THE PHILOSOPHY OF WEALTH

One of the prevailing criteria of the world we

are living now is the predominant desire of man
toward material wealth.
The world is dominated, mostly by the greed of
man, translated in their obsession of material
wealth. Money, as the symbol of extravagance
and richness, has been the magic word of the
modern man. Books on how to generate
business, to maximize profit, and to become
rich in the shortest possible time, pack the
best-sellers shelves of every bookshop, hence
accelerating the economic madness and
material frenzy of the modern life.
Every inch of human life is measured by dollar
and cents, credit and debt, profit and loss.
Mans own desire and greediness has become
his new God while the phantom of his rapacity
and selfishness turns out to be his new religion.
Man suddenly forgets the pertinent lesson from
history that abundance of wealth is so far the
best demolisher of human civilizations.
Saidina Umar al-Khattab whose geographically
extent of his conquest extends more than one
million square km, once saw abundant of
wealth of the fallen Persian Empire including
fine carpets brought back by his lieutenant,
Saad bin Abi Waqas. Umar suddenly wept.
When asked about the reason of his sadness in
that supposedly cheerful occasion, response:
This abundant of wealth has
been the cause of down fall of the
Persian Kingdom, and now it come
to us to indicate our downfall.
The philosophy of wealth reflected in these
words of Umar is indeed the gist of how Islam
views the possession of wealth. Islam obviously
is not against any material pursuit neither it
opposes the accumulation of wealth. The only
caution Islam put forward is the danger of
obsessive preoccupation in accumulating and
conglomerating wealth either in the individual
or in the societal and governmental level to the
extent sidelining the most essential parts of his
self, his spirituality. Without sufficient spiritual
defense, man will easily be deluded by the
deception of wealth.
Wealth according Imam al-Ghazali is like a
snake which inherent in it both poison and
cure, danger and benefit. Whoever knows both
of them in regard to wealth he can avoid the
danger of wealth and gain benefit of it. But just
like the snake, most mankind is rather near to
the danger of wealth rather than its benefit.
Hence, this is the very reason Al-Quran warns
us about the danger of piling up wealth to the
extent it influences our psychology and
worldview:

Woe to every scandalmonger and
backbiter who pileth up wealth
and layeth it by thinking that his
wealth would make him last
forever By no means! He will be
sure to be thrown into that which
breaks to pieces (Al-Humazah
104: 1-4)
And since business and trading are the best
manifestation of piling and accumulating
excessive wealth, Al-Quran repeatedly warns
those who are involved in business and trading
concerning the danger being drawn towards the
love of material profit to the point of giving
more priorities to their business than to God.
In Surah al-Tawbah (9), verse 24, God says:
Say, if it be that your fathers, your
sons, your brothers, your mates,
or your kindred, or the wealth that
you have gained, the commerce
in which you are fear a decline, or
dwellings in which you are delight,
are dearer to you than Allah or His
Messenger, or striving in His
cause, than wait until Allah brings
about His decision; and Allah
guides not to the rebellious,
And in Surah al-Nur (24), verse 37, trade and
business are specifically mentioned by God as
deluders of man from the remembrances of
God:

In houses, which Allah has
permitted to be raised so that His
name be remembered in them,
there extol His limitless glory in
the mornings and the evenings, by
men whom neither trade nor
sale can divert from the
remembrance of Allah, nor the
regular prayer, nor from paying
zakat. Their only fear is for the
day when hearts and eyes will be
turned about.
The tendency of being swayed by the
temptation of material wealth is indeed very
strong in man. The love of wealth according to
Prophet is the everlasting inspiration for man to
think that he will not leave the world:
The children of Adam will
definitely be getting old but two
things in him that will be always
young, his hope and his love of
wealth.
Why does al-Quran repeatedly remind us about
the danger of business and trading?
It is because this kind of trading will make man
heedless of another more profound business
with a most noble business partner, a business
with God Himself:

O ye who believe! Shall I lead you
to a bargain that will save you
from the grievous penalty? That
you believe in Allah and his
Messenger, and that you strive in
the cause of Allah with your
property and yourselves. That will
be best for you if you but know.
(Surah Al-Saff 61:10-11)

This kind of business is a spiritual business
that promises not only a more satisfying profit
but also will avoid mankind from falling to a
state of utter lost, the lost that is graver than
any other material lost that man ever
experience in this world:

Verily man is in utter loss. Except
such as have Faith, and enjoin in
the mutual teaching of truth, and
patience and constancy (Surah al-
`Asr, 1-3)
Commenting this verse, al-Razi illustrates that
the real loss for mankind is when he denies his
service to God that is to perform his ubudiyyah
to God. And when this kind of loss compared
with other kind of losses, it is as if the other is
non-existent.
The term la in lafi khusr, al-Razi adds that it
indicates two meanings;
1. that man is in the way of loss (fi tariq al-
khusr); and
2. that man cannot be separated from loss.
How is this happened? A loss in trading, says
al-Razi, means the decrement of the capital.
And in this spiritual business, it is mans own
existence, his own life is the capital of trading.
Therefore, when ones life is full of misgivings,
he is surely in the state of loss since he is
decreasing his capital.
If his life is full of the mubahat (permissible
deeds), he is also in the state of loss for he
maintains his capital without accumulating any
profit. And even his life is full obedience to
God, al-Razi says, he is still, comparatively in a
state of loss for there is always a better level of
obedience to God.
In other word, there is an infinite level of
ubudiyyah. The higher the state of obedience,
the higher once position in the eyes of God.
Where there is no limit of the ubudiyah, it also
means that there is no limit of the profit of this
spiritual trading. It is a trading with multiple
profit adafan kathirah as al-Quran says.
And how can we get less profit in a business
when our business partner is the one in whose
hands are the keys of want or plenty, who
possesses the heaven and the earth.
Hence to involve in this spiritual trading is not a
matter of option. Only the fools and those
whose heart are sealed will refuse to involve in
this trading. These group, as al-Quran states,
will rather involved in the weird trading namely
but to buy error in place of guidance (ishtara
al-dalalata bi al-huda) and to buy sufferings in
the place of forgiveness (al-azab bi al-
maghfirah)
Let us reminded that to deal with this spiritual
trading it is not always easy as been said. It
needs a real, continuing struggle and effort and
everlasting battle with our own animal self.
The struggle is getting more profit in this
trading become more difficult when it goes
against the material profit that we gain in this
world. How strong are we to follow the model
depicted by Saidina Abu Bakar, a promising
businessman with 400,000 dirham, capital flow
before converted into Islam, but left with him
5,000 dirham when he made his hijrah with the
Prophet and finally give up all his wealth in the
war of Tabuk. When asked by the Prophet what
he left for his family, he convincingly replied, I
left them Allah and you.
Indeed, these are the main examples who hope
for the tijaratan lan tabur, commerce which will
never fail as recorded by al-Quran:

Those who are rehearsing the
book of Allah, established the
regular prayer, and spent in
charity out of what we have
provided for them secretly and
openly, hope for the commerce
that will never fail. For He will pay
their reward. He will give them
more out of bounty. For he is Oft-
Forgiving. Most ready to
appreciate service. (Surah al-
Fathir, 35:29-30)
When commenting this verse, Abdullah Yusuf
Ali says that the good mans charity comes not
merely out of superfluities, but out of what
Allah provided for him. He therefore
recognizes two things:
1. the wealth (literal and
metaphorical) is not his absolute,
but that it is given to him by Allah;
and
2. he must allocate some of it, as
merchant puts some of his wealth
to invest the capital. Only the
Godly mans commerce will never
fail or fluctuates, because Allah
guarantees him in return, and
even adds something to the return
out of his bounty. In fact Allah
gives more than our merits
deserves.
It is indeed true as stressed by Fakhr al-Din al-
Razi, that the loss in the spiritual trading with
God means the lost of everything one owns. It
means a never ending grief not only in this
world but more importantly the permanent life
in the hereafter. The loss in spiritual trading
can find nothing to replace as a payback. No
huge palaces, neither mountainous gold and
silver can rectify the great losses done by the
mishandling his own self.







OVERVIEW ON WEALTH
Islam encourages believers to seek wealth
and power because they are necessary for
decent living of human kind.
(Surah al-Isra, 17:70) - We have honored
the sons of Adam; provided them with
transport on land and sea; given them for
sustenance things good and pure; and
conferred on them special favors, above a
great part of our creation.

With the favors given man has to manage the
wealth in proper manner. Some of the verses
say:

(Surah al-Insan,76:8). And they feed, for the
love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and
the captive.

(Surah al-Insan 76:9). (Saying),"We feed you
for the sake of Allah alone: no reward do we
desire from you, nor thanks.

However Allah warned about the evil
consequences of wealth in the hands of the
unbelievers and the corrupt people as
follows:
1. (Surah al-`Alaq, 96:7-8). In that he looked
upon himself as self-sufficient. Verily, to thy
Lord is the return (of all).

2. (Surah al-Fajr, 89-15-20). Now, as for
man, when his Lord tried him, giving him
honor and gifts, then said he, (puffed up),
"My Lord hath honored me.
But when He tried him, restricting his
subsistence for him, then said he (in despair),
"My Lord hath humiliated me!" And ye devour
inheritance - all with greed, And ye love
wealth with inordinate love!
Rivalry / Competition
(Surah al-Takathur, 106: 1-8)
The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good
things of this world) diverts you (from the
more serious things). Until ye visit the
graves. But nay, ye soon shall know (the
reality). Again, ye soon shall know! Nay,
were ye to know with certainty of mind, (ye
would beware!) Ye shall certainly see Hell-
Fire! Again, ye shall see it with certainty of
sight! Then, shall ye be questioned that Day
about the joy (ye indulged in!).

(Surah al-Qasas,28:76-83). Qarun was
doubtless of the people of Moses; but he
acted insolently towards them: such were the
treasures We had bestowed on him that their
very keys would have been a burden to a
body of strong men, behold, his people said
to him: "Exult not, for Allah love not those
who exult (in riches).
"But seek, with the (wealth) which Allah has
bestowed on thee, the Home of the Hereafter,
nor forget thy portion in this world: but do
thou good, as Allah has been good to thee,
and seek not (occasions for) mischief in the
land: for Allah loves not those who do
mischief."
He said: "This has been given to me because
of a certain knowledge which I have." Did he
not know that Allah had destroyed, before
him, (whole) generations, which were
superior to him in strength and greater in the
amount (of riches) they had collected? but
the wicked are not called (immediately) to
account for their sins.
So he went forth among his people in the
(pride of his worldly) glitter. Said those whose
aim is the Life of this World:"Oh! that we had
the like of what Qarun has got for he is truly
a lord of mighty good fortune!"
But those who had been granted (true)
knowledge said: "Alas for you! The reward of
Allah (in the Hereafter) is best for those who
believe and work righteousness: but this none
shall attain, save those who steadfastly
persevere (in good)."
Then We caused the earth to swallow up him
and his house; and he had not (the least
little) party to help him against Allah, nor
could he defend himself.
And those who had envied his position the
day before began to say on the morrow: "Ah!
it is indeed Allah Who enlarges the provision
or restricts it, to any of His servants He
pleases! had it not been that Allah was
gracious to us, He could have caused the
earth to swallow us up! Ah! those who reject
Allah will assuredly never prosper."
That home of the Hereafter We shall give to
those who intend not high- handedness or
mischief on earth: and the end is (best) for
the righteous.

Prophet Mohammad said: the powerful
believer is better than the weak one.
Islam also made it an obligation upon the rich
to give charity to the poor through the
mandatory ZAKAH and the optional charity to
the poor muslims that he or she knows of.