بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
In Surah Al Kahf, Allah Most High temphasizes the point about wealth,
ٱلْمَالُ وَٱلْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا ﴿٤٦
Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one's] hope. (46)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:46]
Many people mistakenly assume that true wealth is that of money and property. It is true that wealth is a great blessing from Allah which He bestows upon His servants. And the one who earns it purely, and spends it properly, and gives it to those that deserve it, without a doubt earns a great reward from Allah.
But at the same time, wealth is not the greatest blessing that can be given to mankind. No matter how much wealth a person has, eventually it will leave him, and pass on into the hands of others. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) reminded us of this when he asked the Companions,
“Who amongst you loves the money of his inheritors more than his own money?” In other words, who amongst you loves the money that is in the hands of the people who will inherit from him when he dies (such as one’s sons and daughters) more than the money that he himself owns.
They replied, “O Messenger of Allah, there is no one of us except that he loves his own money more than he loves the money of his inheritors.”
So the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied, “But his money is only that which he sent forth, and the money of his inheritors is what he left behind.” [Bukhari]
So in reality most of the money that a person owns will eventually end up in the hands of his or her inheritors, and only that part which was spent for the sake of God will actually benefit one in the Hereafter.
Allah Almighty emphasizes this point in Surah al-Kahf with the teaching that:
ٱلْمَالُ وَٱلْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا ﴿٤٦
Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one's] hope. (46)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:46]
So money and children can be a comfort and a pleasure of this life, but righteous deeds are what will remain permanently — not one’s family or wealth. It is these righteous deeds which will bring a person Allah's Pleasure, and through which a person can hope for an ever-lasting reward in the Hereafter.
No matter how much money a person earns, in reality he only utilizes a very small fraction of it. Ponder over the wise reminder from the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). Abdullah ibn al-Shakhir reported,
“I entered upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and he was reciting ‘Alhakum al-takathur’:
أَلْهَىٰكُمُ ٱلتَّكَاثُرُ
Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you (1)[Qur'an, At-Takathur 102:])
He said,
‘The son of Adam would say: ‘My money! My money!’ But do you have, O son of Adam, anything of your money, except that which you ate, and it was put to waste, or that which you wore, till it wore out, or that which you gave in charity, so you have sent it forth (to get its rewards in the Hereafter)?’” [Muslim]
In this hadith, the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) reminded us that, in reality, all of our money is utilized in only three ways. Firstly, the food that we eat, and this eventually is transformed into waste. Secondly, the clothes that we wear, and this eventually wears out such that it is unusable. Thirdly, the money that has been given out for the sake of Allah, and this is the only part whose benefit remains and returns to us. So of what benefit is it for a person to gloat over ‘his money’, and boast about it, and be eager for it, when in reality so little of it is actually spent in such a way as to provide eternal benefit?
Because of these factors, the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) reminded mankind that wealth is not proportionate to the amount of material possessions a person owns. True wealth is to be content with what one has, and then to use it to strive for the everlasting reward of the Hereafter. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said,
“Richness is not in the quantity of possessions (that one has); rather, true richness is the richness of one’s self (or contentment).” [Bukhari]
He also stated,
“That which is little yet sufficient is better than that which is much but distracts.”
And in a third hadith,
“He is indeed successful who has been guided to Islam, and his sustenance was sufficient for him, and he was content with it.” [Muslim]
Lastly,
“The best sustenance that you are given is that which is sufficient.”
From this, we can clearly see that true success and wealth is found in the peace and satisfaction which results from sincerity in faith and practice. The contentment of the heart is what makes a person realize and appreciate this true richness.
يَـٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ﴿٢٧﴾ ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً ﴿٢٨﴾ فَٱدْخُلِى فِى عِبَـٰدِى ﴿٢٩﴾ وَٱدْخُلِى جَنَّتِى ﴿٣٠
[To the righteous it will be said], "O reassured soul, (27) Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him], (28) And enter among My [righteous] servants (29) And enter My Paradise." (30)
[Qur'an, A-Fajr 89:27-30]
May Allah grant us contentment. 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
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