Article appeared Friday, August 5th, 2011 in The News Today, Bangladesh

The Revelation (190)

yousuf mahbubul Islam, PhD

Do people go to great lengths to make more and more wealth by whatever means possible? To help understand such craving, the noted scientist and polymath Benjamin Franklin (1706 1790), is known to have said the following. He does not possess wealth; it possesses him. {1} What is the result of such an attitude towards wealth? Within developing countries and countries of the world are the rich becoming richer and poor becoming poorer? The wise Chinese thinker and social philosopher Confucius (551 479 BC) pointed out the shamelessness in this: In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of. {1} To people preoccupied with making wealth, does the end justify the means? Let us look at what the Bible says about the ways of making money that are in vogue in the world today: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. [1 Timothy 6.10] {2} Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them. [Psalms 62.10] {2} Do people believe that wealth has power over everything else? That is, would they rather put faith in wealth instead of the Creator? Is it fear of poverty that leads to this shift in faith, or disbelief? Where does such an attitude come from? To help find answers to this question, let us turn to the most recent Revelation, the Qurn. The Evil One threatens you with poverty and bids you to a conduct unseemly. Allah promises you His forgiveness and bounties and Allah cares for all and He knows all things. [2.268] Woe to every (kind of) scandal-monger and backbiter Who piles up wealth and lays it by thinking that his wealth would make him last forever! [104.1 104.3] Being human beings created by the Creator, is it illogical that the Creator would also care for us? A natural question that may arise - why then do some people have less and some more? Nor strain your eyes in longing for the things We have given for enjoyment to parties of them the splendor of the life of this world through which We test them: but the provision of your Lord is better and more enduring. [20.131] What is the test? Not only whatever we have given is by our Creator, whatever wealth we have is given as a test! Can we give freely from whatever wealth we have for good purposes? By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give (freely) of that which you love; and whatever you give of a truth Allah knows it well. [3.92] Who should we love more the Giver of wealth or the wealth itself? Having been given free-will, it is open to us where and how we place our priorities. If we exclusively prefer the life of this world, our Creator will give us what we want in this world we will have however deprived ourselves of the life of the Hereafter!

Those who desire the life of the present and its glitter to them We shall pay (the price of) their deeds therein without diminution. They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but the Fire: vain are the designs they frame therein and of no effect are the deeds that they do! [11.15 11.16] What conduct then does our Creator recommend? And keep your soul content with those who call on their Lord morning and evening seeking his Face; and let not your eyes pass beyond them seeking the pomp and glitter of this Life; nor obey any whose heart We have permitted to neglect the remembrance of Us one who follows his own desires whose case has gone beyond all bounds. [18.28] And how should one go about satisfying his or her needs with regards to wealth?

4.29 O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: but let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual good-will: nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah has been to you Most Merciful.
Qutb (1999, p.101) elaborates on the meaning of this and the following Verses: The Verses begin with a prohibition against illegally devouring other peoples money, explaining that it is only through trade that people may gain money from one another. Illegal gains are described as killing oneself and as utter loss. This is coupled with a warning against incurring punishment in the hereafter as well as a comforting touch in the form of a promise of forgiveness and assured help. The passage also emphasizes that people must not covet what others may have. They should instead ask God to give them what they wish, for He is the One who gives in abundance. These directives come side by side with the establishment of the rights of earning and ownership to both man and woman. At this point, the Qurn stresses that God is aware of all things. Instructions given with regard to contracts of allegiance stressing the duty to fulfill these contracts and pledges are followed with a statement that God witnesses everything. Both statements of Gods knowledge leave very strong impressions on us. They come, after all, from God, who is well aware of mans constitution and what influences his attitude. {3}

4.30 If any do that in rancor and injustice soon shall We cast them into the fire: and easy it is for Allah. 4.31 If you (but) eschew the most heinous of the things which you are forbidden to do We shall expel out of you all the evil in you and admit you to a Gate of great honor. 4.32 And in no wise covet those things in which Allah has bestowed his gifts more freely on some of you than on others: to men is allotted what they earn and to women what they earn: but ask Allah of His bounty: for Allah has full knowledge of all things.
----{Notes}: {1} http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/wealth.html {2} http://bible.cc/1_timothy/6-10.htm {3} Qutb, S. (1999). In the Shade of Quran. Translated by M.A. Salahi and A. A. Shamis, Vol.3, Markfield, Leicester and Nairobi, Kenya: The Islamic Foundation.