"يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تُلۡهِكُمۡ أَمۡوَٲلُكُمۡ وَلَآ أَوۡلَـٰدُڪُمۡ عَن ذِڪۡرِ ٱللَّهِۚ وَمَن يَفۡعَلۡ ذَٲلِكَ فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡخَـٰسِرُونَ"
" O ye who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children distract you from the remembrance of Allah. Those who do so, they are the losers. "
(Soorah al-Munaafiqeen: 9)
Imaam Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy upon him) stated about this verse:
"In this noble verse Allaah has directed His commandment towards His believing servants. He also prohibits them from becoming busied and pre-occupied from the remembrance of Him by way of their wealth or their children. He has clarified that whoever does so is from amongst the losers.
Allaah stated
"O ye who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children distract you from the remembrance of Allah"
Allaah stated
"O ye who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children distract you from the remembrance of Allah"
This is mentioned a lot in the Book of Allaah. He directs His believing servants to hold fast to the necessities of Eemaan (faith). The necessities of Eemaan are: Fulfillment of the commandments and keeping away from the prohibitions. It also includes stopping at the prescribe limits which Al-Mawlaa (Allaah The Guardian) has set. This is how the believer is. This is how Eemaan is to be, that which Allaah has obligated upon him (the believer). For indeed his faith in Allaah and His messenger requires from him (the believer) to do that which is obligatory, leave off that which is prohibited and stop at the prescribe limits that our Lord has set . With that, the matter of faith stands. As a result of that, the triumph and happiness will take place for the believer in this life as well as in the hereafter.
The statement of Allaah:
"Oh ye who believe, let not your wealth nor your children distract you..."
The meaning is: Actualize this faith. Hold on to it. Be upright upon it until you leave off that which Allaah has made prohibited upon you. Hold fast to that which Allaah has obligated upon you. This is how the believer is. His faith makes it incumbent for him to stop at the prescribed limits of Allah. His faith makes it incumbent for him to fulfill the obligations of Allaah. His faith makes it incumbent upon him to leave off the prohibitions of Allaah. This is how the believer is. Based upon this Allaah has stated in many verses:
"Oh ye who believe fear Allaah.", "Oh mankind fear your Lord."
Allaah commands them with holding fast to at-Taqwaa (the piety) which is fulfillment of the obligations, abandonment of the prohibitions and stopping at the prescribed limits.
In this verse Allah mentions not to allow oneself to be distracted. This is a portion of at-Taqwaa. From at-Taqwaa, is that the believer leaves off that which busies him from the obedience of Allaah and His messenger. This is whether (the distraction) is family, wealth, a child or other than that. If the commandment of Allaah and His messenger conflicts with the need of the child, the need of oneself or the need of the wealth, the believer gives precedence to the command of Allaah and His messenger over the desires of himself, the desires of his child or the desires of attaining wealth.
"يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تُلۡهِكُمۡ أَمۡوَٲلُكُمۡ وَلَآ أَوۡلَـٰدُڪُمۡ عَن ذِڪۡرِ ٱللَّهِۚ وَمَن يَفۡعَلۡ ذَٲلِكَ فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡخَـٰسِرُونَ"
" O ye who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children distract you from remembrance of Allah. Those who do so, they are the losers. "
(Soorah al-Munaafiqeen: 9)
What's intended by the remembrance of Allaah here: That which Allaah has legislated for us from the acts of obedience. The likes of the prayer, fasting, making pilgrimage, alms giving, striving for the sake of Allaah and other than that. All of it is considered the remembrance of Allaah. A group of the scholars of Tafseer have explained "the remembrance of Allaah" here to mean the prayer. The matter is general and indeed the prayer is a portion of the remembrance of Allaah. That which prohibited here, is the believer becoming preoccupied with his wealth, his children or anything else from doing that which Allaah has obligated upon him from the prayer or other than it (from the acts of obedience).
Then Allaah stated:
"وَمَن يَفۡعَلۡ ذَٲلِكَ "
"Those who do so..."
Meaning those who become preoccupied with one's wealth or one's child from fulfilling the right of Allaah,
"فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡخَـٰسِرُونَ"
"...they are the losers."
When the word lost is mentioned unrestrictedly, the meaning is general. So it covers loss in the life of this world as well as the hereafter. We seek refuge with Allaah from that. Therefore whoever is busied by one's wealth, one's child or the part of the soul that commands one with evil from fulfilling that which Allaah has made obligatory or it causes the person to fall into the prohibitions of Allaah, the person has indeed lost. If the matter is one of disbelief and misguidance, that which expels the person from the fold of Islaam, the loss becomes a complete one. We seek refuge in Allaah from that. The loss will be a complete loss and the end result will be in the hell-fire to abide therein (forever). We seek refuge with Allaah from that and ask Him for the safety and protection. If that which has taken place causes the person to fall into the disobedience of Allaah, excluding disbelieving in Allaah, then the loss will become a tremendous one. However it will be less than the great loss, which is the loss that comes as a result of disbelief. We ask Allaah for the safety and protection from that. Therefore it is incumbent upon the believer to be aware of the two types of loss. The believer has to be aware of the great loss as well as the lesser loss. The believer has to keep far away from that which angers Allaah in order to be safe from loss and be triumphant with a total gain. That is by way of the obedience of Allaah and His messenger along with leaving off that which Allaah and His messenger have prohibited.
May Allaah give us all the guidance and success. May the Salaah and Salaam of Allaah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, followers and his companions."
Taken from: "Hadeethul-Masaa" pg. 163-165
Translated by: Abu Yusuf Khaleefah NYC USA 3rd of Dhul-Qi'dah 1434/ September 9th 2013
