Eighteenth Ramadan Lecture Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi, 1444 A.H.

Greed
its numerous evils and serious consequences

I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the outcast.

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth, and that Muhammad, our master, is His servant, Messenger, and Last Prophet.

O Allah, confer Your salat and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You conferred Your salat and blessings upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad's good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahidin.

O Allah, guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Relenting and the Merciful.

Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.

Yesterday, we spoke about the test that humans face regarding provision, having restricted or abundant provision, wealth and poverty, and what the Holy Quran mentions about these matters only in some blessed verses, as the Holy Quran extensively addresses these topics. And we also spoke about the dangers of greed and materialistic inclinations and the numerous evils that stem from that.

Some matters are extremely dangerous for they lead to many evils. So when a person has a proper understanding of these matters and is cautious and aware of them in terms of self-purification, then he can avoid the evils resulting from such a disease that can lead to grave evils! When it comes to the disease of extreme materialistic inclinations and greed, it is a very serious disease. We discussed some of its evils yesterday, foremost among them is the selling of religion for the sake of worldly gains, trading the signs of Allah for a small price, and other related evils. We are going to continue discussing these evils and their dangers.

 

Unjustly taking people's money

Some of the terrible, alarming evils include taking people's wealth unlawfully, false oaths, and bribery. Allah (the Almighty) says in the Holy Quran: {'Do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, nor deliberately bribe authorities in order to devour a portion of others' property illicitly, while you know'}.

Driven by greed, some people may seek to seize the possessions and wealth of others, even though they know that they belong to these other people. Even if they are certain that the wealth belongs to others, they, driven by greed, may resort to manipulation, especially when they cannot directly take the wealth by force, through engaging in disputes, lawsuits, and conflicts. They may use forged documents, seek the assistance of forgers, or employ devious tactics. Those consumed by greed have expertise in devouring what belongs to others and wrongfully taking their wealth.

Some people may resort to bribery against their rivals, offering money to those judges in charge of their cases, just as stated in the blessed verse: {'Do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, nor deliberately bribe authorities in order to devour a portion of others' property illicitly, while you know.'} They pay them in order to make the ruling in their favour, using bribery as a means to acquire wealth. They may offer a substantial bribe if the desired wealth or possessions are significant, taking advantage of the moral and religious bankruptcy of some judges. Those judges get themselves in serious trouble and bear the burden of a grave sin when they rule unjustly and seize what belongs to others for the sake of their own worldly fleeting desires. Such acts are among the greatest crimes and heinous sins. Unfortunately, many judges are involved in these acts, although it is an extremely serious issue.

In the noble hadith, it is narrated, 'Allah has cursed the one who gives a bribe and the one who accepts it.' The one who offers a bribe to wrongfully take what belongs to others, to confiscate their wealth, or to possess something that does not rightfully belong to him falls under this curse. He is cursed by Allah because he has committed a major sin that can lead him to be deprived of Allah's mercy and deserving of His punishment. The same goes for the one who takes the bribe, the judge who passes a judgment in favour of the briber despite knowing that he is not entitled to it. This is a very serious issue. That is why this clear prohibition and warning are mentioned in this blessed verse: {'nor deliberately bribe authorities in order to devour a portion of others' property illicitly, while you know'}—you know that it does not belong to you, but your greed has driven you to act in this manner, using bribery as a means to obtain that. So bribery is an extremely dangerous phenomenon when it becomes a tool to seize the rights of others and harm them, as the one who has a judicial ruling tries to rely on it and exploit it to establish his control over what belongs to others.

Some people also resort to a dipping oath, a false oath, knowing that they are swearing falsely and taking an oath that is a false and dipping oath—dipping those who take it into the fire of Jahannam (We seek refuge in Allah).

Allah says in the Holy Quran, {'Indeed, those who exchange the covenant of Allah and their oaths for a small price will have no share in the Hereafter, and Allah will not speak to them or look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them; and they will have a painful punishment'}. This blessed verse includes those who sell the covenant of Allah, something related to their religion, and likewise their oaths—{'and their oaths'}, taking a dipping, false oath—for seizing what does not rightfully belong to them, for the sake of something worldly, something that belongs to others, even though they know that it is not rightfully theirs! This is a serious matter for a person because it renders one's faith and good deeds worthless and causes him to permanently lose his place in Jannah.

You have sworn a false oath to wrongfully seize a worldly thing (be it a piece of land, money, cash, or any other possessions), to obtain it, size it, and put your hand on it through this false oath, while knowing that it does not belong to you and even being certain that it belongs to others, not to you. In this case, you have lost your hereafter: {'Those… will have no share in the Hereafter'}—they have no share left in Jannah, nor any share of Allah's pleasure. So what have you gained in return for what you have lost?! You have lost Jannah, eternal happiness, and immense bliss. You have lost the highest material possessions in Jannah for the sake of a piece of land or a worldly interest here or there. You are swearing falsehood!

Some individuals may also take oaths as a means to affirm a false testimony for someone else in exchange for money in a specific case, whether it be a financial or criminal case or any other case. They affirm their false testimony—which is a great burden in the sight of Allah as it is one of the major sins that can lead the person to the fire of Jahannam—by combining it with a dipping oath; as a result, their burden and crime increase, and they bear a grave sin (We seek refuge in Allah from that).

Look at this warning in this blessed verse: It states, {'And Allah will not speak to them or look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them'}—this expresses the severe anger of Allah towards them—{'and they will have a painful punishment.'} (We seek refuge in Allah from that.) It is a serious issue that many people get involved in due to their greed for this world to acquire a piece of land or something else. They transgress the limit and get themselves into serious trouble.

As a result of this deceptive approach, which aims to unlawfully take people's money through quarrels, conflicts, and lawsuits, other evils also arise and affect the relationships within society. That is because these conflicts, disputes, quarrels, and lawsuits breed animosity among society and sometimes become a key to evil within society. They can lead to infighting and turmoil and have a significant impact on people, hurting their feelings, burdening them with hefty fines, and consuming their time. Moreover, they also foster animosity among individuals, causing society to become divided and fragmented and weakening the bonds of brotherhood in faith, brotherhood of faith, and brotherhood in Islam. As a result, Muslim society, which should be a cohesive and cooperative society based on righteousness and Taqwa, becomes affected by this issue, which is one of the most dangerous factors that affect the relationships within society. Sometimes, the devils among humans exploit this situation because they understand that it is a means for them to dismantle society and sow animosity among its members (We seek refuge in Allah).

Consequently, this leads to injustices and evils. Some individuals suffer immense injustice in being deprived of their rights. They may be weak, while those who perpetrate this injustice rely on social influence (social status), coercive power (a specific authority or an official), or other means. As a result, the burden of injustice becomes greater. Injustice is dangerous, and this is one of the gravest types of injustice: unjustly taking people's money without right.

Robbing and stealing others' money and the immediate punishment for that

One of the evils resulting from extreme greed and materialistic tendencies is robbing money that belongs to others. Some individuals engage in taking others' possessions by force from the streets through robbery or looting a store. Theft, on the other hand, is a different method from robbery. Theft occurs in a covert manner, and its nature is well known (We seek refuge in Allah from such acts).

Both robbery and theft are major evils and despicable crimes. Individuals who commit these types of crimes (turning into thieves who steal to take what belongs to others) possess lowly and degraded souls, devoid of dignity and honour. They are despicable individuals and have lost their faith. They lack faith and Taqwa, combining the loss of religion with the loss of human dignity—they engage in these evils and crimes, which are extremely base and vile.

Robbery crimes are heinous crimes in Islam, and their perpetrators are enemies of Allah who prey on people to rob their possessions on the streets. Some even take this as their profession. Such individuals are criminals, among the worst criminals, committing one of the gravest crimes and disrupting public life: They disturb people's pursuit of lawful sustenance and their efforts to meet their life's needs, engage in their trade, and attend to their livelihood matters. They disturb them, and in some cases, they may also be aggressive: If they could not rob, they may resort to killing, inflicting injuries, or engage in any form of aggression for the sake of looting. So they combine multiple crimes: intimidating people, spreading terror in their paths, and instilling fear in people's movements and livelihood matters. This is an incredibly terrible crime.

That is why such people are categorized as those who fight against Allah and His Messenger and who seek to do corruption on the earth. Among such people are those who commit these kinds of crimes: sitting in wait for people while travelling to steal them, robbing people, frightening people on roads, and not allowing people to safely use roads and paths for their transport in their life. That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Holy Quran, {'Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and spread mischief in the land is death, crucifixion, cutting off their hands and feet on opposite sides, or exile from the land'}. These punishments are only for this world (as shame in this world), and for the Hereafter, they are also promised horrible torment.

It is well known among Muslim interpreters, scholars, and jurists that among those who fall under this category are those who sit in wait for travelers to rob their money and who frighten people in safe paths. For some people in some areas, this becomes a habit as if it were a simple habit. However, it is not only a bad habit but also a crime in every sense of the word, a great sin, and an inhumane, brutal, savage act! In the areas where such an act is customary, people must be aware that this offends them and that it is a savage act in every sense of the word and is a bad act that is devoid of humanity, ethics, conscience, dignity, honour, and "abalah . The person who commits this type of crime is disregarding his religion, dignity, humanity, and honour. In addition, such a person is despicable, criminal, and bad. This is a very horrible crime. Because of how horrible it is, the punishment for those who commit it is {'death, crucifixion, cutting off their hands and feet on opposite sides, or exile from the land'}.

Islam is a great religion that brings stability to the people of its society in their lives and livings. It also protects the lives of people, their property, their dignity, and their honour. It is a religion that safeguards the people in Muslim society, their lives, their property, and their honour, and it considers the sanctity of a Muslim, his life, his property, and his honour the most important sanctity.

The fruit of adhering to this religion is stability in people's lives and their interior affairs: A person will not be afraid when in his house or afraid for his merchandise, his house furniture, his car near his house, or any of his properties anywhere from thieves and robbers, nor will he be afraid that bandits and robbers might take his car, merchandise, etc. while moving here or there. Hence, our society must cooperate on righteousness and Taqwa in combating such phenomena, as they are incompatible with Islam, its values, its principles, and its ethics.

Furthermore, stealing is, as we mentioned earlier, a despicable and bad act that cannot be justified: Regardless of the circumstances, one should not resort to stealing. It is a despicable act, although some people may be lenient about it if this act was done by some of their relatives or if it happens against some others—this makes them tolerate it. Because of its evil nature, harm, and consequences—for these reasons and because it is an act of disobedience that is originally bad and forbidden and seeks a forbidden way for obtaining money, an immediate punishment was assigned for it, in addition to the punishment in the Hereafter: Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'As for male and female thieves, cut off their hands for what they have done, a deterrent from Allah. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise'}. Those who commit theft, whether a male or a female—the immediate punishment of the male or female who commits theft is to cut off the hand {'for what they have done, a deterrent from Allah'}. It is also to be a deterrent to others so that they do not steal. Indeed, some people need to see a punishment: They are not deterred unless when there is an immediate punishment; Jahannam is not enough for them as intimidation. In fact, greed that pushes a person to steal is greed accompanied with baseness.

One of the evils resulting from greed is that it turns a person into a despicable person for he descends and falls from his human dignity, his honour, and his chastity, so he acts in a way that is bad, shameful, defective, humiliating, disgraceful, and scandalous. This is too bad!

Betrayal of trust: its types and manifestations, and sinful nature!

One of the evils that greed and materialism lead to is betraying trust. This can take place at the level of what a person is entrusted with by another person, such as when a person entrusts you with something: money, material things, or any of his properties that he has entrusted you with. Because of their greed, some people betray those who have trusted them, and this is a great sin and burden. At the same time, it is an inhumane and disrespectful act because when this or that person trusted you, he hoped that you are a trustworthy, loyal person and that you are a faithful person—man or woman—who will not betray the trust, and he was reassured by character and your values. That was because he had a good opinion of you so that he trusted you and was reassured by you, but you disappointed him and then betrayed his trust, used it, took from it while having no right to do so, and disregarded his trust in you. So this is a crime!

In addition to that is when a person betrays the trust in public responsibility. A person who is in a position of responsibility and who is entrusted with that responsibility and position (a certain authority or position) has the authority to use certain funds or properties in accordance with his responsibility. So when he exploits his authority, power, or position to take what is not for him and to steal public funds, this falls under betraying the trust, and it is one of the worst forms of trust betrayal. Unfortunately, some people dare to do that, and as a result of that, they cause people to suffer. What are the causes of some of the suffering by society? It is because of betrayal and those who betray trust in positions of responsibility—that is when they take public funds and keep them for themselves and for personal interests with no right, while such funds belong to the people and are their right.

Arabs and Muslims have been greatly harmed by this because it has become a phenomenon in governments and by officials. Many of them involve in what is called 'financial corruption' when they exploit their authority to take from public funds for their personal interests with no right.

According to one of the statistics presented regarding what one of the former leaders in our country alone has taken, it is estimated that he took around sixty billion dollars, which he stole from his own people. This wealth has become trade and assets, and a majority of it is held abroad. When you contemplate this figure of sixty billion dollars, this amount alone could have built Yemen. It could have constructed the infrastructure in Yemen, including roads and other necessary elements such as public services, electricity, schools, hospitals, clinics, healthcare centers, and more. One individual alone has stolen this immensely large and colossal amount from his own people. So what about what others have also taken? Each one has taken according to their expertise and skill in betrayal, in acquiring the money of this nation through one way or another.

This also takes place in other countries: People get harmed and suffer badly because a lot of their money and public wealth is taken through betrayal, and they may not be aware of that, clapping their hands vigorously—till their hands get harmed—for that president in spite of suffering severe deprivation, while he has taken lots and lots of their money.

Just as what is happening now in terms of the theft of the public wealth of our people by the coalition of aggression and traitors from within this country, and the same occurs at the hands of some officials who do not fear Allah.

Allah (the Almighty) says, {'O believers! Do not betray Allah and the Messenger, nor betray your trusts knowingly. And know that your wealth and your children are only a test and that with Allah is a great reward'}: Financial corruption is a form of betraying trust, which is a great sin, and it represents a betrayal of Allah, His Messenger, and His servants and does injustice to people. That is so when a person seeks to accumulate wealth at the expense of people and through making them suffer and experience deprivation. So this is a terrible and hideous crime.

In addition, taking a part of booty illegally is a big crime: {'It is not for any Prophet to take illegally a part of booty, and whosoever does so, he will bring forth on the Day of Resurrection that which he took'}. What will you do on the Day of Resurrection? You will have to either bring forth what you have taken or be thrown into the Fire! And as you cannot bring it forth on that day, there is no alternative but the Fire! (We seek Allah for refuge.)

Also, the same is true of financial extortion without justification. Some officials, for example, in positions of power or specific responsibilities, attempt to extort others before processing their paperwork, even though it is their duty to process that paperwork since there is nothing wrong with it. However, they exert pressure on the party involved to give them money before processing the paperwork. Otherwise, they may refuse to process the paperwork, obstruct it, and create obstacles to hinder its completion. They fabricate problems to impede the processing of that paperwork because they want to take money in exchange for completing it, money that has no legitimate basis. However, their motive is simply greed.

Also, there are instances where there are financial obligations in what has to do with processing paperwork, but the person involved takes more than what is agreed upon for himself. He is not satisfied with what is determined in processing that paperwork; rather, he takes even more in order to exploit the situation for his own benefit. He wants to take something for himself.

Financial extortion without right is a betrayal of trust; it is forbidden and unjust. It is an act of stealing, and it is a crime in every sense of the word! It is unlawfully acquired wealth. When a person engages in such behaviour and provides for his family with that money, he is feeding his family ill-gotten gains, forbidden wealth, and he burdens himself with sin (We seek refuge in Allah).

The heinous crime: usury and the crime of cheating and its forms

One of the evils resulting from greed and materialistic orientation is engaging in usury: Dealing with usury is one of the calamities of this era and one of the worst crimes. In Surah Al-Baqarah, there is a whole page dedicated to prohibiting dealing with usury, warning against it, and highlighting its evil. Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'Whoever refrains—after having received warning from their Lord—may keep their previous gains, and their case is left to Allah. As for those who persist, it is they who will be the residents of the Fire. They will be there forever'}. The practitioners of usury are destined for Jahannam: They will dwell in the fire of Jahannam, and Jannah is forbidden for them. This is the ruling of Allah, and these are His verses. Isn't this sufficient in deterring from such a heinous crime (the crime of usury)?

 

Allah (Glory be to Him) also says, {'O you who believe, fear Allah and give up what remains of usury if you are believers. If you do not, then be warned of war from Allah and His Messenger'}. Isn't this sufficient? It is a severe warning of a war with Allah and His Messenger in this world and the eternal punishment of Jahannam in the Hereafter. It is an inevitable destiny that cannot be denied. Those who engage in usury have nothing but Jahannam awaiting them. It is their inevitable destiny. It is a grave matter. The person who engages in usury and relies on it as a method of trade and a means of material gain is committing a serious crime. Some intentionally engage in it and consider it a method and a business strategy for monetary gain. It is an extremely grave issue.

One of the terrible evils is cheating in dealing and defraudation. Defraudation is as Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Holy Quran, {'Woe to the defrauders! Those who take full measure from people, but give less when they measure or weigh for buyers'}. A defrauder wants the measuring and weighing (as some things are measured, while others are weighed) in the commercial or economic dealings to be right and not to be incomplete if the dealing is for his own benefit; however, if he is the one who sells to others, he cheats in measuring or weighing. Some of those who engage in such professions have their own methods of cheating in that, which is a very serious issue. The amounts that decrease as a result of his cheating accumulate, and he bears them as a burden, sin, and iniquity. Considering his daily dealings, how much will the amounts be? He becomes indebted and bears the sin for what he has taken from many people. When he owns a grocery store or shop and deals with many people, he may forget many of them and bear the heavy burden and great sin.

Cheating in transactions can take various forms, including:

  • Presenting a certain commodity as being of a specific quality, while it does not have that quality—in reality, it is different. So you are deceiving the buyer by presenting the commodity in a certain way and using your words and methods to make the buyer believe that commodity to be in that specific state, while the reality is different!
  • Another form of cheating is selling a lookalike product as an original one, misrepresenting its specifications and deceiving the buyer about its qualities. Deceiving the buyer about the specifications of the goods to induce them to purchase is considered forbidden. In the Prophet's hadith, it is stated: 'Whoever deceives us is not one of us.'
  • There is also cheating in the purchasing process, where you try to convince the one who tries to sell you something that his good is poor quality and seek to lower its price by presenting false and negative information about it. You are well aware of the deception, but you do it to reduce the price of that good.

You use deceitful methods to obtain goods at a low price or sell them at a high price. This method is forbidden and extremely dangerous.

Trafficking in drugs, alcohol, and harmful substances

Engaging in the trade of prohibited and harmful substances is one of the terrible evils resulting from greed and materialistic desires.

Drug trafficking is one example of this: Trafficking in drugs is an abhorrent and heinous crime. Unfortunately, there are efforts by the enemies to promote drug trafficking and push people towards it. What contributes to this problem is when there is societal sympathy for those involved in drug trafficking. When there is compassion for them when they are arrested and legal and religious actions are taken against them, there are those who sympathize with them, and many people step forward to intercede and stand on their side, exerting pressure to save and free them. Some do so because they have personal interests, while others are driven by ignorant fanaticism, like the fanaticism of the Ignorance Era.

Drug trafficking is an extremely horrible crime, and its damage on the economy are substantial, as well as its consequences in the reality of people. That is because when you bring drugs to those who use and consume them, you destroy their health, faith, religion, and morals. This also leads to the emergence of crimes and evils; as a result, those who engage in drug trafficking are partners in the harmful effects of their actions and the serious and negative consequences that result from such actions.

Engaging in drug trafficking is of the worst crimes that turn people away from trading and earning in what is lawful, and this also encourages them to engage in illegal trading and transactions. When they witness the immediate result of that (material profits or large sums of money) and notice that the person involved has acquired a car, a luxurious house, and his reality has rapidly changed, this becomes attractive to those with weak faith and to the greedy, leading them to pursue similar actions. This is an extremely serious issue.

Therefore, it is necessary for society to collaborate in righteousness and Taqwa to combat drug trafficking. People should refrain from supporting any drug dealers because such support constitutes cooperation in sin and aggression, cooperation in engaging in forbidden acts, and cooperation in falsehood. That is so when people aid someone involved in drug trafficking and seek to shield him from punishment, legal consequences, or the like of things.

Other evils that badly affect people's health include:

  • expired medications,
  • medications that do not meet specifications, counterfeit drugs that harm people's health,
  • expired food products,
  • and Substances or goods that cause harm to people in their lives and health—engaging in trading harmful substances, knowing their detrimental effects, is forbidden, and it is driven by greed.

The same goes for activities that promote corruption, such as alcohol and others. What one earns from this is illicit: He consumes what is forbidden and unlawful, and he feeds his family and raises them on unlawful means and money. This has dire consequences and extremely serious outcomes. {'Constant eaters of illicit gain!'}. This resembles the ways of the Jews and the disbelievers (May Allah be our refuge). It is an extremely dangerous issue.

The evil of envy, stinginess, and neglecting financial obligations.

One of the evils resulting from greed is envy. When some people see someone whom Allah has blessed and provided abundantly, they become angry and harbour malice towards him. This is envy. When you see someone enjoying material or spiritual blessings—material blessings is what we discuss today—some individuals harbour malice and anger towards that person. Envy stirs up within them, asking, 'Why does that person have such blessings?' They resent him, {'And from the mischief of the envious one as he practices envy'}. (May Allah be our refuge.)

Envy is a very bad disease, and the envious person harbours resentment towards Allah but directs his malice towards His servants. Allah is the Possessor of favour, the Bestower, the Generous, so you could turn to Him, return to Him, strive for goodness, and ensure that your heart is free from unreasonable malice towards others: {'And do not crave what Allah has given some of you over others'}. You can ask Allah for His favour, seek lawful earnings, and request from Allah to grant you contentment. That is because envy and malice towards others for what Allah has blessed them with cannot be justified. It is a bad behaviour, and Shaytan exploits it against you, pushing you towards committing crimes (May Allah forbid).

 

One of the terrible evils resulting from greed and materialistic inclinations is stinginess in paying Zakat and in spending for the sake of Allah and for goodness. It also includes neglecting financial obligations and betraying the endowments.

This is a major evil that stems from greed. Allah says in the Quran, {'And as for the one who is stingy, indifferent , and denies the finest reward, We will facilitate for them the path of hardship. And their wealth will be of no benefit to them when they tumble '}. When you withhold and do not fulfill your obligations—you do not pay Zakat, you do not spend for the sake of Allah, you do not spend in the paths of goodness, and you neglect your faith-related financial obligations—you are destroying yourself, and Allah (Glory be to Him) will punish you.

  • One of the punishments of this in the worldly life is that you find yourself needing to spend a lot of money because of calamities, punishments, and things that hold no significance. If only you had spent in the right place, paid Zakat, and given in charity, Allah would have protected you from many calamities, numerous problems, and burdensome worries.
  • In the Hereafter, there is Jahannam awaiting you: {'And their wealth will be of no benefit to them when they tumble .'} The wealth you were stingy with, the Zakat you consumed instead of giving it to the poor, the money you betrayed from the endowments, all of it becomes a punishment for you in the fire of Jahannam. All of that will be used in punishing you and will bring you no benefit or protection from the punishment of Allah when you fall into the abyss of Jahannam. You will be cast into its flames (We seek refuge Allah).

Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'The Day when their treasure will be heated up in the Fire of Hell, and their foreheads, sides, and backs branded with it. "This is the treasure you hoarded for yourselves. Now taste what you hoarded"'}. Allah (the Almighty) also says, {'And do not let those who withhold Allah's bounties think it is good for them—in fact, it is bad for them! They will be leashed on the Day of Judgment with whatever they used to withhold'}. Thus, the stingy person will be punished with what he was stingy with. What he withheld will become the cause of his torment, destruction, and loss (May Allah be our refuge).

When money becomes the criterion for your attitude towards others!

One of the evils resulting from greed and materialistic inclinations is that it has a significant influence on disbelievers' orientation in life. Their life pursuits are built upon their materialistic desires, and their interests revolve around their materialistic aspirations. For such pursuits, they are willing to do anything, take any position, commit injustices, deviate from the path of Allah, spread corruption on the earth, oppress the servants of Allah, and plunder the wealth of nations and the oppressed. They would do anything.

They follow these same materialistic standards in their dealings with people. That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Holy Quran, {'The life of this world has been made appealing to the disbelievers, and they mock the believers. Those who are mindful will rank above them on the Day of Judgment. And Allah provides for whoever He wills without limit'}.

In describing the disbelievers' attitude and how they treat the messengers and prophets of Allah, in particular the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (PBUH&F), the Holy Quran says, {'Or a treasure presented to him , or does he have a garden from which he eats?'}. They propose various scenarios that, in their view, would be convincing enough for them to follow him and believe in him: 'If a treasure is revealed to him or if he has a huge garden from which he eats, then we will believe in him.' Their faith is contingent on such things—these are their standards!

{'And Firaawn called out to his people,'}—he said to them—{'"Am I not sovereign over Egypt as well as these streams1 flowing at my feet? Can you not see? Am I not better than this nobody who can hardly express himself?"'}. Firaawn questions why Musa does not have golden ornaments on his hands to prove himself worthy of being followed as a messenger.

These materialistic desires become a standard for some people, leaning towards those who possess wealth. As they say in poetry:

I see people to be obsessed
with those who possess wealth.

But they turn their backs

to those with no wealth.

This is one of the evils of greed, for the standard for a person is no longer truth, guidance, righteousness, goodness, or his responsibility before Allah (Glory be to Him). The loss is tremendous when a person's orientations become materialistic, controlled and dominated by greed. The consequences that arise from this are numerous.

On the Day of Resurrection, Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'If every wrongdoer were to possess everything in the world, they would surely ransom themselves with it'}. If you had on the Day of Resurrection everything on the earth (gold, trade, wealth, possessions of all kinds and types) and it was possible to ransom yourself from the punishment of Allah on that day, you would offer it all. So how can you destroy yourself? How can you subject yourself to the fire of Jahannam in exchange for something insignificant and trivial? You would hope on the Day of Judgment that if you could ransom yourself with everything on the earth: its wealth, its riches, its trades, its cities, its farms, its factories, and everything within it.

Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'Were the wrong-doers to own all that is on the earth, and even twice as much, they would surely seek to ransom themselves with it against the evil punishment on the Day of Judgment'}. How can you destroy yourself for a piece of land by taking a dipping oath that throws you into the fire of Jahannam or by taking a false position or any evil acts driven by greed, while on the Day of Judgment, you would wish to have everything on the earth and even twice as much to ransom yourself from the evil punishment? But how can that avail you? It is not accepted from a person, it is not in his hands, nor is it within his reach. Allah says, {'Even if they were to possess everything in the world twice over, they would certainly offer it to ransom themselves. They will face strict judgment, and Jahannam will be their home. What an evil place to rest'}. They have lost Jannah, the great bliss, the magnificent kingdom, the pure life, and eternal happiness, wherein there are things that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind can conceive.

Thus, a person must be careful and strive to purify his soul, asking Allah to grant him contentment and comprehending the evils of greed, materialism, and love of luxury. Some people are greatly influenced by the love of luxury, desiring grand, expensive and exorbitant things, and wanting everything without limits. If one opens the door to desires, appetites, and passions without restraint, it leads only to ruin. The Prophetic saying demonstrates this: 'If the son of Adam had two valleys of gold'—two valleys overflowing continuously with gold—'he would long for a third.' Still, he wants a third one, even though he has two valleys overflowing continuously with gold.

 

 

Following human desire leads to destruction (May Allah protect us) and causes one to lose what he should truly aspire to. You should aspire for Jannah. Its palaces, delightful abodes, the houris, gardens, and blissful eternal life free from sickness, worries, sadness, distress, fatigue, negativity, and any adversity that could mar your life. Desire what is with Allah, which is the true aspiration. Yearn for the goodness and eternal happy life in the company of Allah's prophets and righteous servants.

O Allah, accept our fasting, nights of worship, and good deeds. You are All-Hearing!

We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant us success in seeking what pleases Him. O Allah (Glory be to You), have mercy on our virtuous martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory, for You are All-Hearing!

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.