Allah, the Almighty, said:

{What remains [lawful] from Allah is best for you...} [Hood 11:86]¹⁵⁹

Zuhd in something refers to its complete renunciation. It is an act of virtue for the public, a necessity for the seeker,¹⁶⁰ and a refuge for the elite.¹⁶¹ It is of three levels:

The first level: renunciation of all dubious matters after complete abstention from the unlawful ones. This is motivated by:

1. fear of blame¹⁶²


2. graceful avoidance of shortcomings¹⁶³


3. hating the company of the wicked¹⁶⁴

The second level: renunciation of excesses and anything beyond necessary sustenance:

1. by the best investment of one’s time¹⁶⁵


2. by stemming anxiety¹⁶⁶


3. by adorning oneself with the beautiful qualities of the prophets and aṣ-ṣiddeeqeen¹⁶⁷

The third level: renunciation of renunciation, accomplished by three things:

1. belittling that which you renounced¹⁶⁸


2. complete indifference to variant conditions¹⁶⁸


3. refraining from seeing your actions and casting your sight towards the valley of truths¹⁷⁰

¹⁵⁹ What you earn after you give up cheating and all forms of misconduct in business will be more blessed and better for you.
¹⁶⁰ It is a prerequisite for the path of purification.
¹⁶¹ Who fear losing their place with Allah to the pursuit of fulfilment of desires. They hold fast to the station of zuhd lest the dunyâ distract them.
¹⁶² These dubious matters are not ḥarâm in themselves, so sin may not be earned. However, those people fear blame from Allah on the Day of Judgment for coming close to ḥarâm.
¹⁶³ Those who deem themselves above deficiencies hold themselves to a higher standard all the time.
¹⁶⁴ So you leave the places they crowd and avoid competing with them for the lowly desires they cherish.
¹⁶⁵ In sowing the seeds for the final harvest and getting closer to the Most Beloved (exalted is He).
¹⁶⁶ So that the heart becomes settled with no disturbances, regrets, ambivalence, or hesitation caused by any remaining attachments to the dunyâ.
¹⁶⁷ Aṣ-ṣiddeeqeen: this refers to the people close to the prophets in the quality of spiritual excellence.
¹⁶⁸ Nothing is too big to leave for Allah’s sake; in comparison to His pleasure, all things are insignificant.
¹⁶⁹ Where wealth and poverty, health and sickness, recognition and desertion, and all other variances become equal to you. At the least, none of them will distract you from His service. They will not cause you excessive joy or grief. They will not cause you resentment of His decrees or boastfulness. They will not keep you from believing that which is true, acting upon it, and speaking it.
¹⁷⁰ So you are not seeing your renunciation or even your ability to renounce anything, for you see only His actions and decrees. Your sight is fixated on the ultimate truths of Him being the Ultimate Effector, the One, the Truth.