“And when they are told, ‘spend ye of (the bounties) with which God has provided you, the unbelievers say to those who believe: “shall we then feed those whom, God would have fed Himself if He had so willed? You are nothing but manifest error.”

(Qur’an, 36:46).

Greed is the rather fundamental evil. All these litigation, all these disputes, all these conflicts, are nothing but a manifestation of greed. Greed, basically a personal evil, has gradually been extended to national, and then international affairs. These wars, whether hot of cold; these power blocks, what is their real reason? An uncontrollable greed to dominate the world!

Islam trains a man to subdue his greed to the greater benefit of mankind. It has forbidden “interest” and thus abolished the system for earning money. Islamic society cannot tolerate an economic system based upon taking and giving interest. If you have money to spare, give it without any wordily motive, just for the sake of pleasing Allah by helping his creatures. Do not follow those unbelievers who refused to help poor on the pretext that God could have given them wealth, had He wanted so. They have been condemned in the verse quoted above. Do not take a share in that condemnations by acting like them!

Alms and Zakat are another method of subduing the undesirable greed. Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s) has said: “O son of Adam whatever thou earneth above thy needs. Thou art just its treasure for others.” The world will become a paradise, if mankind heeds to this ethical code and changes its attitude accordingly. Also he has said: “Whatever poverty and distress in this world, is owing to the greed of rich men who do not comply with the rules laid down by Islam about their financial obligations.” Division of inheritance is another method by which Islam compels Muslims to the distribute the wealth accumulated during a lifetime. The Qur’an lays down the detail rules of its distribution among heirs. But it does not become silent after this. It says that if any poor person is present, giving something to him also. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) has said: “Allah says, ‘The poor are my dependants, the rich my agents; if my agents will not give to my dependants their dues I shall put them in Hell and I shall not care for them.” Let us root out the “greed” from our hearts. Only then this world will be a place to live upon.

On Envy

“Do they envy people for what God hath given them of His bounty.”

(Qur’an, 4:54).

Envy is third basic evil; and itself is a product of pride greed and anger. It is the most of all evils. Every has some attraction to catch the eyes of mankind, except. It has no immediate or long-term benefit, no comfort, no sweetness. On the contrary, an envious man burns his own heart, wastes his own time thinking why God has given such bounties to my neighbour as ruined. But all this wishful thinking affects nobody but his own psychology and health. It is a fire, which burns the fire-maker only.

The inner layers of envy are worth studying. Why a man indulges in this most futile exercise? Does he think that God should consult him before bestowing His grace upon someone else? Does he imagine that he is partner of God, and that nothing, especially no good, should happen on the Earth without his consent? If not so, then why so much heart burning on the decisions of God? On the other hand, does he think that God’s grace is a limited quantity, which must be taken away from one to give to another. If not so, then why envy your relatives or friends? Why not ask god to bestow His grace upon you also as He has done with them?

Envy ruined Satan when he began burning his heart on the status of Adam. It destroyed Cain when he became envious of his brother Abel. Therefore, the Holy Prophet has said: “Envy eats away the good deeds as fire eats away the wood.” Islam has prescribed a medicine for this spiritual sickness: love, it shows the way towards the love of God through the love. Of His creatures. The best persons in the eyes of God is that who is best for the creatures. The best person in the eyes of God is that who is the best for the creatures of God.

It also emphasizes that the real grace and bounty is not that of this world. The bounty and grace in the life hereafter is the real one. Therefore, you should not make the comforts of this world ultimate goal of your life. Your aim must be the ‘Eternal Grace of God’. That grace cannot be obtained by envy it may be obtained by love. Love of God, love of his Prophet, love of your neighbours, love of your brothers in religion, love of your fellow human beings- these are some aspects of love which are stressed by Islam, to make a man free from envy and spite. Let the “Love” conquer “envy” and be a real Muslim.

On Extravagance

“Verily, God is not pleased with the extravagents.”

(Qur’an, 7:31).

There is marriage in the neighbourhood.the parties belong to middle class. They cannot afford a big feast; they cannot afford pomp and show. But oh, the strange twits of ‘inferiority complex’! They want to appear more prosperous than they are. Their trend of thought; “What will ‘the people’ say if we do not do this, or did not do that? The ‘name of the family’ should not be tarnished by our poverty.” And so, to ‘save the name of the family’, the poor people spend more than they can afford reasonably.

It is just one example. This evil not limited to the special function only. In fact, it has become the accepted norm of life in these days. Cars are purchased-on-hire, of course- when a cycle would serve the same purpose. Nylon and silk is used when the cotton clothes may prove more comfortable. Watches are worn by people who have all the time in the world at their disposal. Typewriters are considered a necessity for a man who writes no more than letter in a week. These examples are not imaginary.

And what is the result of this spending beyond limit? The first thing is that God is displeased. And his displeasure manifests itself in many ways. Usually there is no money when it is needed most; rent of the house become overdue, promoting the landlord to serve notice of eviction; family grocer grumbles that his bills are not paid in time, so he not give anything except by cash; the doctor gently reminds that his accounts must be settled without delay. And so on. But there is not money to meet these demands. It has already been over-spend on ‘face-saving items’.

There is only one remedy: Think twice before spending money. There is a test to decide, whether the thing you intend to purchase is actually a ‘necessity’. Is your work suffering without it? Are you experiencing actual difficulty without it? If so, go ahead and take it. If not, forget it.