66 – Contentment

Content of Character with Shaykh Yahya Rhodus

In this episode Shaykh Yahya Rhodus highlights the character trait of contentment. He quotes Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: “You must embody contentment, for it is wealth that does not deplete.” Shaykh Yahya begins by explaining the linguistic meaning of qana’a (contentment), which the Arabic word used in the related narration. He explains that it means to be content with the apportioned provision, or with that which is enough to get by with. This word is also related to the word qinaa’, which means a face cover. Shaykh Yahya points out that contentment, in that sense, veils poverty. He also provides more definitions of contentment that scholars have mentioned, that bring out some meanings of the nature of the character trait. Shaykh Yahya highlight that one of the abandoned sunnas, is to be content with a small amount of wealth or provision. By having contentment, one finds wealth in the small amount that they have, and inwardly they are in a state of stillness. Finally Shaykh Yahya relates some narrations from Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that highlight the virtue of contentment and its ultimate benefit in the hereafter.

The Content of Character is a remarkable collection of sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Chosen by the scholar, Shaykh Al-Amin Ali Mazrui and translated by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, this book was published to great critical acclaim.

Shaykh Al-Amin intended to show that progress among Muslims required not the abandonment of Islam but the recovery of the original spirit of Islamic enlightenment.

In this podcast series for SeekersHub, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus does a commentary on these concise and yet comprehensive sayings, with a special focus on character-building, morals, good manners and ethics.

Checkout all of the SeekersHub podcasts by visiting http://seekershub.org/podcast/

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