The Evil of Stinginess and Love of Wealth
Volume 3: Things That Destroy
Love of wealth and stinginess are defined as "destructive" elements that threaten both the individual's religious life and social morality. In the source context, wealth is like a snake; it carries poison (calamities) in its mouth while harboring antidote (benefits) in its flesh. The fundamental issue is viewing wealth not as an end in itself, but as a means that will be converted into provision for the Hereafter. The path of the Companions described as the "saved sect" (Firqa-i Nājiya) follows a moderate way—neither renouncing everything through monasticism nor plunging fully into the world, but adhering to what is normal and just.
Summary
Love of wealth and stinginess are defined as "destructive" elements that threaten both the individual's religious life and social morality.
Sections
2.1. The Reality of Wealth and Its Dual Character
Wealth is neither absolutely good nor absolutely evil in itself. Its value is shaped by the purpose for which it is used:
- Benefits (Antidote): The religious benefits of wealth are grouped in three categories: spending on one's own worship (ḥajj, jihād) and basic needs (food, dwelling); spending on the people for charity, murūwwa (feasts, gifts), and protecting one's honor; directing it to public services such as charitable endowments (mosques, bridges).
- Calamities (Poison): Wealth incites a person to sins, leads him through permitted things into extravagance, and most importantly, distracts the heart from the remembrance of God.
2.2. The Psychological Foundations of Stinginess and Greed
Stinginess (buhl) and excessive greed (shuh) stem from two main causes: 1. Long Hope (Ṭūl al-Amal): Nurturing anxiety about the future as though one will never die, and having little trust in God's guarantee regarding provision. 2. Loving Wealth for Itself: Wealth ceasing to be a means for meeting needs and becoming an end in itself (maʿshūq). This is a disease of the heart that results in accumulating money independently of need.
2.3. Generosity and *Īthār* (Preferring Others Over Oneself)
Generosity is the character of the prophets and the key to salvation. Its degrees are as follows:
- Generosity: Giving what is not needed.
- Īthār: Giving what one has to another while oneself in need. This is the highest degree of generosity and represents a reward beyond reckoning with God.
Comparison of Wealth and Poverty
The document evaluates the balance between wealth and poverty from the standpoint of spiritual well-being. The following table summarizes the qualities of these two states:
| Concept | Spiritual Effect | Risk Factor | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Wealth | It is the greatest trial; it may lead to aggression and heedlessness. | It requires a long reckoning (questioning) on the Day of Judgment. | | Poverty | When combined with patience and contentment, it is a quality "of which the prophets boast." | It grants the privilege of entering Paradise five hundred years before the wealthy. | | Ideal State | Taking "enough"; being generous in wealth and content in poverty. | Not letting wealth enter the heart, but only holding it in the hand. |
Conclusion
Wealth is a means of "trial" for the children of Adam. The "middle path" of the Companions is not withdrawing from the world, but acquiring the world "not for the world but for religion." True wealth is not abundance of possessions but richness of heart. If a person sends his wealth ahead of himself to the Hereafter, he loves to meet his wealth; if he leaves it behind, he wants to remain with his wealth—which leads to not loving death. The ultimate goal is to free the heart from the captivity of wealth and occupy it with the remembrance of God.
Key concepts
- Religious
- Ḥajj, jihād, charity, *murūwwa* (feasts/gifts), protecting honor, gaining time for worship (employing servants).
- Worldly
- Being held in esteem among people, escaping beggary, multiplying friends and helpers.
- Balance of World and Religion
- Acquiring the world not for the world, but for religion.
- Avoiding Excess and Neglect
- Neither renouncing everything nor desiring everything of the world.
- Purpose of Creation
- Knowing the purpose of everything in the world; acquiring food only enough to sustain worship, and dwelling only enough for protection.
- Ahl al-Sunna wa'l-Jamāʿa
- The saved group that follows the path of the Prophet and his Companions.
- Absence of Wealth (Poverty)
- May trigger despair close enough to a danger that can lead to disbelief.
- Presence of Wealth (Riches)
- May lead to aggression and rebellion.
- Definition of Wealth
- For the children of Adam, everything in which there is temporary pleasure is the world; wealth is a part of this world.
Study questions
According to the text, what is the most comprehensive definition of "the world"?
For the children of Adam, everything in which there is temporary pleasure is the world.
What is the "antidote" of wealth?
The antidote of wealth is to take from it only enough for sustenance and spend the rest in charitable ways.
What are the three fundamental principles used in treating greed and covetousness?
Patience, knowledge, and action.
What is the highest degree of generosity?
Īthār (preferring another over oneself while oneself in need).
What is the difference between stinginess (*buhl*) and the more severe stinginess called *shuh*?
The miser (bāḥil) simply does not give what he has; the shuh neither gives what he has nor covets another's wealth.
In the prayer of Abraham, "keep me away from worshipping idols," what is meant by "idols"?
Gold and silver (loving them and inclining toward them).
How does a wealthy person's generosity cease to be "trade/commerce"?
When he aims only for God's pleasure and cleansing the soul, without expecting thanks, praise, or a service in return.
What is the reason for the report that ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿAwf would enter Paradise "crawling"?
The lengthy reckoning of the lawful wealth he possessed and being detained for the questioning of that wealth.
What are the three great religious calamities of wealth?
Driving one to sins, accustoming one to extravagance by plunging into permitted things, and distracting from the remembrance of God.
With what whisper does Satan deceive a person into accumulating wealth?
With the fear of poverty and the illusion of becoming needy in illness and old age.