The Nature of Wealth

[strivingobserver98]

One of the in-laws of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Hakeem bin Hizam, used to ask the Prophet ﷺ for money. In one instance, the Prophet ﷺ gave him timeless advice with regards to the nature of wealth - and this dunya, in general.

He narrates, "one time I went to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him (for money), so he gave me (some money). I asked him again, and he gave me again. I asked him once more, and he gave me once more, then he said "Oh Hakeem! This money is green and sweet. Whoever takes it and is content with what they have, Allah will place blessings in it. And whoever takes it and is not content with what they have, there will never be any blessing in it, this person being like the one who eats food and with an appetite that never is satisfied."

In this hadith, the Prophet ﷺ teaches us two very important principles:

First, we learn that money is something that is inherently attractive and beloved to us. Allah says in the Quran, "and all of you love money with an overwhelming love." It is a base desire of the human soul to obtain wealth.

Second, wealth and money can be enchanting. It can cast an insatiable appetite in the heart of the person who is caught chasing it. Money will never tell a person, "that's enough" it will always say "keep getting more, more!" no matter the intention! A person can start with the noblest of intentions and end up consumed in their desire for more.

No doubt, there are certain things that require money - home, health, safety, food, recreation - but the sliding scale of necessity moves silently from "want" to "need" the more we obtain. If we're honest with ourselves, we have to admit: most things that we think we need we absolutely don't. There is incredible importance in not losing the perspective of need vs. want.

In a tazkiyyah text I was reading with Shaykh Abdul Nasir Jangda, there was a statement that blew my mind away. Umar [r] used to make dua that Allah grant him wealth for the sake of spending it on the community. The author quoted the dua, then commented "but most people should be cautious to pray for more wealth, because how many of us have the faith of Umar? How many of us won't be tempted by it once we have it, and forget what we once intended to do with it?"

When in the midst of chasing more, stop and reflect, and use that focus and energy to get more to instead thank Allah and be content with what you have. Spend time with what you have more than you spend time thinking about what you want. Allah will put barakah and simple pleasures in our lives.

May Allah protect our eyes and hearts from ever seeing this glitter as anything more than dirt and dust.

- AbdelRahman Murphy

[Asiyah3]

So wealth, it's about differentiating between if you actually need or want something, and being thankful and content, which'l result in barakah.