What is wealth? Wealth in the context of money is an abundance of financial assets. It’s an endless pursuit that people find themselves on in this life. Wealth in the context of Islam is a blessing and a test. Hoarding wealth is seen as a sign of someone who’s stingy and effectively not understanding the true purpose of why they have attained it. Money is a means of survival, to pay for housing, the food, goods and services we need on a daily basis, but beyond our day to day needs anything we then have can be classified as excess, a surplus. For security, having a surplus is useful, food stocked up for the winter or in case of a catastrophe, but beyond a point, how much do we really need? What should we be doing with all that excess? Does our neighbour need some? What about those with nothing? The same goes for our wealth. How much “wealth” do we really need to survive?
The pursuit of wealth is nothing new, our class systems and society have been governed by it. The most wealthy are idolized. They’ve done something right. Their lifestyles are much better than ours. They have the things we want. They seem happy. We want to be like them. We need to pursue the same means to get there, we need this wealth. But do we really? This wealth is both a blessing and a curse, or a test as Islam should say. Some of the most wealthy people are also the most depressed. As they have reached what’s perceived to be the pinnacle of society it becomes clear that there is a real form of emptiness attached to what was effectively once just a means of survival. The abundance of wealth is nothing more than a mirage of happiness.
The truly wealthy people in life, are not those in pursuit of it, or who have attained great abundance in this life. No, the truly wealthy people are those who have found contentment in their current predicament and circumstance. They have acknowledged their place in this world, their individual test, and they have accepted the decree of God almighty. That does not mean they are not pursuing knowledge and the great bounties of this world, no they continue to challenge themselves and live up to what God has intended for them. But in every moment of their existence, they are content, that this is where they are supposed to be right now. You see wealth, true wealth, is contentment. The true pursuit of wealth should be that of contentment.
The pursuit of wealth in the form of material objects, a lifestyle or the financial assets themselves is a path to ruin. It is an experience that once fulfilled may yield some exorbitant high like a drug, but when that wears off, the stark reality and truth will hit. That so much time was wasted in a pursuit to nowhere. Those without wealth (money) will always question whether it will make them happier or the hypocritical nature of a wealthy person telling them its not worth it but taking time to reflect on what’s important, why we’re here, how everything fits together, will make one realise, we were never meant to be financially wealthy in this life. We only need as much as we need to survive. The rest is intended for everyone else.
God willing this finds you well and the message is received with grace and understanding.