Detachment does not even mean that we cannot own things of the dunya. In fact many of the greatest
companions were wealthy. Rather, detachment is that we view and interact with the dunya for what it
really is: just a means. Detachment is when the dunya remains in our hand—not in our heart. As `Ali
(ra) expressed beautifully, “Detachment is not that you should own nothing, but that nothing should
own you.”
Like the ocean’s water entering the boat, the moment that we let the dunya enter our hearts, we will
sink. The ocean was never intended to enter the boat; it was intended only as a means that must remain
outside of it. The dunya, too, was never intended to enter our heart. It is only a means that must not
enter or control us. This is why Allah (swt) repeatedly refers to the dunya in the Qur’an as a mata’a.
The word mata’a can be translated as a “resource for transitory worldly delight”. It is a resource. It is
a tool. It is the path—not the destination.
And it is this very concept that the Prophet spoke about so eloquently when he said:
“What relationship do I have with this world? I am in this world like a rider who halts in the shade of
a tree for a short time, and after taking some rest, resumes his journey leaving the tree behind.”
(Ahmad, Tirmidhi)
Consider for a moment the metaphor of a traveler. What happens when you’re traveling or you know
that your stay is only temporary? When you’re passing through a city for one night, how attached do
you get to that place? If you know it’s temporary, you’ll be willing to stay at Motel 6. But would you
like to live there? Probably not. Suppose your boss sent you to a new town to work on a limited
project. Suppose he didn’t tell you exactly when the project would end, but you knew that you could
be returning home, any day. How would you be in that town? Would you invest in massive amounts of
property and spend all your savings on expensive furniture and cars? Most likely not. Even while
shopping, would you buy cart-loads of food and other perishables? No. You’d probably hesitate
about buying any more than you need for a couple days—because your boss could call you back any
day.
This is the mindset of a traveler. There is a natural detachment that comes with the realization that
something is only temporary. That is what the Prophet in his wisdom, is talking about in this
profound hadith. He understood the danger of becoming engrossed in this life. In fact, there was
nothing he feared for us more.
He said, “By Allah I don’t fear for you poverty, but I fear that the world would be abundant for
you as it has been for those before you, so you compete for it as they have competed for it, so it
destroys you as it has destroyed them.” (Agreed upon)
The blessed Prophet recognized the true nature of this life. He understood what it meant to be
in the dunya, without being of it. He sailed the very same ocean that we all must. But his ship knew
well from where it had come, and to where it was going. His was a boat that remained dry. He
understood that the same ocean which sparkles in the sunlight will become a graveyard for the ships
that enter it.