Being poor leads one to haram. How many times does our community max out our credit cards, knowing we will declare bankruptcy? Is that honesty or theft? How many times does our community cheer when we injure our spines in car accidents, so that we could now sue the insurance company for $10,000.00-50,000.00? Even worse, how many times do we make false or grossly exaggerated insurance claims, claiming injuries and events that did not occur just so we can hopefully squeeze another $5,000.00 out of our claim? We mistakenly think however, because we played a certain duaa (whose source is ambiguous) in our households every Thursday night, then we will feast with the prophet (saws)? How many of us spend all of our time running up debt, chasing women, however spiritually we think reading a few duas will save our souls or even give us high spiritual powers?
On the other hand, if you were rich, wealthy, strong, independent, you could afford to fix your kids teeth, raise them in a healthy home, allow them to prosper in life and achieve more than the previous generation. Instead, we force our children to marry anybody, and then burden them with our own early retirement. What’s even more, we then purchase luxury cars and houses while living off of our children’s excess income. This insanity is exactly why we are poor. You lived an entire life, and you could not build any excess? You now overburden the next generation.
There are mystics that teach people that money is a lower value that one should not seek. They say its a low consideration that will lead you far away from spirituality and Allah swt. Allah in the Quran states:
Our Lord! Give unto us in the world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and guard us against the doom of Fire
(2:201). رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Allah tells you to make dua for the best in this world as well as the hereafter.
And do not forget your share of the world
(28:77) وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْي
Allah swt here states that you have a share of this world as well. In fact Allah swt declares that over spenders are evil similar to the devil himself:
And render to the kindred their due rights, as (also) to those in want, and to the wayfarer: But squander not (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift. Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Evil Ones; and the Evil One is to his Lord (himself) ungrateful.
Quran 17:26-27
Yet, our populous is concerned with just eating, birthing, marrying, and spending everything they have on anything they can afford. We need leaders who invest, and grow and give to charity. We need to make billions not millions. We need to encourage and support each other. We need to love each other like we love ourselves. If we took care of our own communities and all lived to first become actually rich and financially independent (rather than just appear that way), how long would it take for us to own the world many times over? It would take a year or two.
Where do we give our charity? Do we have muslim daycares? Do we have muslim businesses? Do we scale our business properly or try to get rich quick? Why is it a non-muslim will quote my $750 for an electrician job, and the poorer muslim with a less sophisticated business and less experience will quote me $1500? This is a true experience that happened to me last week. Why is it, the highest income earners from among us live paycheck to paycheck, and are deeply in debt, stressed out, and cannot afford to help even a brother! Where is our mind? Our brains? Why do we need the nicest things now, rather than build up to it later? Why don’t we value community, rather than personal growth? Do you think you are smarter than your blood brothers? How arrogant are we, and yet we remain as the filth of the world.
Andrew Carnegie, one of the richest man ever stated
Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.
Andrew Carnegie
What do muslims do with surplus wealth? We buy supercars and skyscrapers we will never put to full use. I would like to see our community begin to lead with wealth and industry, and then share these ideas with each other and work for the benefit of each other.
Of course the mystic would have you sit in a room, meditate, and focus on yourself and feel good in the idea that you accomplished something. But you accomplished nothing. Allah swt promises success, peace, authority, in the following sacred promise to the muslims:
Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion – the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will change (their state), after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace: ‘They will worship Me (alone) and not associate aught with Me. ‘If any do reject Faith after this, they are rebellious and wicked.
24:55 – وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ كَمَا ٱسْتَخْلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى ٱرْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًۭا ۚ يَعْبُدُونَنِى لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِى شَيْـًۭٔا ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ ٥٥
Do we believe and work righteous deeds? Or do we just perform nonsense rituals, and live a life of over consumption? Allah further states:
O ye who believe! what is the matter with you, that, when ye are asked to go forth in the cause of Allah, ye cling heavily to the earth? Do ye prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? But little is the comfort of this life, as compared with the Hereafter.
9:38 – يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ ٱنفِرُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱثَّاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ أَرَضِيتُم بِٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا مِنَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۚ فَمَا مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ ٣٨
Allah compares serving your leader to marching forth, doing work. Not being lazy, staying home and meditating. This verse is likely in relation to military conscription, however the principles remain the same. We are to do good, and work good deeds, for the betterment of our Islamic ummah. Right now we do not have a Muslim Caliph or Imam that is leading politically, however, we can still do a lot to join to ummah, and work hard to prosper to create a great strong life for ourselves while we wait.
Allah reminded us that Moses went up for 40 nights, the Israelites were not given a leader for those last ten days, then they ended up worshipping the calf (idol worship). (Quran 2:51). Simply because we have no God appointed leader at this time does not mean that we are permitted to abandon the laws and obligations we have. Iran is trying to set up a Muslim beacon for all muslim states, and yet the people on the ground, that are inclined towards evil, hate Iran for it, they accuse them of subverting the Islamic laws of waiting for a savior. However, what are we to do? Remain scattered, weak, humiliated? This surely goes against the rulings in the holy Quran:
And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah’s favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided.
3:103 – وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِحَبْلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًۭا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا۟ ۚ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَآءًۭ فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِۦٓ إِخْوَٰنًۭا وَكُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنْهَا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
How can we be united, if we do not pool our rescues and help each other. This can be done by creating an ecosystem where we prefer to deal in business with each other. This also works by donating to our own charities and works. this cannot happen if we are indebted giving our money in usury to the banks and to Mercedes Benz. This also cannot happen if we waste our time on consumption and entertainment rather than taking some time to save and give back and pay it forward.
The best among us live average lives. We need titans of industry, knowledge and philanthropy.
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