A segment of different social strata loves money in an unrealistic way that they possess, and some do not know how much they own. I am not against loving money, and whoever is against it contradicts human nature, but I am against money not showing on the one who possesses it in the details of his life. Allah Almighty said: “Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world, but the enduring good deeds are better with your Lord for reward and better for hope.” This segment, you see them, you think they are in need, in poverty, and in want. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “Indeed, Allah loves to see the effects of His blessings upon His servant.” The rich have deprived themselves of the pleasure of life and living and reflected that on their own flesh and blood. The dwelling, the vehicle, the food, and the drink are the behaviors of a poor person who lived in this life on the edge of subsistence. Look around you, you will find many examples in our society who possess money but are stingy with themselves. That Zakat is a right for the poor, which Allah has obligated in the wealth of the rich. I wonder: Will the rich poor person pay the Zakat on his wealth, or is it wealth that is too precious for the rich, so how does he pay it when he has not paid himself his right? A difficult equation, but it is the reality of that segment.
The relationship between the rich and the poor is usually fenced with a strong wall, as the rich do not acquaint or mix except with the rich, thus they maintain their social status and their influence based on money. The materialistic rich person does not mind living and dealing with the poor, and when bouts of richness strike him and he sits with the rich, you see him hesitant, absent-minded, revolving around himself, asking many questions about it, but they do not help him nor save him from his situation which he chose by his own will. How sad it is that the rich poor person behaves in a time where material has become happiness, and this is a mistake the rich fall into, for happiness is not the accumulation of wealth. Happiness has different definitions according to the person, or as the poet said:
But the pious one is the happy one.
There is no doubt that money is necessary for the establishment of people’s lives in their interests and livelihood, for without money, a person turns into a poor person. But what about the rich who turn into poor, and when you hear their opinion, they do not like extravagance? What extravagance is this that they know? Is not extravagance the increase in spending money beyond the measure of need in food, drink, and life’s requirements? Why do you stint on yourselves and show poverty when Allah has enriched you? What are the feelings of their own flesh and blood? What are the feelings of the wife or wives? Does not the love of money lead to the lust for money? Indeed, the lust for money is dangerous; they become angry for it, because of it they show allegiance, and because of it they show enmity. How many kinship ties have been severed, and how many a father has been separated from his children while they are in financial distress and he is guarding the money.
Harmony with the self means managing emotions and feelings in a positive way and not in a negative way that deprives a person of the enjoyment of life when he spends on himself and his family. The absence of harmony with the self leads to the emergence of conflict between him and others, perhaps even the closest of kin, for the sake of money, nay, for the sake of a balanced life between spending and need. The materialists around us believe they are right in depriving themselves of the pleasure of a moderate life. Do they not know that they are dead? Spending is absolute spending, and not money alone. Allah Almighty said: “And from what We have provided them, they spend.” So how is it when spending on your household with all its components? O you who love money, why do you withhold Zakat from its rightful recipients? O you who love money, spend in the way of Allah and enjoy your wealth.
And I have not seen a disease like hoarding wealth,
Nor an affliction like the miser with it.