(part 1 of 2)
Many people mistakenly assume that real wealth and real wealth is that of money. It is indeed true that prosperity is a great blessing from God that He gives to His servants. And whoever deserves it in a pure way, donates it properly and gives it to those who deserve it, is undoubtedly entitled to a great reward from God.
But at the same time, prosperity is not the greatest blessing that can be given to humanity. Furthermore, no matter how much wealth a person has, they can eventually leave and fall into the hands of others. The prophet, the blessing and peace of God be with him, reminded us of this when he asked his companions:
“Who of you loves the money of his heirs more than his own money?” [1]
They replied: “O Messenger of God! There is no one among us who does not love his own money more than the money of his heirs. “
The Prophet replied:“ But his money is only what he sent ahead and the money of his heirs is what he left behind . ” (Sahieh Al-Bukhari)
So most of the money that a person owns will eventually end up in the hands of his or her heirs, and only the part that was donated in the way of God will actually benefit you in the afterlife .
God emphasizes this in the Quran with the teaching that:
“Real estate and children are jewelry of earthly life. The good works that remain are more rewarding with your Lord and more hopeful. ” (Quran 18:46)
So money and children can be a comfort and a pleasure in this life, but righteous deeds are what will last forever – not our family or wealth. It is these righteous deeds that will bring God’s satisfaction to a person and through which a person can hope for an eternal reward in the hereafter. The Quran says very clearly:
“And it is neither your good nor your children that will bring you closer to us; but those who believe and do good works should receive double the reward for what they have done. And they will live safely in the upper rooms (of paradise). ” (Quran 34:37)
In a well-known and frequently repeated parable, the Quran compares the life of this world with a plant that blooms after the downpour, only to wither and wither within a short time. The Quran says :.
“Know that this life on earth is really just a game and a pastime and a show and boasting among you and a race for the increase of property and children. It is like the abundant rain, the vegetation of which the sowers like. Then he withers; and you see him yellow; then it becomes brittle; and in the hereafter there is a severe punishment, but also forgiveness from God and pleasure. And this life on earth is nothing more than a usufruct that lets you be seduced. ” (Quran 57:20)
Imam al-Sa’adi summarized the commentary on this verse when he wrote it with a beautiful passage. With this verse, God tells us the true nature of this world and what it really is based on, and He explains its end and the end of people on it. He tells us that it is just play and pleasure, that our bodies play in it and our hearts enjoy it. And we see that this is exactly what the people who are persecuting this world are doing, so you will find them wasting their whole lives so that they can please their hearts. They are completely ignorant of God’s memory and what rewards and punishments they expect (in the hereafter). You see how they see their religion as entertainment and pastime.
And this is in contrast to the people with consciousness and to those who strive for the hereafter. Their hearts are alive with the remembrance of God, His knowledge and His love. And they have dealt with deeds that will bring them closer to God, whether these deeds only benefit themselves or others. And the expression „a game and a pastime“ means that they will try to make themselves more beautiful with their clothes, their food, their drinks, their means of transportation, their houses and palaces, their prestige and other things. The phrase „a pomp and show off among you and a race to increase wealth and children“ suggests that everyone is attached to this world, trying to outdo others so that he is victorious in all matters. He wishes that he can fulfill all of his wishes with it. And (this applies to money and children) that’s why everyone wants more than the others. And this is what happens between those who love this world and are content with it.
But this is exactly the opposite of who sees the reality of this world, sees it as a transition, and not as the goal. The latter makes an effort to get closer to God and has taken the necessary means to ensure that he arrives at the promised travel destination. Then when he sees someone trying to compete with him for money and children, he is competing with him in good deeds!
Then God gave us a parable for this world. It is like rain falling on the earth and then mixing with the vegetation, which is then eaten by humans and animals until the earth spreads its beauty and the unbelievers – those who do not look beyond this life – are thrilled over their fruits, then God’s command comes over them. There it is destroyed, wilted and dried up and returns to its previous state, as if there had never been anything green in the country and as if beauty had never been seen in it!
And this is how this world is! During her heyday for her companion, she sprouts with beauty, he can take whatever he wants from her treasures, and whenever he wants to achieve something of it, he finds the doors open until suddenly God’s command comes over her . Then all material gain that he could make of this world trickles out of his hands, and his control over it has passed; so he leaves this world with absolutely nothing in his hands. In the end, he won nothing at all except a shroud (in which his body is wrapped). So woe to those who take this as their goal and sacrifice everything for it and strive and give their whole life for it!
And as far as the deeds for the hereafter are concerned, it is what really benefits. It is kept for the owner (the fruits of his works) and will always accompany him. This is why God says:
“Those who disbelieve will receive a severe punishment. But those who believe and do good works will receive forgiveness and great reward ”(Quran 35: 7).
So the hereafter will consist of only one of these two things. As for the punishment, it consists of hellfire and its depths and chains and all its horrors. And this awaits those who have made this world the destination and end of their journey so that they have disobeyed God, rejected His signs and have not thanked Him for His gifts.
And as for God’s forgiveness for our sins, and the abolition of all punishments and God’s satisfaction, this is for those who have sought the dwelling place of pleasure (paradise) – those who have recognized the true nature of this world and therefore truly the beyond has striven for.
All of this should reduce our desire for this world and increase our desire for the hereafter, and for this reason God says: „And this life on earth is nothing more than a usufruct through which one can be seduced“. This life is a pleasure that can benefit a person and help them meet their needs. No one except a weak mind will be infatuated with, and will be satisfied with, and these are those whom God allows to be infatuated with by the deceiver (Shaitan). [2]
Footnotes:
[1] In other words, the one of you who loves the money that ends up in the hands of the people who will inherit from him when he dies (like his sons and daughters) more than the money he gets owns.
[2] Tafsiral-Sa’adi
(part 2 of 2)
No matter how much money you make, in reality you only need a small part of it. Let us consider the Prophet’s wise memory that God’s blessings and peace are with him. Abdullah ibn al-Shakhir reported:
„I entered the Prophet and he recited: ‚Al-hakum al-takathur‘:
“ The pursuit of more distracts you as long as … „(Quran 102: 1)
He said:
‚ The son of Adam says: ‚My money! My money! ´ But have you, son of Adam, some of your money other than what you ate and it went in the trash, or what you put on until it was worn out or what you donate to gave with what you sent it ahead (to get his reward in the hereafter) ´? ” (Sahieh Muslim)
In this hadith, the Prophet reminds us that we actually use all our money in one of three ways. First, for food that we eat and that eventually becomes waste. Second, the clothes that we wear and that are eventually worn out so that they become unusable. Third, the money that is donated in the name of God, and this is the only part of which the benefit remains and falls back on us. So what use is it to a person who praises and shows off his money and gets excited when in reality only so little is donated in a way that it provides eternal benefit?
Because of these factors, the Prophet Muhammad reminded mankind that wealth is not the same as a person’s amount of material possessions. Real wealth is when you are satisfied with what you own and then use it to receive eternal wages in the hereafter. The Prophet said:
“Wealth is not the amount of possessions (that someone has); true wealth is rather wealth in oneself (or contentment). ” (Sahieh Al-Bukhari)
He also said:
„What is little but enough is better than what is much but distracts.“ [1]
And in a third hadith:
„He is actually successful, the one who has been led to Islam and his care is sufficient, and he is satisfied with it. ” (Sahieh Muslim)
Finally:
„The best care is that which is given to you and which is sufficient.“ [2]
Here we can clearly see that true success and wealth can be found in the peace and contentment that results from sincerity in the faith and its Exercise results. It is satisfaction in the heart that makes a person recognize and appreciate true wealth. The Prophet described this wealth in another hadith in which he said:
“Those of you who stand up safely in your home, healthy in your body, the mere amount of food you need for the day, then it is as if the whole world was captured for him and with everything in it! ”[3]
This hadith has many benefits that can be drawn from it. ‚Who of you …‘ means the Muslims and indicates the first and greatest blessing, namely Islam; ´ … get up … ´ means that you have been blessed with life; ´ … safe in his home … ´ means without fear or attacks on our safety or that of our family; ´ … healthy on his body … ´ means that God has saved him or her from diseases and suffering; ´ … he has the sheer amount of food he needs for the day … ´ indicates that he even has the minimum amount of care, which is a great blessing from God, because this is what his body and his Need health and so many people don’t even have this amount and finally: ´ … then it is as if the whole world was captured for him and with everything, what is in it … shows that this is all that a person needs to live in this life and everything that goes beyond this mere minimum amount is unnecessary luxury. Satisfaction with God’s care, large or small, is satisfaction with life and therefore the best wealth a person can have. The Prophet said:
“Verily, God is testing His servant with what He has given him. So whoever is satisfied with what has been assigned to him, God will bless with it and give him more. But whoever is not satisfied with what he was given is not blessed with it. ”[4]
Those who are satisfied with their own care and their lot in life will lose concern about the wealth and status of others. Such people are not worried about how much money others have, what brand of car they drive or how big the houses in which they live. Those who love God with a pure heart in this regard and are thankful to Him know that the goods of this world can neither buy joy nor the blessing of faith or contentment. In return, they are loved by God and by their fellow human beings. This principle is clearly emphasized in the noble prophetic tradition:
“Give up (hope to) reach this world, then God will love you. And give up what is in the possession of the others and the others will love you. ”[5]
In another tradition a person came to the Prophet and asked him:“ O Messenger of God! Tell me a hadith and make it short. ” Then he replied:
“Pray your prayer as if it were your last, as if you would see Him (God), because even if you do not see Him, He will still see you. And give up hope (to get what others have) and you will live a good life. And beware of what you will need an apology for later. ”[6]
So whoever takes the very first goal of achieving the satisfaction of God and the reward in the hereafter will be loved by God and those who avoid competing with other Muslims in worldly matters will be loved by people. And this wealth – the love of God and mankind – is far greater than any wealth that can be bought with money.
The pious successors of this nation also realized this principle. Awn ibn Abdillah [7] said: „The greatest blessing is that if things become difficult for you, you will appreciate what blessings you have been granted by Islam.“ [8] So the next time you are in a difficult one financial situation, then instead of looking at material and transient pleasures that you cannot afford right now, you should think about the “treasure of Iman (belief)” with which God has blessed you and the great happiness of being a Muslim to be appreciated! Even if you are overjoyed or concerned about a monetary gain or loss, remember the testimony of Muhammad ibn Suqah, who said
“There are two qualities that, though God does not punish us for them, are reason enough for our punishment: we are overjoyed with a small profit that we make in this world, and yet God has never made us so happy about a good deed seen that we do; and we are so concerned about a small matter that has missed us in this world, and God has never seen us so concerned about a sin that we commit. ”[9]
I will end this article with the quotation from a verse, with that God reminded the Prophet and believers not to strive for the wealth of this world – wealth given to those who refused to submit to God – rather to strive for wealth in the hereafter.
“And don’t look at what We gave to some of them for (short) enjoyment the shine of earthly life – in order to test them. Because the care of your Lord is better and more permanent. ” (Quran 20: 131)
Footnotes:
[1] Abu Ya’la, Ibn Adi and al-Albani declared him authentic in al-Sahihah.
[2] Ibn Hibban. See al-Silsilah al-Sahihah
[3] Al-Tirmidhi, Sahieh Al-Bukhari, Ibn Hibban. Al-Albani agreed with al-Tirmidhi in his silsilah.
[4] Reported by Ahmad as mentioned in his al-Sahihah.
[5] Ibn Majah, Al-Hakim. Al-Albani also declared it authentic in al-Silsilah,
[6] Sahieh Al-Bukhari, Al-Tabarani.
[7] Abdullah ibn Masud. When he used to tell this hadith, his beard usually got wet with tears. He died around 115 AH
[8] Ibn Abi al-Dunya, al-Qana ah wa al-Ta afuf.
[9] ibid
Source: https://www.islamland.com/deu/articles/der-wahre- Reichum