I was thinking about who, after our Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him), deserves to succeed him when one day I encountered Muhammad ibn Ali (peace be upon him). He gave me advice that made me realize that he was the rightful successor.
Those around me, who were surprised to hear this, asked Muhammad ibn Munkadir: “What advice did Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) give you?”
Muhammad ibn Munkadir said: “On one of the hottest hours of the day, I went to one of the areas of Madinah. There, I saw Muhammad ibn Ali (peace be upon him) working in his farm. I thought to myself: A noble of Quraysh is striving for this world at this hour and in this state? I swore by Allah that I would advise him. So, I approached him and greeted him. He, who was drenched in sweat, greeted me back with a smile. I said: ‘May Allah guide you! A noble of Quraysh is striving for the world in this condition? Perhaps death will come upon you in this state!’
Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) replied: ‘By Allah, if death were to come to me in this state, I would be engaged in the obedience of Allah, and through this, I would have freed myself from you and others. But what I fear is that my death might come when I am engaged in disobedience to Allah.’
I, upon hearing this, said: ‘May Allah have mercy on you! I intended to advise you, but you have given me advice.'”
In reality, Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) could have used others to manage the affairs of his farm, but he preferred to strive himself for the livelihood of his family and not rely on anyone. Thus, he subjected himself to hardship and worked in his farm, considering this work as an act of obedience to the Lord.
Therefore, there is a difference between working for the sake of this world and accumulating wealth, and working in this world to earn lawful sustenance and seek the pleasure of Allah.
Excerpted from the book “Guides to the Path of Light (The Life of Imam Muhammad Baqir (peace be upon him))” by Ayatollah Modarresi (with some modifications)
In this way, it becomes clear that asceticism and piety, in the view of our great scholars, means not being attached to this world, not the failure to utilize it correctly in all matters.