The Importance of not Hoarding Material Wealth

©  Umm Mujaahed

Governments before Islam used to have an edict which made tax compulsory, for the poor and lower classes.  This was called dareebah.  Leaving the elite such as the Heads of state, the wealthy and presiding priesthood were exempted from it.  The inequity of this system caused the poor to be indebted to the rich for the rest of their lives, as they were never able to catch up on the repayments.  But after the advent of Islam, which spread throughout the world, the unfair practices of dareebah were changed to the Islamic tax system of zakat, this tax reformation made it encumbrance on the wealthy to support the poor and needy.

    The meaning of zakat is purification as Allah (swt) explains in Surah Tauba (9:103):

     Allah (swt) prescribed the alms, or the obligated zakat, because it purifies the souls of the believers, the societies and individuals.  The person who pays zakat regularly is purified from sins and bad manners such as greed, wickedness, vanity, jealousy, hatred and harshness.  As for the society in general, it purifies it from crime, trials, tribulations and wars.  In a society that practices the zakat, Allah (swt) blesses their provisions and their livelihood by creating harmony within the society and guiding it to a more peaceful state both in this world and the next.

     After the obligated zakat, Islam encourages the person to pay sadaqah (charity, voluntary alms) so that people will learn to give as well as take.  The reason behind sadaqah is for Muslims to think of his fellow Muslim brothers/sisters.  Sadaqah is not only for family members but also for the rest of needy Muslims.
 In Islam, it is prohibited to hoard large amounts of money as this prevents the benefits of it's use to the society.  After the person dies, the money which he hoarded will cause him to enter Hellfire, where it will
be placed all over the body causing it to burn.  Allah (swt) says in Surah Tauba (9:34-35):

     Unfortunately, many Muslims today have not fully understood the meaning or practices of zakat. They neglect the needs of their own souls by chasing after the glittering of this life, amassing wealth and possessions, trying to fill the emptiness within their hearts.  Allah (swt) encourages Muslims to live their lives and to take from it what they need and to give from the excess of their wealth.  Allah (swt) is mindful of the love of money amongst His slaves and He says in surah Al-Imran (3:92):

     The body also has its needs such as food, clothing, shelter and other necessary things and it is our duty to fulfil them.  Allah (swt) created the earth and everything in it for the benefit of the human beings. Allah (swt) says in surah Al-Maidah (5:87-88):

     Therefore, Muslims live their lives knowing that they must give more rights to the soul then the body striving always for the next life, which is better than this short life.  This is why they try hard to practice all the manners in Islam and perform many righteous deeds.  This belief relieves the hardship in their lives and supports believers with the spiritual strength, helping them to face any disappointments and failures in this life.  They have certainty that this life will perish, and that it is only play and amusement to distract them.  As Allah (swt) says in surah Al-Hadid (57:20):

     If the person pays attention to his body more than his soul it causes him to live a luxurious life with which he will never feel satisfied.  He becomes slave to his desires and all he cares about is having more.  It is this type of lifestyle that causes him to became more susceptible to committing sins.

    As the Prophet (s) says in a hadeeth narrated by Abu Huraira (r):'Let the slave of Dinar and Dirham (money), of Quantity and Khamisa (clothes) perish as he is pleased if these things are given to him, and if
not, he is displeased.  Let such a person perish and relapse, and if he is pierced with a thorn, let him not find anyone to take it out for him...'   (Bukhari)

    Comparing the life of the Prophet (s) and the Sahabah and the Sahabeyat to the life of Muslims now, most of us are living a life of luxury.  For example, when a person has an average house and he does not feel satisfied with it, he will start to work harder to build a better home for the simple reason of ostentation. If he does not want to build a new house then he would want to furnish it with expensive furniture and other artefacts.  This is a common rivalry between families to out furnish each other.

     Even the cars we drive have become the status symbols to estimate our own worth.  If it is out of necessity that a household need two cars then it is fine.  However, when it is not out of necessity and they own more than one car, such that each car is used only for certain occasions, then it becomes a luxury.

    Personal requirements without necessity is also a luxury.  Most women, in general, are known to shop excessively for expensive clothing and jewellery.  It is not enough that they have a few gold rings but they must have more rings than their fingers could hold.  As the Prophet (s) in a hadeeth narrated by Ibn Abbas (r):'If the son of Adam had two valleys of money, he would wish for a third, for nothing can fill the belly of Adam's son except dust, and Allah forgives him who (repents to Him) - begs for His pardon.' (Bukhari)

     When Muslims are reminded about the time of the Prophet (s), the Sahabah and Sahabeyat, they often say, 'But they lived in the desert...', 'Their lives were very hard and poor', 'They didn't have proper houses', 'He was the Prophet...' and many other excuses to cover their unwillingness to practice the sunnah of the Prophet (s).

     The Prophet (s) was given the choice of having a luxury life - valleys of gold, but he refused it by preferring the simple life.  For the treasures of this life is nothing compared to the treasures of the Hereafter. What Allah (swt) will give to the Prophet (s) in the Hereafter will be more than anything we could ever imagine.

     Allah's Messenger (s) said that his Lord suggested turning the valley of Mecca into gold for him but he replied, 'No, my Lord, but let me have enough to eat and be hungry on alternate days; then when I am hungry I shall make supplication to Thee and make mention of Thee, and when I have enough I shall praise and thank Thee.'  (Ahmed and Tirmidhi)

     Many people these days struggle to make as much money as they can.  In the process, they are distracted from the remembrance of Allah (swt).  This causes many problems in  society such as they become less practising Muslims and they would resent giving zakat or sadaqah to the poor.  Hence, Allah reminded us that we should decrease our love of money and warned us not to be controlled by material things. Furthermore, He described the believers as not becoming busy in their business affair (see Surah Al-Noor 24:37).

     The Qur'an has made clear for the believers the evil consequences of hoarding money in this life. Some people think that having a lot of money and children is a sign that Allah (swt) loves them and is pleased with them.  They, therefore, start to believe that they are better than others.  But they are misguided by their pride.  For only our faith and good deeds will draw us nearer to Allah (swt).  Money is just a test to human beings to see if we would thank Allah (swt) for it.  Similarly, when He hold wealth from us it is a trial to see if we would be patient and accept our poor condition.

     We should all remember that when we leave this life, we will not take any of our possessions with us.  Hence, we should spend it wisely.  Allah (swt) says,

     Allah (swt) ordered the believers not to be greedy in anything they have, especially with material possessions, because it lessens the love and co-operation between people.  He says,