“How long will you abandon the means? Do you not know that leaving them makes your hearts dependent on what is in people’s hands, opens the door of greed, and prevents you from giving and fulfilling others’ rights?”
Such a person may have been content, his heart filled with light, and his soul tranquil in detachment from creation. But Satan continues to tempt him until he returns to asbāb, burdened again by the darkness and hardship of worldly means — while those who remain steadfast in asbāb are in a better state than he.
So understand this and seek refuge in Allah.
Whoever seeks refuge in Allah will be guided to the straight path.
Satan’s only purpose is to prevent servants from being content with what Allah has decreed for them, and to make them abandon Allah’s choice in favor of their own.
Whatever state Allah has placed you in, He will assist you within it.
But if you enter something by your own will, He will leave you to yourself.
Pray, as in the Qur’anic supplication:
“My Lord, cause me to enter wherever You will in truth, and cause me to exit wherever You will in truth, and grant me from Yourself a supporting authority.”
(Qur’an, al-Isrā’ 17:80)
A “true entry” means entering a state with full reliance upon Allah, not upon oneself; and a “true exit” is the same.
Therefore, the intended meaning is: remain where Allah has placed you, until He Himself moves you from that place — just as He was the One who placed you there. The matter is not about abandoning the means, but rather about the means abandoning you.
A scholar once said:
“I abandoned the means several times, but I always returned to them. Then one day, the means themselves abandoned me — and I never returned to them again.”
I once entered the presence of a shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him) with the thought of pursuing tajrīd, saying to myself:
“It is difficult to reach Allah while living amidst worldly causes, for I am occupied with outward knowledge and constant interaction with people.”
Without my saying a word, the shaykh remarked:
“A man once came to me who was preoccupied with outward sciences and held a high position therein. Feeling that he had gained little from this spiritual path, he said: ‘My master, may I leave my current occupation and devote myself entirely to your company?’
I replied: ‘This is not the way. Remain where you are, for what Allah has decreed for you through us will reach you wherever you are.’”
Then the shaykh looked at me and said:
“This is the path of the truthful (ṣiddīqīn) — they do not leave anything until Allah Himself removes them from it.”
I left his presence with my intentions erased and my heart at peace, content to surrender to Allah’s will.
As the Prophet ﷺ said:
“They are a people whose company brings safety — whoever sits with them will not be ruined.”
Thus ends the quotation from At-Tanwīr regarding this wisdom (ḥikmah).
The discussion of tajrīd and asbāb in At-Tanwīr is among the finest expositions of this topic. We have recorded it here in full because the author has explained the meaning of this ḥikmah with remarkable clarity.
May all the teachings in this book be illuminated in such a way.
And Allah knows best.