بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam
ما ذئبان جائعان أرسلا في غنم بأفسد لها من حرص المرء على المال والشرف، لدينه
A wolf will cause havoc wherever it goes and every farmer knows this. Unlike the lion, the wolf destroys more than it can eat. That is why they have shepherd dogs to guard their flock of sheep against the wolf.
Our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said imagine not one but two wolves were to be let loose on an unprotected flocks of sheep. How much damage would that cause, how many sheep would be left alive after the attack? The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, a man's eagerness for wealth and desire to be famous are more destructive to his Deen than those two wolves to that flock of sheep. This is the imagery that our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam gave, just like those two wolves will wreak havoc in a flock.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said we all have two wolves within us that if we let them go unchecked, they will destroy our Deen. He asked us to be conscious of these two animalistic tendencies for they will destroy us worse than a flock of sheep is destroyed when they are defenseless against a pack of wolves.
1) Eagerness to have more and more wealthThe love of money is something that is ingrained in all of us. But when we allow that love to overpower us and go unchecked, it will lead to disaster.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says,
وَتُحِبُّونَ ٱلْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا
﴿٢٠
And you love wealth with immense love. (20) [Quran, Al Fajr 89:20]
Ibn Rajab said that if the penalty of greed is to make a person so busy in this world, to a point that he neglected the next world, it would be enough of a crime. In other words, even if you earn halal and spent on halal but all you did was earn, earn and earn that it killed your time, this would be enough of a crime for the pursuit of wealth. Why? Because wealth is only temporary pleasure. When we spend our time in temporary pleasure, it will come at the expense of permanent pleasure, which is the hereafter.
That is why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, O son of Adam, what do you really have except food that when you eat it, you will then go to the restroom, and defecated or the clothes that when you wear them after a while they will wear off, or the good deeds and the charity that you spend forth, and that is the only thing of your wealth that you will actually have permanently.
The first problem that happens when we have an unchecked desire for wealth is that we end up spending an inordinate amount of time in obtaining wealth at the expense of spending time in ibadah , Quran and dhikr, in servicing mankind and accruing the greatest wealth, which is the wealth of the hereafter.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala reminds us in Surah al Kahf ayat 46,
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) [Quran, Al Kahf 18:46]
Another problem that happens is that when we priortize wealth is that in the pursuit of wealth, we start justifying any means to obtain wealth -- illegal and unethical haram means. This is, without a doubt, one of the worst effects of loving this world. When we become so blind in our love of wealth, and we don't mind cheating, stealing, embezzling, lying, defrauding, don't mind inflicting pain on others, being unethical, then we have opened up the door to destruction to ourselves.
As well, eating haram wealth is the number one cause that du'a is not answered. Any flesh that is nourished by haram has no right to go to Jannah. How can Jannah accept you when Allah says that He only accepts the pure he only accepts that which is good that which is for you.
2) Eager to become well known, to be in the limelight, to be accepted by people
This is done by obtaining positions of power and by doing things so that people know you and talk about you.
The true believer understands that being in the limelight is a huge responsibility. It's not something you aim for directly. The true believer understands stepping up to positions of power is a huge amount responsibility. So, they are shy and hesitant to take such positions. They have to be coaxed and pushed into taking it. They don't want to jump in and be the ones that are in charge or in the forefront because they have to answer to all.
But when a person desires to be famous, to have power or to have control, then this will lead to a major disaster, and that disaster is your ego becomes more important than the cause you have been entrusted. Your ego, your fame, your prestige takes priority over the responsibility that has been handed to you. We see this time and time again, not just in politicians, but at some level, politics get involved in our own corporations, in our jobs, in our own extended families, even in our own Islamic organizations. We want to be the ones that everybody is speaking about and be put on a pedestal. Our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, when that becomes your goal, when the goal is not to fulfill the trust, when the goal is not to do a good job, but the goal is your ratings, reviews, and what people will say, then you have opened up another door of destruction.
When you prioritize your ego, you are willing to harm other people in that process. This is what happens time and time again with many powerful people, kings and politicians that when they get to that power, they become intoxicated. Even if we are not kings and politicians, every one of us at some level have something that we are in charge of and have some aspect that we have to interact and mingle with others. If our ego becomes the most important thing, then we will be willing to speak bad about others unjustly, take the rights of others unjustly, expose the faults of others, or do so many other sins. Why? Because we feel by doing that we will have our ego, our prestige and our fame is being put into the limelight, and we will do so at the expense of others. This is the door of destruction of our Deen.
The mere desiring of wealth or the desire to do something effective is in and of itself is not bad. Both these desires if you channel them and control them, they are permissible. Though they are dangerous, there is also good.
When our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam would choose somebody to be on a delegation, he would choose the one whose prestige and whose fame was known and utilized them. So in and of itself, wealth and fame is not evil in and of themselves, but it is what you do with them, and it is your prioritization of them. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be wealthy but don't make that your overwhelming desire don't make that the end goal. Wealth is a means to the greater goal, which is the Hereafter. If that is your goal and you want to live a comfortable life to invest for the Hereafter, then there's nothing wrong with having the goal for money. And if you want to be effective and you want to do something for the sake of Islam, and you understand that in order to do so there must also be a positive reputation, then there's nothing wrong with wanting to have fame. If your intention is not your ego but to benefit the people, then this is permissible.
Wealth and fame are neither haram nor sinful nor evil, they are neutral, but generally speaking wealth and fame corrupt more than they guide so we are being warned. We are being cautioned that if you enter this arena, if you are going to make lots of money or if you're going to be famous, be careful you monitor your intentions and don't make these desires to become like wolves. If we keep them in check, we can utilize both of these for the sake of the Deen. But if we let them go, then they shall destroy us and destroy our religion in the process.
May Allah subhana wa Ta'ala bless me and you and may He make us of those who
recite and understand the Quran, and apply it throughout our life.
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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