Central Khutbah: “Desires Reveal the Inner State of a Person”
A person is not revealed only by what they do and what they possess, but also by what they deeply long for. Sometimes circumstances do not allow a person to achieve what they desire, yet the desire itself reveals the direction of their heart. This is why the question, “What do you desire?” is much deeper than it appears at first glance.
The answer may reveal whether a person’s greatest desire is wealth, status, knowledge, family, forgiveness, Paradise, or simply another opportunity to do good. Desire can motivate a person and give them strength, but it can also imprison them. It can be the beginning of a great deed, but it can also become a source of constant dissatisfaction.
For this reason, Islam does not ask a person to stop desiring, but rather to understand their desires, purify them, and direct them correctly. The problem is not that the heart desires something; the real question is what it desires, why it desires it, and where that desire will lead it.
Desires Between Human Nature and Trials
The Qur’an openly speaks about the fact that various worldly things are made attractive to human beings:
“Beautified for people is the love of what they desire: women, children, heaps of gold and silver, fine horses, livestock, and cultivated fields. These are the pleasures of the worldly life, but with Allah is the best return.”
(Āl ‘Imrān, 3:14)
This verse does not deny the existence of desire, nor does it declare everything mentioned in it forbidden. Rather, it reminds human beings that what attracts them belongs to a temporary world and that the ultimate measure is not found in what they desire, but in their relationship with Allah.
Therefore, the Qur’an establishes a balance:
“But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter, and do not forget your share of this world.”
(Al-Qaṣaṣ, 28:77)
The believer does not need to abandon this world in order to seek the Hereafter. They work, earn, build, establish a family, and benefit from Allah’s blessings, but they do not allow temporary things to become their ultimate goal.
The danger begins when desire stops being something that a person controls and becomes a force that controls them. The Qur’an speaks about the one who “takes his own desire as his god” (Al-Furqān, 25:43), and it connects salvation with the person who fears standing before their Lord and restrains the soul from its desires:
“But as for he who feared standing before his Lord and restrained the soul from its inclination, then indeed, Paradise will be his refuge.”
(An-Nāzi‘āt, 79:40–41)
Restraining the soul does not mean destroying every desire, but rather refusing to obey every desire. Some desires are fulfilled, some are delayed, some are refined, and some must be abandoned so that a person does not lose something more valuable than them.
Allah wants to show mercy to people and accept their repentance, while those who follow their desires want them to turn far away from the truth (An-Nisā’, 4:27).
Therefore, not every strong desire is proof that a person is on the right path. A desire is not judged only by its intensity, but by whether it is permissible, beneficial, and aligned with one’s responsibility before Allah.
Desire Is Not a Substitute for Effort
The Qur’an makes a clear distinction between a noble aspiration and empty wishing:
“It will not be according to your desires nor the desires of the People of the Scripture. Whoever does evil will be recompensed for it.”
(An-Nisā’, 4:123)
Simply wishing to be a good person, saved, knowledgeable, or successful is not enough.
“And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives.”
(An-Najm, 53:39)
A desire that never becomes a decision, a supplication, sacrifice, and effort can easily become a way for a person to comfort themselves without any real change.
That is why the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Strive for that which benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not be helpless.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 2664)
In this brief guidance are combined noble aspiration, personal effort, and reliance upon Allah. The believer is not called merely to dream, but neither should they rely solely on their own strength. They desire, they work, they ask Allah, and they accept what Allah decrees for them after sincere effort.
The Sunnah, at the same time, teaches a person to aspire to great things. The Prophet ﷺ did not teach us to ask Allah only for the smallest things we need. Rather, he said:
“When you ask Allah, ask Him for Al-Firdaws, for it is the highest and the most elevated part of Paradise.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 2790)
A high aspiration is not arrogance when it is directed toward seeking Allah’s pleasure and is accompanied by humility.
A sincere desire can have value even when a person, due to a legitimate inability, does not succeed in achieving what they wished for. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever sincerely asks Allah for martyrdom, Allah will raise him to the rank of the martyrs, even if he dies in his bed.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 1909)
This does not mean that every wish is equal to an actual deed, but rather that Allah knows the difference between an empty statement and the sincere desire of a heart that would act if given the opportunity.
In contrast, uncontrolled worldly desire rarely stops by itself. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“If the son of Adam had two valleys of wealth, he would wish for a third. Nothing fills the stomach of the son of Adam except dust, and Allah accepts the repentance of the one who repents.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 6436)
This hadith does not condemn wealth itself or every form of worldly progress. Rather, it warns against a desire that continues to grow along with what a person acquires. A person thinks that they will finally find satisfaction once they achieve one goal, but after reaching it, another goal appears before them.
If a person does not know what is enough for them and what purpose all of this serves, desire no longer enriches their life; instead, it keeps them in a constant feeling of deficiency.
What Did the Righteous Predecessors Desire?
The true value of a person may become clearest when their life approaches its end and they no longer need to create an impression before others.
Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr reported that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, said:
“The thing I will regret most from this worldly life is fasting during the hot summer days and going to the mosque.”
(Al-Muṣannaf, p. 230)
He did not say that he would regret wealth, status, or comfort the most. He regretted the days in which he was able to sacrifice for Allah and the steps with which he walked toward His House.
Similarly, when Ḥasan ibn Abī Sinān was asked on his deathbed:
“What would you wish for now?”
He replied:
“I would wish for long nights that I could spend in prayer.”
(Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’, 3/118)
‘Āmir ibn ‘Abd Qays used to say:
“I do not weep because of this world or because I desire it, but because of the hot summer days and the long winter nights.”
(Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’, 2/88)
For him, the hot days represented an opportunity to fast, and the long nights represented an opportunity to pray. What others considered a hardship, he saw as a means of drawing closer to Allah.
In the morning, ‘Āmir ibn ‘Abd Qays would say:
“O my Lord, all these people are pursuing their own needs, while the need of ‘Āmir is that You forgive him.”
(Aḥmad, Az-Zuhd, p. 275)
All people have needs and desires, but not all needs are equal. Some people wake up seeking provision, others seeking status, and others seeking a solution to a family problem. As for ‘Āmir, among all needs, he singled out the need for forgiveness.
‘Abd al-Wāḥid ibn Zayd visited a sick man and asked him:
“What do you long for?”
He replied:
“For Paradise.”
He then asked him what he regretted most from this worldly life. The man replied:
“I regret most the places where Allah was mentioned and the gatherings in which we remembered Allah’s blessings that He had bestowed upon us.”
‘Abd al-Wāḥid then said:
“By Allah, this is among the most valuable things in this world, and through it the Hereafter is attained.”
(Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’, 6/157)
‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Aswad wept greatly on his deathbed, regretting the voluntary fasts and prayers he would no longer be able to perform. Then he recited the Qur’an until his soul departed his body.
(Laṭā’if al-Ma‘ārif, p. 519)
Their regret was not for what they had lost from this world, but for the acts of worship they would no longer be able to perform.
Ibrāhīm ibn Shammās said:
“When I wished for something, I wished for the understanding of ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubārak, the asceticism of Fuḍayl, the piety and memorization of Wakī‘, the humility of ‘Īsā ibn Yūnus, and the patience of Ḥusayn al-Ja‘fī.”
(Tārīkh Baghdād, 13/478)
His wishes were not directed toward what these people possessed, but toward the qualities that made them valuable. He wished for understanding, detachment from worldly things, devotion, strong memory, humility, and patience.
A person often desires someone else’s position, circumstances, or visible success, but rarely desires the effort, character, and sacrifices that came before it. This statement redirects desire toward building one’s personality rather than merely changing one’s circumstances.
Once, Muṣ‘ab ibn az-Zubayr, ‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr, ‘Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, gathered together, and each of them expressed a wish.
‘Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr wished to become caliph.
Muṣ‘ab wished to become governor of Iraq and to marry ‘Ā’ishah, the daughter of Ṭalḥah, and Sukaynah, the daughter of al-Ḥusayn.
As for ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, he said:
“I would like my sins to be forgiven.”
The narration mentions that the others received what they wished for, while the narrators expressed hope that Ibn ‘Umar was also granted forgiveness.
(Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’, 2/176)
People may sit in the same place, belong to the same time period, and speak about the future, yet their deepest desires may be completely different. One desires authority, another a certain worldly success, while a third desires only to meet Allah with his sins forgiven.
“I Wish I Could Wish”
Sībawayh, the great linguist and one of the most important grammarians of the Arabic language, became seriously ill toward the end of his life.
When he was asked:
“What do you wish for?”
He replied:
“I wish I could wish.”
In the original Arabic, it is expressed as:
Ashtahī an ashtahī — “I long to be able to desire again.”
This account was recorded in Sībawayh’s biography by Yāqūt al-Ḥamawī. He mentioned that Ibrāhīm an-Naẓẓām visited him during his illness and asked him what he wanted. Sībawayh replied that he did not desire anything, but that he wished he could once again have the ability to desire. Shortly afterward, he passed away.
(Yāqūt al-Ḥamawī, Mu‘jam al-Udabā’ – Irshād al-Arīb, 5/2122–2125; al-Yāfi‘ī, Mir’āt al-Janān, 1/271)
In its immediate context, these words refer to a severe illness that had taken away his appetite and his desire for the things people normally wish for. Therefore, this statement should not be presented as a fully developed philosophical claim about the meaning of life.
Nevertheless, its simplicity carries a powerful message: people often fail to recognize that the very ability to desire is itself a blessing. While a person is healthy, making plans, and hoping for the future, they may not realize the value of this inner drive. Only when desire disappears do they wish that they could desire again.
In a broader sense, the loss of every healthy aspiration, the disappearance of ambition, and the absence of enthusiasm may resemble a sign of inner decline, even though the body is still among the living.
However, this should not be understood as a judgment against a person who is sick, exhausted, or suffering, because illness and great pain can temporarily weaken one’s will.
Sībawayh’s statement is, above all, a reminder to those who are healthy not to underestimate the blessing of having desires and, while they possess them, not to waste them on things without value.
The Desire That Leads
The purpose of faith is not for a person to stop having any desires. A person without any desire would not seek knowledge, would not establish a family, would not help others, would not repent, nor would they ask Allah for Paradise.
The goal is rather for desires to be placed in their proper order. This world may be desired, but not above the Hereafter; wealth may be sought, but not at the cost of honour and faith; success may be loved, but not in a way that causes a person to commit injustice; rest may be desired, but not in a way that leads to abandoning responsibilities.
The Qur’an teaches the believer to combine both dimensions of life in one supplication:
“Our Lord, give us that which is good in this world and that which is good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”
(Al-Baqarah, 2:201)
Therefore, the most important question is not whether a person has many desires or few desires. More important is what those desires reveal about them.
What would you wish for if you knew that you had only a short time left to live?
What would you regret if you were no longer able to pray, fast, learn, help others, or ask for forgiveness?
A person’s desires change with their understanding. When they are far from the end of life, they desire to acquire and achieve; when they clearly recognize the temporary nature of this world, they desire above all to be forgiven.
A mature desire is not the one that merely excites a person, but the one that guides them toward what will remain valuable even after all other desires come to an end.
(Central khutbah by the Muslim Religious Leader Hafiz Hilmija Redžić on June 19, 2026, at the “Centre Culturel Islamique de Luxembourg” in Mamer)
