“Earn as much as you can, but never allow what you earn to become more important than the One who bestowed upon you the ability to earn it.”
I have just returned from my local mosque after offering the
Friday prayer, Jumu‘ah. Our mosque has a distinctive feature: it is under state
control and operates under an appointed administrator. Consequently, the
mosques in our area are free from sectarianism.
I have repeatedly maintained that all mosques should be
under state control, without exception. Imagine that I build a mosque in the
name of my beloved mother. What would prevent me from using it to promote my
own sect and propagate its beliefs? A place of worship could thus become a
platform for advancing sectarian interests rather than bringing people closer
to Allah.
This is why I believe that all mosques should be
state-controlled.
But today, I wish to share a thought-provoking point made by
our Imam during the Friday sermon.
He reminded us that Islam does not prohibit us from earning
wealth, even in substantial amounts. This is an important point, for there is
nothing inherently wrong with material prosperity.
However, he made another observation that was equally
important: Allah does not want us to become rebellious towards Him in becoming slaves to our wealth.
What does this mean?
It means that we may earn as much wealth as we can, provided
that we fulfil our responsibilities towards it. We must pay Zakat, giving the
prescribed share to those entitled to receive it. Beyond this, the Qur’an
encourages us to spend generously in the service of others.
In Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah describes righteousness as
including the giving of wealth, despite one's love for it, to relatives,
orphans, the needy, travellers, those who ask for help, and for the
emancipation of slaves (2:177).
Notice the emphasis: giving wealth despite one's love for
it.
The challenge is not simply to give away what we do not
need. It is to recognise that our wealth carries responsibilities towards
others.
The Qarun (Korah) Within Us
The Qur’an presents a striking example of someone who failed
to understand this responsibility. His
name was Qarun, known as Korah in the Biblical tradition.
In Surah Al-Qasas (28:76–82), Allah describes the
extraordinary extent of his wealth. His treasures were so immense that even a
group of strong men would have struggled to carry the keys to his treasure
stores.
Just imagine how wealthy he must have been!
Yet, when reminded of his responsibilities, Qarun responded
with arrogance. He attributed his prosperity to his own knowledge, effectively
claiming that he had acquired it through his own ability.
His problem was not that he possessed wealth. It was his
attitude towards it. He failed to
recognise that his abilities, opportunities, and circumstances were not
independent of the blessings bestowed upon him by Allah.
How different are we from Qarun when we attribute all our
success to our own intelligence, hard work, and abilities, while forgetting the
countless factors beyond our control that made our success possible?
Hard work matters. Knowledge matters. Ability matters. But
does possessing these qualities entitle us to become indifferent to the needs
of others?
The Qur’an invites us to reflect.
Worship Allah, but Do Not Abandon the World
There is another beautiful passage in the Qur’an that brings
this matter into perspective.
In Surah Al-Jumu‘ah, the sixty-second chapter, Allah
instructs believers to suspend their commercial activities when the call to
Friday prayer is made and to attend to His remembrance. But once the prayer has
concluded, He directs them to disperse throughout the land and seek His bounty.
Allah says:
“O you who believe! When the call to prayer is made on
Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off your business. That is
better for you, if only you knew. Then, when the prayer has concluded, disperse
throughout the land and seek Allah’s bounty, and remember Allah much so that
you may prosper.” Al-Jumu‘ah
62:9–10
The balance established here is remarkable.
When it is time to worship Allah, our business activities
must give way to that obligation. But when the prayer concludes, we are
instructed to return to our worldly affairs and seek Allah’s bounty. The Qur’an does not ask us to abandon
our professions, businesses, or legitimate means of earning a livelihood. It
recognises the pursuit of material prosperity as part of our worldly lives.
Wealth, too, is a bounty from Allah.
The point is not to choose between worshipping Allah and
earning wealth. It is to ensure that earning wealth does not become an
obsession that makes us neglect Allah, our responsibilities, or our fellow
human beings.
There is a subtle connection here that we can observe in the
supplications traditionally recited when entering and leaving a mosque.
When entering a mosque, we recite:
اللَّهُمَّ
افْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ
Allahumma iftah li abwaba rahmatik. “O Allah, open the gates of Your mercy for me.”
And when leaving the mosque, we recite:
اللَّهُمَّ
إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ
Allahumma inni as’aluka min fadlik. “O Allah, I ask You for Your bounty.”
We enter the mosque seeking Allah’s mercy, and we leave it
asking for His bounty as we return to our daily activities.
Our relationship with Allah, therefore, is not confined to
the mosque. It extends to our workplaces, businesses, homes, and every other
sphere of our existence. We seek
His mercy through worship, and we seek His bounty as we go about our lives. There is no contradiction between the
two.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Aamir Yazdani
MPhil (Islamic Thought & Civilization), Pakistan
MSc (Irrigation Engineering), UK
No comments:
Post a Comment