Spiritual Training and the Hadith of Being a Stranger
An explanation of the famous Hadith of Ibn Umar (RA) where the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ advises being like a stranger or traveler in this world. The speaker discusses the concept of wara' (scrupulousness), emphasizing that spiritual training must be gradual rather than starting with extreme severity. He highlights how the heart must be trained over time to avoid burning out, especially for the youth.
May Allah ﷻ have mercy on him.
The Fortieth Hadith: On the authority of Ibn Umar (RA),
who said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took
hold of my shoulders and said, 'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler.'"
And Ibn Umar (RA) used to say:
"If you reach the evening, do not expect the morning,
and if you reach the morning, do not expect the evening.
And take from your health for your sickness, and from your life for your death.”
[Narrated by al-Bukhari]
This Hadith is among the testaments of the Prophet ﷺ,
and it is indeed a very, very great testament.
The Prophet ﷺ summarized it,
saying: “Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler,”
because a stranger and a traveler take only a little provision,
A stranger knows that no matter what he owns in this town,
he cannot move his house, nor can he even move his children,
especially in ancient times, to move them with him to another land,
so you find him content with little.
Therefore, when a person is turning towards Allah ﷻ
and has fulfilled his duties, he should ensure his heart does not cling to this world.
I do not say this to all people; rather, people differ.
Therefore, wara' and precaution are not spoken to just anyone.
Ahmad (RH) only narrated the reports of wara' to some of his companions
in whom he saw wara', such as Abd al-Wahhab al-Warraq and Abu Bakr al-Marrudhi.
Al-Marrudhi was among the most knowledgeable and most comprehensive in gathering Ahmad's words on wara'.
And he gave him his book on wara'.
My point is that wara' is a great chapter, meant only for the elite among people,
A person should not begin their life, especially in youth, with wara' and extreme caution,
for they would be like someone who pulls too hard and might break.
Do not be so sweet you are squeezed, nor so bitter you are spat out.
A person, if they start their journey with severity, might break,
but if they train themselves, and their heart and limbs get accustomed to acts of obedience,
after that, they can look into matters of asceticism (zuhd) and wara',
just as 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak (RH) said:
"I struggled to pray the night prayer for forty years, then enjoyed it for forty years."
Only a few people get disciplined quickly, but most people need training.
That is why the people who turn to Allah the most are the elderly,
If a person violates this rule, then among the three
whom Allah ﷻ will not look at nor speak to, and for whom there is a painful punishment...
...is an old man who commits adultery—meaning an elderly person.
The worldly desires are weak in his heart.
He has grown weary of this world, satisfied with it, and has seen a great deal of it.
And the urges of desire within him are few.
Yet, despite that, if he commits adultery, his sin is greater,
and he should be closer to piety and scrupulousness. My point is that a person
should strive against himself, even if partially, not completely,
so as not to be too hard on himself about attaching only minimally to this world.
Rather, he should do so gradually,
striving, in his clothing and his affairs, to take the minimum in all things,
even in food.
You need not eat the most lavish food, as a way of training the soul,
for you do not know what your state will be tomorrow.
Yes.