Shaddad bin Aus relates that the Holy Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said, “The wise man is really one who keeps his ‘self’ under control and devotes himself to acts beneficial in the next world, while the foolish man is one who devotes himself to his evil desires and cherishes false hopes in his relation to God.”
(Tirmidhi)
This hadith draws a line of distinction between a wise man and a foolish one. The former realises the transitoriness of this world while the latter spends his life in the enjoyment of mundane pleasures.
One, who by the Grace of Allah is wise, spends his life in accordance with the commandments of God. There are two salient features of such a person. One, he keeps his self under perfect control; he is not a slave to his desires. That is, he submits all his desires, wishes and dreams to the Will of Allah. Another salient feature of his is that he spends his worldly life, keeping an eye on Life after Death. He curbs his desires just to seek the pleasure of God; he also earns and spends only within the permissible limits.
A foolish person devotes his life to the fulfilment of his evil desires in total violation of moral codes of life. He fails to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, moral from immoral. He discards obedience to truth. The hadith points out the folly of such a person when he hopes that God will admit him toParadiseanyhow.