How can the Hadith, "Whoever makes the Hereafter his preoccupation, Allah will make his richness in his heart, and gather his affairs for him, and the world will come to him submissively; and whoever makes the world his preoccupation, Allah will place his poverty before his eyes, and scatter his affairs for him, and nothing of the world will come to him except what has been predestined for him," be applied to reach a stage of not thinking about the worldly life and making the Hereafter the sole concern?

The meaning of the hadith is not that a Muslim should obligate himself to the Hereafter to attain worldly gains, or that he should abandon seeking lawful sustenance and neglect his worldly interests. Rather, the meaning is that the Hereafter should be the Muslim's greatest concern, and that his worldly ambitions should not be his sole preoccupation. Whoever does this, Allah will relieve him of worldly worries, grant him contentment, place richness in his heart, gather his scattered affairs for him, and the worldly life will come to him submissively and easily.

As for whoever makes worldly life his concern and intention, Allah will place poverty before his eyes, scatter his affairs, and nothing from worldly life will come to him except what has been predestined for him. A Muslim understands the danger of being engrossed in worldly life at the expense of the Hereafter, and that his concern for the Hereafter is one of the strongest reasons for happiness in both abodes. Therefore, he must fear Allah, trust in what He possesses, and rely on Him while taking the necessary means. Jibreel breathed into the soul of the Prophet, peace be upon him, that no soul will die until it completes its sustenance, so fear Allah and be moderate in seeking, and do not let the delay in sustenance lead you to seek it through disobedience to Allah.