Strive for what benefits you

Strive for what benefits you! 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

Not equal are those of the believers who sit (at home), and those who strive hard and fight in the Cause of Allah with their wealth and with their lives. Allah has preferred in grades those
who strive hard and fight with their wealth and their lives above those who sit (at home). Unto each, Allah has promised good. (Surah An-Nisaa: 95)

In the instance of this, the Messenger of Allah (salla lahu alayhie was salaam) said:, “...in both of them there is good.”

But the strong believer is better and dearer to Allah.

Then the Prophet said:, “Strive for whatever benefits you”...

“Strive for whatever benefits you”

In other words, struggle and exert every single effort in your pursuit of good. Conversely, there are things that are detrimental to the individual or contain no benefit at all. In light of this,
deeds are divided into three categories:
1) deeds that benefit the individual,
2) deeds that harm the person,
3) and deeds that are void of any benefit or harm.
The intelligent person accepts the enjoinment of the Messenger of Allah and seeks good. But, most people waste their time during the day in pursuit of something else. They engage in activity
that is harmful to their souls and their religion.  Accordingly, at this point it’s fitting that we say to the likes of these:

“You are not acting in harmony with the guidance of the Messenger of Allah. Perhaps this is due to ignorance or negligence. The wise and intelligent believer takes heed to this advice and strives
for whatever benefits him or her in their religion and worldly affairs.”

This is an important hadith. Every individual must make it a guiding light in their religious and worldly concerns. On account of it the Prophet said:

"Strive for whatever benefits you."

These words “strive for whatever benefits you, are general and comprehensive words. That is to say, make every effort to acquire all that is good, whether it’s for your deen or your dunya.
However, if a religious benefit and a worldly benefit conflict with one another, the religious advantage takes precedence.

(Why?) Whenever the deen is flourishing, the dunya will flourish.  As for the situation when the dunya is flourishing, but the deen is deteriorating eventually the religion will begin to worsen as well.

Taken from Al Mujahadah –The Struggle against the Soul – From An Nawawi’s Riyaadus Saliheen with explanation by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih Uthaymeen. Pgs. 33-34