Practicing Zuhd in a Materialistic World
continued from page 8
So, Should I Try to Make Money?
In short, it depends. Every Muslim
must endeavor to at least earn enough
money to be financially stable and
support his family without being dependent
on others. Although, there is
nothing wrong with receiving welfare
and assistance in times of need, one
should at least try to earn enough
income to be financially independent
without support from institutions of
zakat or governments. The Messenger
of Allah a in numerous narrations
emphasized the importance of trying
to achieve financial independence
and avoid being in a position to seek
aid from others.
As for making more money than
needed for financial independence, it
would be permissible (and if one has
the correct intention, even encouraged)
to do so provided it does not
lead to greediness and becoming
indulged or obsessed with material
goods. Signs of obsession include one
The Race Crisis and Islam
continued from page 12
being emotionally invested to his/her
money. Ibn Qayyim once said, “Imam
Ahmad was asked whether a person in
possession of one thousand dirham
can be considered a zahid (ascetic).
He responded that such a person
could definitely be an ascetic provided
his/her emotions are not attached
to the wealth in such a manner that
he/she becomes overly joyous when
it increases and saddened when it
decreases.”
Other signs of obsession and greed
include when the desire of making
money leads one to become negligent
of his/her religious obligations such
as offering one’s prayers or giving
time to his/her family. Also, if the
desire of making money causes one to
oppose Islamic values such as honesty
and integrity, that too is a clear sign
that the obsession with money and
greed has taken over.
If a person cannot control one’s greed
and obsession, it is best for him/
her to suffice on making enough to
be financially independent instead
of endangering one’s Islamic values.
It would be naïve to believe such
control over one’s greed is common
or easily achieved. Such purification
of the heart can only be achieved
through spending time with the pious
servants of Allah and giving charity
in abundance. As such, there is a dire
need for each individual earning
money to ensure that his/her heart
remain clean from greed and that he/
she takes practical steps to achieve
this. Otherwise, the money we earn
may end up being our destruction.
May Allah cleanse our hearts from
greed and attachment to material
goods of this world and allow our
hearts to only be attached to Him.
Ameen.
to have a check box next to each
ethnicity and language that we either
accept or reject and look down upon.
This type of arrogance is directly in
conflict with the teachings of Islam
and will develop a sickness in the
heart and in our communities.
Instead of eating up the propaganda
wholesale, we must return to the
guidance that Allah has supplied us
with in His revelation and inspired on
the blessed tongue of His Messenger
a. Having the belief that success or
failure could be determined by skin
color, wealth, or other superficial
traits is not only baseless but counter
to the teachings of Islam. Allah’s
Messenger a said: “Verily, Allah does
not look to your appearance nor your
wealth, rather He looks at your hearts
and your deeds” (Muslim).
Most non-Muslims living in the West
typically think that Islam is related
to ethnicity. We have clearly failed
in dispelling that misconception and
broadcasting the true message. Let us
not forget the beautiful teaching of
Allah’s Messenger a in his farewell
speech and how he asked those present
if he had conveyed the message.
Therefore, we need to adopt the prophetic
approach and call to the truth
without being affected by current
trending narratives. We might not
realize, but by using “white” or “black”
in a derogatory way, we may be
guilty of leveling a form of contempt
towards something that Allah has
said are among His signs. May Allah
enable us to return to the prophetic
message and rebuild the bridges of
unity, not under a political movement,
but rather under the banner of
Islam. Ameen.
30 May – June 2021 | AL-MADINAH