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Showing posts with label Wealth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wealth. Show all posts

Monday 20 March 2023

Store your wealth as reward for life in the Hereafter (Hadith Prophet Muhammad ﷺ)

Wealth has always dazzled man and he feels like amassing as much as he can. He then boastfully wears expensive clothes and lives a luxurious lifestyle, squandering his wealth which goes down the drain no sooner it is spent. But wise are those who spend their wealth which is not wasted away, rather it is stored as a reward for their lives in the hereafter. Do you know what wealth that is?

We share a hadith attributed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ which tells about this wealth. This hadith is mentioned in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim the Book (#55) of Zuhd and Softening of Hearts كتاب الزهد والرقائق  ‏) as Hadith number # 2958a as under:

حَدَّثَنَا هَدَّابُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، عَنْ مُطَرِّفٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ يَقْرَأُ ‏{‏ أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ‏}‏ قَالَ ‏ "‏ يَقُولُ ابْنُ آدَمَ مَالِي مَالِي - قَالَ - وَهَلْ لَكَ يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ مِنْ مَالِكَ إِلاَّ مَا أَكَلْتَ فَأَفْنَيْتَ أَوْ لَبِسْتَ فَأَبْلَيْتَ أَوْ تَصَدَّقْتَ فَأَمْضَيْتَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Mutarrif reported on the authority of his father: I came to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as he was reciting:" Abundance diverts you" (cii. 1). He said: The son of Adam claims: My wealth, my wealth. And he (the Holy Prophet) said: O son of Adam. Is there anything as your belonging except that which you consumed, which you utilised, or which you wore and then it was worn out or you gave as charity and sent it forward?

A similar hadith has been mentioned by Abu Huraira who reported Allah's Messenger ( ‌صلی ‌اللہ ‌علیہ ‌وسلم ‌) as saying: A servant says, My wealth. my wealth, but out of his wealth three things are only his: whatever he eats and makes use of or by means of which he dresses himself and it wears out or he gives as charity, and this is what he stored for himself (as a reward for the Hereafter), and what is beyond this (it is of no use to you) because you are to depart and leave it for other people.

As can be seen from the above quoted Hadith, it is part of the wealth of the man which he spends on charity which never gets wasted away and is in fact stored in his account as reward for his life in the Hereafter. So why not cash in the opportunity as long as we live to doll out an adequate part of our wealth in charity. This will not only earn us the prayers of those who are receiving our charity, but also a much-multiplied reward in the life of hereafter.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible to make you accept it forcibly, And if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, You will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Please refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If any one differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Saturday 7 January 2023

Fitnah (test) of Wealth (Hadith Prophet Muhammad ﷺ)

Man has always been tempted to making fortunes and profits. Although there is nothing bad in doing business, earning profits and amassing wealth has its own demerits. It is generally seen that wealth accumulation from unfair means makes a man arrogant and is interjected with a false sense of pride of being superior to others. The more one amasses money, the lust for more creeps in. And when one is blinded by the glitter of gold, his morality usually takes a nose dive, which robs him of soft corners for those who cannot afford even a decent meal in a day.

Believers have always been cautioned about the lust for wealth, as Allah, The Exalted, says in the 15th verse of Surah 64. At Taghabun (Mutual Loss and Gain) of Qur'an: Your possessions and your offspring are nothing but a trial for you. It has also been said in Surah (Al-Anfaal, Ayat 28), Allah says: If you save yourselves from the temptation and allurements of worldly possessions and children and succeed in keeping love of them subject to the love of Allah, there are rich rewards for you with Allah.

That is to say that wealth is a trial, and this is the supportive argument of those who believed that poverty is better than wealth. They said that if the only problem with richness is being a source of Fitnah, and only a few are saved from its negative impacts on their religiosity, then it would be a sufficient proof (of the merit of being poor).”

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ too has termed wealth as a trial (Fitnah) for his Ummah. This Hadith is mentioned Jami` at-Tirmidhi  (Book # 36 Chapters on Zuhd  كتاب الزهد عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم / Chapter # 26 What Has Been Related About 'The Fitnah of this Ummah is waelth باب مَا جَاءَ أَنَّ فِتْنَةَ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ فِي الْمَالِ‏ ) as Hadith number # 2336:

Ka'b bin 'Iyad narrated that the Prophet (s.a.w) said:

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنِيعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ سَوَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ صَالِحٍ، أَنَّ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ نُفَيْرِ، حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ كَعْبِ بْنِ عِيَاضٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ فِتْنَةً وَفِتْنَةُ أُمَّتِي الْمَالُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ غَرِيبٌ إِنَّمَا نَعْرِفُهُ مِنْ حَدِيثِ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ صَالِحٍ ‏.‏

"Indeed, there is a fitnah for every Ummah, and the Fitnah for my Ummah is wealth."
Grade: Sahih (Darussalam)

The Arabic word Fitnah " فتنة " is very hard to define. Here we would like to explain the word as described in the Wikipedia:
Edward William Lane, in his Arabic-English Lexicon compiled from various traditional Arabic lexicographical sources available in Cairo in the mid-19th-century, reported that "to burn" is the "primary signification" of the verb. The verb then came to be applied to the smelting of gold and silver. It was extended to mean causing one to enter into fire and into a state of punishment or affliction. Thus, one says that something caused one to enter al-fitna, i.e. trial, affliction, etc., or more generally, an affliction whereby some good or evil quality is put to the test. Lane glosses the noun fitna as meaning a trial, a probation, affliction, distress or hardship, and says that "the sum total of its meaning in the language of the Arabs" is an affliction whereby one is tried, proved or tested.
Thus, the above quoted verse from Qur'an and the Hadith clearly show that man will be tested with children and wealth and position. And those, who despite being blessed with children, wealth and position in the community, do not forget to thank Allah for His blessings and help others from what they have been blessed with, are the ones who will be rewarded both in this world and in the life in the Hereafter.

On the contrary, those who forget to thank Allah for His kindness to them and become arrogant and boastful of their possessions, children and wealth, and do not give out a position of their wealth in charity to help the poorwill bear the wrath of Allah, both in this world and the in the Hereafter.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has also been quoted as saying, which Tabarani has related on the authority of Abu Malik al-Ashari, saying: Your real enemy is not he whom, if you kill there is success for you, and if he kills you, there is Paradise for you; but your real enemy may be your own child who is born of your own loins, or the wealth of which you are the owner

Let us cleanse our possessions and let not blessings form Allah make us proud and arrogant and rob us from the soft corner for the poor, lest our wealth becomes a fitnah for us.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Please refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
Photo | Source of Hadith | Other references: | 1 | 2 |

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Sunday 9 December 2018

If We Only Had Time


Sometime back, I visited my city of birth and had plans to call on one of my long lost friends. When I had just reached my guest room, I received a message that my friend had passed away moments ago. I was simply stunned to read the message - but he did not have time more than what was granted to him. I went to his funeral and was thinking that while I had come for some other purpose but Allah had actually called me to  attend my friend's funeral.

We commence each day of our life with renewed vigour and aspirations to do many things. Most of us are worried about earning more than yesterday to realise many of our unfinished plans or to buy a better living for our family and children. And most of our lives is spent in such pursuits. But what we normally forget is the bitter fact that while we may have wealth, would we have TIME?




Life is all about time, not wealth, for Allah has promised us that He would make arrangements for our sustenance and living. But He never promises us to give TIME for it may run out of our lives in the click forward of second showing hand of of our watches.

Stressing the importance of time for the Muslims, the Almighty Allah says in the Holy Quran: “By time, indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” (Quran, Surah Al Asr 103: 1-3).

Surely indeed, those who make best use of their time and are never ignorant of their prayers, and righteous deeds to please Allah by remaining on the straight path and helping others and always keep in mind that time may run out of their lives at anytime - a time that will come unannounced. So a true Muslim should be ready all the time to face the day when the time will stop clicking for him.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been quoted as saying: “Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth before you become old; your health, before you fall sick; your wealth, before you become poor; your free time before you become preoccupied, and your life, before your death” (Musnad Imam Ahmad). All these five things hinge on time. For as long as all is going well, we do not know of the hard times that can befall on us at any time. This cautions us to be ready not only to brave out bad times, bad health, or loss of wealth and last of all the time when the life may end suddenly.

So be ready for the end time and always pray for your forgiveness, continuously seek repentance for one's sins or follies and times aimlessly spent in leisure that took us from remembering Allah. Remember, Time is running out !!

Photo | Reference: | 1 |
If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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