Encouragement to not look towards those above you
By Shaykh Muhammad bin Hadi al-Madkhali
Translated by Abbas Abu Yahya
From Abu Hurairah – RadhiAllaahu anhu – who said that the Messenger of Allaah – sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam – said:
(( انْظُرُوا إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَسْفَلَ مِنْكُمْ, وَلَا تَنْظُرُوا إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ فَوْقَكُمْ, فَهُوَ أَجْدَرُ أَنْ لَا تَزْدَرُوا نِعْمَةَ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ((
‘Look towards the one who is below you, and do not look at the one above you. Since it is more befitting that you do not belittle the blessing of Allaah upon you.’
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Encouragement to not look towards those above you
(الحث على عدم النظر إلى من هو فوقك)
By Shaykh Muhammad bin Hadi al-Madkhali
Translated By Abbas Abu Yahya
The Noble Shaykh Professor Muhammad bin Hadi al-Mudkhali – May Allaah protect him – explained the Hadeeth:
From Abu Hurairah – RadhiAllaahu anhu – who said that the Messenger of Allaah – sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam – said :
(( انْظُرُوا إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَسْفَلَ مِنْكُمْ, وَلَا تَنْظُرُوا إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ فَوْقَكُمْ, فَهُوَ أَجْدَرُ أَنْ لَا تَزْدَرُوا نِعْمَةَ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ((
‘Look towards the one who is below you, and do not look at the one above you. Since it is more befitting that you do not belittle the blessing of Allaah upon you.’
The Shaykh said:
‘This Hadeeth has a great instruction, which is none other than looking towards the one who is below you, and the prohibition of looking towards the one above you, why?
This is because firstly it causes you to inherit contentment, and being pleased with what Allaah – Tabaraka wa Ta’ala – has provided for you, and the blessed quest which is achieved from this issue, indeed if you are granted contentment then you will live gratified and delighted with a tranquil soul.
The second point is: that it does not belittle the blessing of Allaah upon you, so if you look towards the one who is below you then you will find him in dire need and you will find yourself greatly blessed, therefore you should praise Allaah for His blessings.
If however, you looked towards the one above you would have belittled the blessings of Allaah, and you would look down upon that what Allaah had blessed you with, and were negligent of being grateful to Allaah – Jala wa Azz- for what He blessed you with even if it was only a little blessing.
((إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيَرْضَى عَنْ الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ الْأَكْلَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا أَوْ يَشْرَبَ الشَّرْبَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا))
‘Indeed Allaah is pleased with His slave that if he eats a morsel of food he praises Allaah for it, or takes a sip of a drink he praises Allaah for it.’
[Collected by Muslim]
A small piece of food, one piece of food, if you praised Allaah for it, Allaah will be pleased with you, so what is the condition of the person whom Allaah – Subhanahu wa Ta’ala – blessed with goodness however he is not satisfied due to looking towards the one who is above him, since if you looked towards the one who is above you in wealth, in the worldly sense, in ease, in provisions, in money etc, then this will cause you to inherit loss, and you will live depressed and worried, and you will only achieve that what Allaah -Tabaraka wa Ta’ala – had written for you.
From looking towards the one below has these benefits:
The first benefit:
It causes you to inherit contentment.
The second benefit:
That which the Prophet – sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam – mentioned that you will not belittle the blessing of Allaah – Tabaraka wa Ta’ala – upon you, so you will praise Him for it.
Perhaps a person will say, why do they only limit this issue to wealth?
We say because there are also narrations which clarify this from the Prophet – sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam – since it is mentioned that he -alayhi as – Salaat wa Salaam – said :
إِذَا نَظَرَ أَحَدُكُم إِلَى مَنْ فَضُلَ عَلَيْهِ فِي الْمَالِ وَالْخَلْقِ فَلْيَنْظُرْ إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَسْفَلَ مِنْهُ مِمَّنْ فَضُلَ عَلَيْهِ
‘If one of you looks towards the one whom Allaah had blessed with wealth and offspring, then he should look towards the one who is below him whom Allaah had blessed.’
As for the one who is below you then Allaah has blessed and preferred you, and if you see yourself in that situation then you praise Allaah – Jala wa Ala.
So this is how the scholars explain this point with what we have mentioned.’
[Taken from : ‘The Explanation of the Chapter of Comprehensiveness’ From the book ‘Baloogh al-Muraam’ The First Lesson http://ar.miraath.net/fawaid/6888]