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[This article is Fourth part of a series presenting an English translation and brief explanation of Hidāyat al-Adhkiyāʾ ilā Ṭarīq al-Awliyāʾ by Shaykh Zayn al-Dīn ibn ʿAlī al-Malībārī]

٢٣.    واقنع بترك المُشتهى والمفاخرِ     من مطعمٍ وملابسٍ ومنازِلَا

٢٤.   مَن يطلبنْ ما ليس يعنيهِ فقدْ           فاتَ الذي يعنيهِ من غير ائتلا

23. Be content to leave what passions crave, what pride displays
    In feasts, in robes, in palaces held high.
24. Who chases what concerns him not will lose
    What truly was his own, without excuse.

The poet calls the seeker to cultivate qanāʿah, a deep contentment expressed by deliberately turning away from excessive cravings and boastful displays in food, clothing, and housing, for the problem is not lawful comfort but attachment and pride. Whoever busies himself with what does not truly concern him will inevitably lose what does concern him, because distraction from one’s real purpose quietly robs a person of his higher aims.

Qanāʿah: Freedom from Display and Distraction

Qanāʿah is often translated as contentment, but its meaning is richer than simple satisfaction. It is the disciplined acceptance of what Allah has apportioned, coupled with freedom from restless craving for excess. It does not mean abandoning effort, nor suppressing lawful aspiration; rather, it means that the heart remains tranquil whether provision expands or contracts.

In the first verses of this section, the poet urges us to cultivate a state of mental richness by being content to avoid unending desires, craving, and pride; competitive displays of luxury in food, dressing, and housing, and so on. When possessions become instruments of comparison rather than gratitude, they quietly enslave the heart and distract you.

These what the Quran says about takāthur, rivalry for worldly gains.

“Competition for more ˹gains˺ diverts you until you end up in ˹your˺ graves.” (Qur’an 102:1-2)

The distraction is the key. Takāthur does not merely mean owning more; it means competing for more in a way that diverts the soul from remembrance and accountability. When life becomes a stage for comparison — who lives better, dresses finer, earns more — the heart becomes restless.

The Prophet ﷺ warned against the human nature of seeking pleasure without limit:

“If the son of Adam had two valleys of wealth, he would seek a third; nothing fills the belly of the son of Adam except dust.” (Bukhārī and Muslim)

Qanāʿah interrupts this cycle. It teaches the believer to step off the treadmill of endless comparison. It shifts the measure of success from possession to purpose. The one who is content may still strive, work, and build — but he does not tie his worth to what he acquires. He enjoys blessings without parading them, and he remains serene without them. Thus, the poet begins here, because before one can speak of higher spiritual stations, the heart must first be freed from the exhausting theatre of display.

The Sunnah provides a practical exercise to nurture qanāʿah:

“Look to those who are below you, and do not look to those who are above you; that is more likely to prevent you from belittling the favour of Allah upon you.” (Muslim)

And in another narration:

“If one of you sees someone above him in wealth and status, let him look at those below him in wealth and status.” (Ibn Ḥibbān)

Looking upward in worldly matters breeds envy. Looking downward awakens gratitude. Indeed, there is no person who does not find someone superior to him in some blessing and inferior to him in others. If you are poor, there are poorer; if ill, there are more afflicted; if weak, there are weaker. Why raise the head only to measure deficiency, and not lower it to recognise mercy?

In the following line, the poet deepens this meaning to focus on the purpose and stay away from whatever distracts you from higher aspirations: whoever pursues what does not concern him will lose what truly does.

Here, the poet poetically embodies the Prophetic principle:

“Part of a person’s excellence in Islam is leaving what does not concern him.” (Tirmidhī)

Imām al-Ghazālī explains that the heart cannot sustain competing loves; indulgence in excess (fuḍūl) inevitably consumes the time and presence required for what is essential (maʿnā). Thus, contentment is not passive resignation — it is strategic focus.

It is reported from Amīr al-Mu’minīn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib
“Whoever seeks what does not concern him loses what concerns him.”

Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī رحمه الله deepened the insight:

“Among the signs that Allah has turned away from a servant is that He busies him with what does not concern him.”

When the heart becomes occupied with trivial pursuits, it is gradually emptied of higher aspiration.

Dhū al-Nūn al-Miṣrī رحمه الله adds another dimension:

“Whoever is content finds relief from the people of his time and rises above his peers.”

Contentment liberates a person from social competition. One who is satisfied no longer lives under the exhausting pressure of comparison and distraction.

Qanāʿah as the Secret of Success

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ described contentment as a cause of genuine success:

“Successful indeed is the one who has embraced Islam, been given sufficient provision, and whom Allah has made content with what He has given.” (Muslim)

The word kafāf (sufficient provision), as al-Manāwī explains, refers to that which is enough for a person’s worldly needs and restrains him from craving beyond them. It is not abundance that guarantees felicity, but sufficiency combined with a contented heart.

The Prophet ﷺ further said:

“Ṭūbā (glad tidings and goodness) to the one who is guided to Islam, whose livelihood is sufficient, and who is content.” (Tirmidhī)

The term ṭūbā, as explained by al-Manāwī citing al-Ṭībī, conveys goodness, purity, and felicitous attainment  as if one has reached a wholesome and blessed state. Contentment is therefore not merely tolerance of life; it is the sweetness of life. A modest living becomes fragrant when the heart is satisfied.

The Prophet ﷺ defined real wealth with unmatched clarity:

“Richness is not having many possessions; rather, true richness is the richness of the soul.” (Bukhārī and Muslim)

In another narration:

“O son of Adam, be pleased with what Allah has apportioned for you, and you will be the richest of people.” (Muslim)

Contentment elevates a person above his desires. He is no longer governed by appetite or dazzled by luxury. His satisfaction stabilises him. He does not fluctuate with market trends or social comparisons.

Contentment also grants ʿizzah — honour. In the narration attributed to Jibrīl عليه السلام:

“O Muhammad, the honour of the believer lies in his night prayer, and his dignity lies in his independence from people.”

Independence here is self-sufficiency through trust in Allah. The one who depends excessively on people for fulfilment, validation, or material support exposes himself to humiliation. Qanāʿah shields the face from the dust of begging and the heart from the bitterness of resentment.

Contentment also disciplines consumption. It trains the soul to live within balance — neither wasteful nor miserly. Allah says:

“Eat and drink, but do not be excessive; indeed, He does not love the extravagant.” (7:31)

And describing the servants of the Most Merciful:

“When they spend, they are neither extravagant nor stingy, but maintain a just balance between the two.” (25:67)

Abū Ḥātim رحمه الله described contentment as among the greatest of divine gifts:

“Nothing is more restful for the body than satisfaction with divine decree and trust in what has been apportioned. If contentment possessed no virtue except relief and avoidance of harmful pursuits in seeking excess, it would suffice for the intelligent never to abandon it.”

He further explained:

“Contentment resides in the heart. Whoever’s heart is rich, his hand becomes rich; whoever’s heart is poor, his wealth will not benefit him. Whoever is content does not live in resentment and lives securely and peacefully. Whoever is not content has no limit to his desires.”

This statement penetrates the psychology of desire. Discontent has no finishing line. The heart that is not trained in satisfaction finds deficiency everywhere. Qanāʿah, by contrast, generates security (amn) and tranquillity (ṭuma’nīnah). It frees a person from the exhausting chase of “more.”

Qanāʿah in an Age of Excess

The Prophet ﷺ gathered the essence of an upright life in a single luminous counsel:

“O Abū Hurayrah, be scrupulous (waraʿ) and you will be the most devoted of people; be content (qanīʿ) and you will be the most grateful of people; love for people what you love for yourself and you will be a true believer; be good to your neighbour and you will be a true Muslim; and reduce excessive laughter, for too much laughter deadens the heart.”

Notice how contentment is placed at the centre of gratitude. One who is never satisfied can never be grateful. Gratitude requires recognition of sufficiency. When the heart constantly compares, it complains. When it accepts, it thanks.

In our time, dissatisfaction has become normalised. Entire industries thrive on convincing us that we lack something — beauty, success, lifestyle, status. Social media amplifies comparison; advertising manufactures longing; achievement culture glorifies endless striving. In such an environment, qanāʿah becomes an act of quiet resistance. To say “what Allah has given me is enough” is to reclaim spiritual autonomy.

Qanāʿah does not make a person passive; it makes him principled. It does not shrink ambition; it purifies it. A content believer still works, builds, and contributes — but he does so without desperation. His joy does not depend on outperforming others. His worth does not fluctuate with possessions. His peace does not hinge on applause.

To be content is to be free.
Free from envy.
Free from humiliation before creation.
Free from the exhausting chase of “more.”

In an age of excess noise and endless desire, qanāʿah may be one of the most radical forms of worship.

Ramadan is the finest school for cultivating qanāʿah. For a month, we voluntarily reduce our intake, restrain our desires, and rediscover how little we truly need to live and how much we truly need Allah.

 Other Related Articles:

Part -1 Taqwā or Hawā? The Choice That Defines Us

Part -2 Sharīʿah, Ṭarīqah, and Ḥaqīqah

Part 3 Tawbah (Repentance): The Key to True Success