Wealth
contributed by Mohamed A Khalfan (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)
Wealth is the test most fail miserably in a life of a fleeting moment, fate is lasting
T
he Quran Shariff is clear in its message, among others, that we are subject to verities of tests, and wealth is an ominous one among them. Let the Quran speak and let us ponder over what it says consistently in the following verses which are lucid in the message: “Do men think that they will be left alone on saying “we believe” and that they will not be tested”? (29:02)
“He who created death and life that He may test you (to see) which of you is best in conduct” (Q.67:02) ‘’Know that this world’s life is only sport and play, gaiety and boasting among yourselves,
and vying (rivalry) in multiplication of wealth among yourselves and children …. (gives an example) … (and ends stating) ….. and the life of this world is but delusion (deception)”. (Q. 57:20).
“You shall certainly be tried and tested in your possessions and your selves ……..” (03:186). Allah (swt) tests the rich with wealth and warns: “And most surely he (man) is tenacious in the love for wealth” (100:08) Wealth turns out to be the bitterest foe!
Allah swt warns: “Abundance diverts you until you come to the graves”. (Q 102:1,2) ”…… who piles up wealth and considers it a provision (against mishap). He thinks that his wealth will make him last forever” (Q.104:02,03), “And they who say: O’ our Lord! Avert from us the punishment of hell, indeed the punishment thereof is a lasting evil” (Q.25:65)
More wealth creates greed for more, and the vicious circle ends when death occurs, leaving the question lingering and begging for an answer “What was all that for”? (Ref.Q.70:21)
Upon seeing his Book of Accountability on the Day of Reckoning, the rich laments (Ref. 69: 25, 26, 27) “My wealth has availed me nothing” (69:28)
In Islam, therefore, when awareness is raised to the test of wealth and a certain moral discipline attendant with Taqwa is established in our daily life, a process gets in motion towards eradicating poverty entirely over time as a result in a community or in any society.
The philosophy quite well known with little of our attention paid to it though is that the rich do not become less rich by giving help to the poor but the poor in contrast become less and less poor on every occasion they receive significant help.
Muslims are brethren to one another (Q.49:10) like members of one large global family. Therefore the poor in a community in any age or era is entirely ‘the religious responsibility’ resting upon the rich as his brother in the family — like children are the responsibility of their parents — to the extent that the rich individually must resiliently demonstrate that he ‘keeps reducing’ the gap or the margin that differentiates the poor from the rich until their respective financial status become even — no different in effect —like from mixing cold water with hot water and the temperature of the entire water becomes pleasantly even. Anything short of this is a miserable failure in the test of wealth in life which is a fleeting moment to be followed by a torment of remorse after death – for the rich.
In this process of eradication of poverty, the scenario must be so perfect that if anyone happens to be identified as being rich as compared to the state of others he should feel offended by the embarrassing false identification.
Mankind has been created by a divine design with an instinct of compassion towards one another; and blessed are those who individually embrace death when it occurs with a soul not burdened by the sins of false assumption of “need” and accumulation of wealth – caused by “greed” only to face the fate of gloom instead of bloom for a period we shudder to imagine how terribly long, if not eternal!
Allah swt warns “O’ you who believe! Spend out (in the way of Allah) of what We have given to you before the day comes in which there is no bargaining, neither any friendship nor intercession….” (Q, 02:254)
One more: “You hearken to your Lord before there comes the day from Allah for which there shall be no averting; you shall have no refuge on that day nor shall it be yours to make a denial” (Q.42:47)
It is irrational to believe that a rich person is being charitable when helping a poor person; in fact the wealth possessed constitutes a burden of accountability before Allah swt and a poor person accepting help is like doing a favour in return by helping the rich shed his burden bits by bits.
Yes, one makes sure that there are no outstanding debts unsettled when one dies but equally true is to have no real wealth unshared with others at the time of death.
If only the dead could communicate, we would know of the excruciating torment of remorse that a person at the nick of the end of his life – then voiceless on a deathbed — suffers what the Quran defines as Sakrat ul Maut, that is the stupor or pang of death in verse 50:19. There is vivid graphic pieces of description in Nahjul Balagha in respect of those who find eventually amassing of wealth was the worst absurdity when the wealth is left behind to others but the burden of accountability is his ominous company to the Day of Reckoning.
All Glory, all Praise and all Thanks are due to Allah swt Who has willed and destined us to be reading, as we hereby do, the following verses of the Quran as admonition to prompt us to atone and redress any of our shortfalls while the life still ticks on: “Or it (soul) should say when it sees the punishment: ‘Were there only a returning for me, I should be of the doers of good (Q.39:58)
“Aye! My communications (ayaat) came to you but you rejected them and you were proud and you were one of the disbelievers” (Q.39:59) The Quran warns that those embroiled in sins will wish on the Day of Reckoning that they were not created or were dust if created and not human. (Verse 78:40)
“Until when death overtakes one of them, he says ‘Send me back my Lord, send me back” (23:99) See also (32:12) of similar language! “Lest a soul should say: ‘O Woe to me! For what I fell short of my duty to Allah, and most surely I was of those who laughed to scorn” (39:56) Upon seeing his Book of Accountability on the Day of Reckoning, he laments (Ref. 69: 25, 26, 27).: “My wealth has availed me nothing” (69:28) “And they who say: O’ our Lord! Avert from us the punishment of hell, indeed the punishment thereof is a lasting evil” (Q.25:65)
In fact, in verse 02:273 Allah swt requires us not to wait for those who are entitled to their dues to beg but for the rich also to seek them out as they too have their self-human pride.
Reportedly, the Prophet (s) ‘led’ a frugal life while Imam Ali a.s. ‘lived’ a deepened frugal life. The Prophet (s) will surely have known that there were others among Muslims who were even far worse off. This imparts a message: The rich with no contentment is poor and the poor with contentment are rich. “and peace is on him who follows the guidance” 20:47.
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