Among the people is he who says, “Our Lord, give us in this world,” yet he has no share in the Hereafter. And among them is he who says, “Our Lord, give us goodness in this world, and goodness in the Hereafter, and protect us from the torment of the Fire.” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:200-201)
When it comes to the topic of balance, the question we get asked the most if how do we balance deen and dunya. This is an interesting question because it means different things to different people. Some people think that balance means making equal time for work and worship, so if they work 8 hours a day, they assume that they need to do 8 hours of worship to achieve balance. Others think balance means figuring out the bare minimum worship to do while focusing on Dunya, while some think the opposite. The try to figure out the bare minimum worldly efforts to focus on while prioritizing worship. Some even have a strange idea that balance means having some kind of halal/haram ratio, where their good deeds need to equal or slightly overpower their bad deeds. This last idea is especially incorrect and problematic.
Looking back at the early Muslims and the Quranic message, it is interesting to note that Islam does not push any of the above definitions of balance between Din and Dunya. Instead, there seems to be a constant theme of excelling in both worlds. The Quran calls on us to seek out the best of both worlds. In the famous dua mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah, we are told to ask Allah for the best of both worlds. The scholars differ over what the best of this world means but they all agree we should seek out goodness in this world. Our religion does not encourage us to live like Monks, abandoning this world and focusing only on worship. Instead, we are supposed to lead the world in a way that is pleasing to Allah.
The early Muslims did not excel at Deen but at Dunya as well. Look back at the example of Abdur Rahman Ibn Awf, not only was he one of the blessed ten promised Paradise but he was a millionaire who built his wealth through hard work and excellent. Khalid Ibn Walid was the sword of Allah, and through his sword he excelled at both deen and dunya. The Sahaba excelled so well in both fields that within a few decades they rose up and became a powerful civilization. This is the way of the early Muslims, their hearts were focused on pleasing Allah and earning Paradise but they did so in a way that they still excelled in their worldly goals and aspirations.
Al-Mawardi’s Adab al-Dunya Wa Din
To learn more about what Islam teaches about this topic, I was reading through a classical work Adab al-Dunya Wa Din (Ethics of Dunya and Din) by the classical scholar Abu al-Hasan al-Mawardi. This book was written a thousand years ago during the Abbasid Golden Age by one of its leading political scholars. Al-Mawardi is more commonly known for his masterpiece Ahkam al-Sultaniyyah which focuses on Islamic Political Theory and is perhaps the most important book produced on that topic. Adab al-Dunya Wa Din is one of his lesser-known works, which has recently been translated into English and it focuses on how to achieve balance, happiness, and excellence in both Dunya and Din. This book is full of brilliant timeless principles for pursuing excellence. Today, I just want to share with you the first three principles from the book which I believe are essential today for achieving balance and excellence in both worlds.
Principle #1: Take Care of Your Mind
The first principle is the importance of developing one’s intellect. Al-Mawardi argues that the greatest gift that Allah has given us is our brains. It is through correct usage and development of our intellect that we succeed in both worlds. It is through developing and using our minds that we reflect on the Signs of Allah, learn the Quran and Sunnah, recognize God’s blessings and make good decisions. Good decisions benefit us in both worlds. An intelligent person will succeed in religion because their intellect leads them to recognize Allah’s Blessings and to live a goodly life that is pleasing to Allah.
But it will also benefit him in this world because he will use his mind to make good decisions about family, community, work, and business. This is one of the reasons why the preservation of intellect is one of the five main goals of the Shariah. Losing one’s intellect through not using it or substance abuse leads to bad decisions and ruining one’s life in both worlds. Therefore, all success depends on being sound of mind and using your mind wisely.
Principle #2: Control Your Desires
Linked to this, he mentions in the same chapter the second principle, which is to above following one’s desires. Everyone has moments in their life in which their desires are pulling them in one direction and their brains in the opposite direction. If we develop our minds and control our desires, we will make good decisions in such moments. For example, when a married person is tempted to cheat on their spouse. At that moment, if one’s desires are dominant, a person will make a foolish choice that can ruin their life in this world and the next. Intelligent people know and understand the repercussions of zina and this helps them to make good decisions and stay away from such sins. So he dedicates the entire first chapter of his book to these two principles: nurture and grow and use your intellect while keeping your desires under control is key to success in both Din and Dunya.
Principle #3: Seek Knowledge
The third principle mentioned in this book is the importance of knowledge. Note that in Islam, there is no distinction between religious and secular knowledge. This is a modern division of knowledge that is alien to the Islamic worldview. The early Muslims were polymaths who succeeded in both worlds because they sought and acquired all beneficial knowledge. In Islam, we can divide knowledge into beneficial, trivial and harmful. We must avoid harmful knowledge like learning how to manipulate and con people because such knowledge leads to temptation and sin, and we should avoid trivial knowledge like memorizing the names and lives of western celebrities because such information is useless. However, we must seek beneficial knowledge.
Al-Mawardi argues that to succeed in both Dunya and Din, you need to be a student for life. He says that knowledge is more important than wealth because wealth is a matter of Qadar but knowledge is something you can actively acquire. Furthermore, he says real social status and dignity comes from knowledge and wisdom, not just wealth. So he encourages a life-long pursuit of all beneficial knowledge. Al-Mawardi says that success in Din is dependent on knowledge because we need knowledge to know right from wrong and to know our responsibilities and duties. Likewise success in Dunya is also dependent on knowledge because knowledge opens new doors and helps us excel at every aspect of life.
Principle #4: Prioritize Worship
Finally, a fourth principle he mentions in the book is prioritizing daily ibadah starting with the five daily prayers. A Muslim must prioritize the worship of Allah and build the rest of his life around this. It is through these principles, cultivating the mind, controlling desires, seeking beneficial knowledge, and prioritizing the worship of Allah that we can develop the right mindset and lifestyle to excel at both worlds.
We ask Allah to bless us with the best of this world and the next world and to protect us from the Hellfire.
