Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said:
Everything a person uses for the sake of Allah,
He will protect him from the evil of utilizing it for himself and for the
devil; and anything he does not use for the sake of Allah, he will surely use
it for himself and for his desires. So if knowledge is not for Allah’s sake,
then it will be for one’s soul and desires; and if an action is not for Allah’s
sake, then it will be for show off and hypocrisy. Likewise, if wealth is not
spent in obedience to Allah, it will be spent in obedience to the devil and base
desires; and if prestige is not used for Allah’s sake, its possessor will use
it for his desires and fortunes.
If strength is not employed in carrying out the
order of Allah, it will be employed in His disobedience. Whoever accustoms his
soul to working for Allah’s sake, there will be nothing more difficult for him
than working for other than Allah; and whoever accustoms his soul to working
for his desires and fortune, nothing will be more burdensome to him than
sincerity and working for the sake of Allah. This is true regarding all forms
of actions. Nothing is more burdensome to the one who spends for Allah’s sake
than spending for the sake of others; likewise the converse.
Source: Uddah
as-Saabireen wa Dhakheerah ash-Shaakireen by Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah;
translated by Abdus-Samee Abdus-Salaam
