There are ten useless matters:
- Knowledge that is not acted on
- The deed that has neither sincerity nor is based on following the
righteous examples of others
- Money that is hoarded, as the owner neither enjoys it during this life
nor obtains any reward for it in the Hereafter
- The heart that is empty of love and longing for Allah, and of seeking
closeness to Him
- A body that does not obey and serve Allah
- Loving Allah without following His orders or seeking His pleasure
- Time that is not spent in expiating sins or seizing opportunities to do
good
- A mind that thinks about useless matters
- Serving those who do not bring you close to Allah, nor benefit you in
your life
- Hoping and fearing whoever is under the authority of Allah and in His
hand; while he cannot bring any benefit or harm to himself, nor death, nor
life; nor can he resurrect himself.
However the greater of these matters are wasting the heart and wasting time.
Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the
Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hope. Destruction
occurs by following one’s desires and having incessant hope, while all
goodness is found in following the right path and preparing oneself to meet
Allah.
How strange it is that when a servant of Allah has a [worldly] problem, he
seeks help of Allah, but he never asks Allah to cure his heart before it
dies of ignorance, neglect, fulfilling one’s desires and being involved in
innovations. Indeed, when the heart dies, he will never feel the
significance or impact of his sins.
