Is it asceticism for a person to abandon trade, even though it earns him a living when he buys and sells?

The questioner : We have heard from you, may Allah preserve you, verses that encourage asceticism regarding this world. If a person abandons business opportunities that are right in front of him with this intention, will he be rewarded if he deliberately leaves them, while seeing that they would earn him a living?

The Shaykh : By Allah, look, may Allah reward you. Asceticism is not abandoning buying and selling, because Allah, Mighty and Majestic, commanded buying and selling. He, the Exalted, said: meaning: the Friday prayer whereas before that He said: So how do we seek the bounty of Allah if, after the prayer is completed, we do so through buying and selling? There is nothing wrong with buying and selling. Asceticism is abandoning what does not benefit in the Hereafter; that is asceticism. And scrupulousness is abandoning what harms in the Hereafter. Did you understand? If a person buys and sells with the intention of seeking the bounty of Allah, with the intention of becoming self-sufficient through what Allah has given him, so he does not have to ask people or beg from them, with the intention of spending on his children and his family, with the intention of giving charity from what Allah has given him, then this becomes asceticism. This becomes asceticism. Do not think that asceticism means a person wears bad clothes, yes, and a bad cloak... a bad car, and leaves, for example, houses that suit his status. No, asceticism is, as the Shaykh al-Islam or Ibn al-Qayyim said: abandoning what does not benefit in the Hereafter. The important thing is to let him sell and buy with this good intention: to keep himself from people, to provide for those he is responsible for, and to give charity. Yes.