Your Properties And Your Children Are But A Trial

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Breach of trust is an evil conduct lined with many a curse, therefore, going ahead to do something like that is not what an intelligent person would choose to do - and, since the cause of negligence or shortcoming in fulfilling the rights of the servants of Allah is usually one's attachment to property and children, Allah warns us:

وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَآ أَمْوَ‌ٰلُكُمْ وَأَوْلَـٰدُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥٓ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿٢٨

And know that your properties and your children are but a trial and that Allah has with Him a great reward. (28) [Qur'an, Al-Anfal 8:28]

The word فِتْنَةٌ (fitnah) carries the sense of 'trial' as well as that of 'punishment' and the cause of punishment. There are occasions when one's own property and children become a can of troubles for him and that they would push him into heedlessness, negligence and disobedience and become the very cause of punishment right here in this world is all too obvious.

A Trial -- the sense could be that Allah aims to put you to test through your property and children for these are His blessings. You can prove whether you become grateful and obedient after having received these, or that you choose to be ungrateful and disobedient.

A Punishment -- Should you become all engrossed in your love for your property and children and bring upon yourself the displeasure of Allah, then, these very children and property will become your punishment. There are occasions within this mortal world when one is engulfed into all sorts of hardships because of property and children and he starts experiencing the heat of punishment right here. Even if the case be otherwise, the property which was acquired or spent by ways counter to the injunctions of Allah will itself become, in the Hereafter, the active agent of punishment through snakes, scorpions and brandings by fire.

A Cause of punishment -- Once these things become the cause of heedlessness towards and disobedience to Allah and His injunctions, they automatically become the cause of punishment.

At the end of the verse, Allah says, 'and that Allah has with Him a great reward.' In other words, we should understand clearly that for a person who is not all-subdued by his love for property and children while doing his duty of being obedient to the commands of Allah and His Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace), there is a great reward for him with Allah.

The person who keeps his emotion subservient to his reason, remains steadfast in this trial and sees to it that the obedience to Allah and love for Him stay ahead of everything - which is called Taqwa, then, he is blessed with three things in return. These are: (1) Furqan (the criterion of distinguishing between right and wrong), (2) Kaffarah of Sayyi' (the expiation of evils deeds) and (3) Maghfirah (forgiveness from Allah).

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن تَتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّكُمْ فُرْقَانًا وَيُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلْفَضْلِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ ﴿٢٩

O you who have believed, if you fear Allah, He will grant you a criterion and will remove from you your misdeeds and forgive you. And Allah is the possessor of great bounty. (29) [Qur'an, Al-Anfal 8:29]

May Allah protect us from heedlessness and the fitnah of our property and our children, forgive us our sins, enable us to distinguish between right and wrong, and make us among His obedient and grateful servants. Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.

Wassalaam