Your Richness Before Your Poverty
One day we might not have anything, and the next day we might have much more than we need. One day, a person has a great job and a fat pay check, yet the next day, something happens and he does not have that job anymore and loses his source of income. So, the wise person uses his richness before he becomes poor. He invests for his future.
As for the investments of this world, then the Muslims and non-Muslims are somewhat same, in the sense they both invest in it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) would store staple food items up to a year. Sometimes he would store barley and grain for a whole year for his family. This is obviously something Halaal as the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself did it, and we should do it too. We should make sure we have enough money for our family, so we do not turn beggars. There is no doubt that this is part of our Shariah.
But while we do this, let us not forget that we should also invest for the hereafter. Should we not think about investing money so we can pluck its fruits in the hereafter, where we will need it far more than currently in this world? We should invest for the real future – in our life after death.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) once asked his companions, “Who amongst you loves his inheritors’ money more than his own money?”
A father, for example, will love his own money more than his son’s money. This is something natural. Every person will love his own money more than other people’s money.
The Companions said, “O Messenger of Allah, all of us love our own money more than we love the money of our inheritors. We all love our own money. We guard it and protect it more than the money of our inheritors.”
Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Verily, the money that you spend in charity is your money, and the money that you leave behind is the money of your inheritors.” (Al-Bukhari, 4/217)
Ponder over that Hadith for a while. How true it is. Do we not realize that all our lifelong savings enough to feed generations of people will be of no benefit to us? It will all be our inheritors’ money. But the money we spend in our lifetime for the sake of Allah will be ours permanently.
Remember that feeding your family is a type of worship if you are doing it for the sake of Allah.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whatever you spend in Allah’s Cause, you will get reward for it, even for the morsel of food which you put in your wife’s mouth.” (Al-Bukhari)
Now everybody feeds his family. But will everybody be rewarded? No. Because only the one who does it remembering Allah, thinking about Allah, and doing it for the sake of Allah will be rewarded.
Ask yourself if the last time you went shopping, was Allah in your mind? Did you think of doing this for Allah? When you picked up the milk and the bread, was your heart thinking,
“O Allah, I am buying this food through Halaal money, and this is Halaal food, because I want to feed my family and this is an obligation that You have put upon me, therefore, I am doing it for your sake.” Who amongst us has this in the mind?
When we say, “Money that is spent for the sake of Allah,” we are not just talking about Zakat and charity. They are among the most virtuous deeds no doubt. But do not forget that the majority of income we spend can all be for the sake of Allah if we have the right intention. Such consciousness of Allah all the time will also prevent us from extravagance and wasting our money.