3 minutes read
Some Muslims inherited a strange idea of zuhd: that the more negatively you view wealth, the more spiritual you must be.
But the early generations understood it differently.
They did not treat wealth as filthy. They understood that wealth becomes dangerous when the heart becomes attached to it, but powerful when it is placed in the service of Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
Sufyan al-Thawri رحمه الله said:
“Wealth in our time is the weapon of the believer.”
Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Islah al-Mal, no. 79
Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Islah al-Mal, no. 79“Wealth in our time is the weapon of the believer.”
“How excellent an aid to religion is wealth.”
Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Islah al-Mal, no. 58
Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Islah al-Mal, no. 58“How excellent an aid to religion is wealth.”
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Zuhd Is Not Poverty
Wealth Is a Tool
Muslim founders should not feel that pursuing halal wealth automatically contradicts spirituality.
Seek it honestly.
Use it responsibly.
Give from it generously.
Build with it.
And never allow it to become the purpose of your life.
The question is not simply “How much wealth do I have?”
It is “What am I doing with the wealth Allah سبحانه وتعالى has entrusted to me?”
What would change in the Muslim economy if we revived this understanding of zuhd?
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