Chasing Gold & Glitter
We Ignore The Hereafter,
The Hereafter Will Ignore Us Too
(M.
Javed Naseem)
"Our Lord!
Rescue us from this town, whose people
are oppressors; and raise for us from
you one who will protect; and raise
for us from you one who will help."
(From al-Quran)
They say: Money is everything. You can buy any thing with money (but not everything). Some say money is evil but at the same time you cannot live without money. You can get or acquire a lot of things in life with the help of money. That's why, in America, they say: Money talks and bullshit walks.
As a matter of fact, money itself is not
good or bad. It’s the people who use it for good or bad purposes. Since it’s a
tool or means of acquiring most of the things we need in life, it has become
the most sought after commodity itself. Everybody is racing for it, getting the
maximum of it. And that’s where the problem lies. While chasing money, we often
forget or ignore that we are crossing the line or breaking the rules or
violating others’ rights. We ignore
others completely. We ignore others because we want to get rich fast – faster
than others.
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said: There was
a ‘Fitnah’ (evil) for every earlier nation and the Fitnah for my nation
(Muslims) is ‘maal’ (material wealth).
In other words, we Muslims will be tested
with wealth. And we can make it a blessing or an evil for ourselves (or even
others), depending on the use of it. We are trying our best, using all talent,
sources and resources to improve our lives in this world but forget the life of
the Hereafter.
ٱعْلَمُوۤاْ
أَنَّمَا ٱلْحَيَاةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ
وَتَفَاخُرٌ
بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِى ٱلأَمْوَالِ وَٱلأَوْلاَدِ
كَمَثَلِ
غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ ٱلْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ
مُصْفَرّاً
ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَاماً وَفِى ٱلآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ
وَمَغْفِرَةٌ
مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٌ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَاةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلاَّ مَتَاعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ
“Know you (all) that the life of this world is
“Know you (all) that the life of this world is
but play and amusement, pomp and mutual
boasting and multiplying, (in rivalry)
among
yourselves, riches and children. Here is a
similitude: How rain and the growth which
it
brings forth, delight (the hearts of) the
tillers;
soon it withers; you will see it grow
yellow;
then it becomes dry and crumbles away. But
in the Hereafter is a Penalty severe (for
the
devotees of wrong); and Forgiveness from
Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (for the
devotees
of Allah). And what is the life of this
world,
but goods and chattels of deception?”
(al-Quran 57:20)
Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w.) said that the love of the world hurts
your cause in the Hereafter. But when you love the life of the Hereafter, love
of the world cannot hurt you. Therefore, prefer the one which is everlasting (the Hereafter)
over the one that is temporary and will perish.
***********************************
How amazing! A few uneducated, ignorant
(Jaahil) people from Chiniot (Pak) have
been
fooling the most educated and
well-informed
people of Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi,
with their fake and poisonous milk, donkey
meat, fake butter or ‘Ghee’, and now ‘gold’!
When are you going to wake up Pakistan?
The greed/corruption will take you to
Hell.
***********************************
Chinioti Gold Rush
(Excerpts from the report: Footprints: Great Chinioti Gold
Rush,
published in Dawn, February 20th, 2015)
You don’t see Sam Brannan parading through the streets of
Chiniot, shouting, “Gold! Gold! Gold!” Nor is there a rush of gold prospectors
to be seen anywhere in the city. Life in Chiniot, known for its hand-carved
wood furniture and gritty leather and textile traders, remains unaffected by
the (re)discovery of the yellow metal along with what is being called one of
the world’s biggest reserves of iron and copper ores.
A policeman guarding the Chinese workers at a site off Jhang
Bypass echoes similar doubts: “There are traces of gold in some samples,” he
laughs. “But you know, as well as I do, that there is more noise than gold in
these rocks.”
The Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) is drilling
boreholes in different places in and around Chiniot to collect samples.
“We have seven rigs installed at different points in the
project area spanning 28 square kilometers,” a spokesman for the MCC told Dawn.
A few meters from the site, villager Allah Yar is worried
that the government will acquire their homes and fertile land if the final
tests of the samples confirm the presence of precious metals.
“Everyone is anxious,” he says. “We are happy that the
discovery will change the future of this country. But what about the people
living here and cultivating these lands? The government just takes over the
piece of land the Chinese explorers require to dig boreholes for up to three
months, without paying rent to the owner.”
A realtor from the area confirms that no one has so far been
“compensated for the use of his land” by the Chinese company. “The government
doesn’t need to ask for the landowner’s permission. People are keeping their
mouths shut for fear of police,” he tells me.
At Dangraywala, the policemen let us step inside the
designated area and talk to a Pakistani worker. “Four Chinese men and as many
Pakistanis work in two shifts of 12 hours each at every borehole site,” he says
without giving his name.
“Though we are getting good wages — Rs.18,000 a month —
there is no concept of a weekly day off and we are not allowed to visit home
except for an emergency.”
Gold From Gutters &
Drains:
See video: Pakistan Mining Gold From Trash.
We go out of the way to get rich, acquire
wealth, find gold and silver, win lottery, etc., without caring what’s Halaal
and what’s Haraam; what’s ours and what’s not. We have ‘Qabzah Groups’ and
those with ‘connections’ who can take other people’s land or property, kidnap
others’ daughters, rape young girls of the poor, and hurt others without
consideration. And all that for worldly pleasure! They are the evil-doers,
transgressors and oppressors who are accumulating sins. They won’t do anything
to please Allah or His creation – the mankind.
وَمَا
لَكُمْ لاَ تُقَاتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ
مِنَ
ٱلرِّجَالِ وَٱلنِّسَآءِ وَٱلْوِلْدَانِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ
رَبَّنَآ
أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ ٱلظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا
وَٱجْعَلْ
لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنْكَ وَلِيّاً وَٱجْعَلْ لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنْكَ نَصِيراً
“And why should you not fight in the cause of
“And why should you not fight in the cause of
Allah and of those who, being weak, are
ill-treated
(and oppressed)? Men, women, and children,
whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us
from this
town, whose people are oppressors; and raise
for us from you one who will protect; and
raise for us from you one who will
help!"
(al-Quran
4:75)
لَّن
تُغْنِىَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلاَدُهُمْ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيْئاً
أُوْلَـٰئِكَ
أَصْحَابُ ٱلنَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
“Of no profit whatever to them, against Allah,
“Of no profit whatever to them, against Allah,
will be their riches nor their sons. They
will be
Companions of the Fire, to dwell therein
(for ever)!
(al-Quran
58:17)
I have seen sons taking their parents to
the courts; parents suing their children; family members bringing law-suits
against family members, brother against brother, etc., all seeking their share
in the property or wealth; one claiming to be right, the others wrong. It’s
common in our society today. Here’s a story showing the true Muslims handling
such problems:
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said:
"A man bought a piece of land from another man, and the
buyer found an earthenware jar filled with gold in the land. The buyer said to
the seller:
Take your gold, as I have bought only the land from you, but
I have not bought the gold from you.
The (former) owner of the land said: I have sold you the
land with everything in it.
So both of them took their case before a God-fearing wise man
who asked:
Do you have children?
One of them said: I have a boy.
The other said: I have a girl.
The wise man said: Marry the girl to the boy, spend the
money on their wedding, and give the rest of it in charity."
(Bukhari, Book 56, No.678)
There are many among us who try to justify
every evil act they commit. They say that they do it for their families or
wives and children. Their wives or children won’t be able to save them from the
Hellfire if they don’t have good deeds to their accounts. Everybody will be
responsible for his/her own deeds.
يٰأَيُّهَا
ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُوۤاْ إِنَّ مِنْ أَزْوَاجِكُمْ وَأَوْلاَدِكُمْ
عَدُوّاً
لَّكُمْ فَٱحْذَرُوهُمْ وَإِن تَعْفُواْ وَتَصْفَحُواْ
وَتَغْفِرُواْ
فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
“O you who believe! Truly, among your wives
“O you who believe! Truly, among your wives
and your children are (some that are)
enemies to
yourselves; so beware of them! But if you
efface
and overlook, and forgive (their faults),
verily,
Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
(al-Quran 64:14)
We are desperately looking for the temporary riches of this
material world, ignoring completely the everlasting riches of the Hereafter. A
normal person, in his right frame of mind, cannot make a stupid choice. But
most of us make it. What’s wrong with us? Even Allah asks us:
قُلْ
هَلْ مِن شُرَكَآئِكُمْ مَّن يَهْدِيۤ إِلَى ٱلْحَقِّ
قُلِ
ٱللَّهُ يَهْدِى لِلْحَقِّ أَفَمَن يَهْدِيۤ إِلَى ٱلْحَقِّ
أَحَقُّ
أَن يُتَّبَعَ أَمَّن لاَّ يَهِدِّيۤ إِلاَّ أَن يُهْدَىٰ فَمَا
لَكُمْ
كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ
“Say: Of your 'partners' is there any that
“Say: Of your 'partners' is there any that
can give any guidance towards truth? Say:
It is Allah Who gives guidance towards
Truth. Is then He Who gives guidance to truth
more worthy to be followed, or he who
finds
not guidance (himself) unless he is
guided?
What then is the matter with you?
How do you judge?"
(al-Quran 10:35)
Corruption has impaired our judgment. We are so crooked and
dishonest that we have started to think like fools or idiots. We consider
ourselves too smart as we try to fool even the Almighty Allah. In fact, we are
only fooling ourselves! To avoid good deeds that require ‘spending’ (charity),
we find excuses. Instead of giving, we love taking. But all the wealth and
material we have accumulated, will not avail us.
يٰأَيُّهَا
ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ
ٱنفِرُواْ
فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱثَّاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى ٱلأَرْضِ أَرَضِيتُمْ
بِٱلْحَيَاةِ
ٱلدُّنْيَا مِنَ ٱلآخِرَةِ فَمَا مَتَاعُ ٱلْحَيَاةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا
فِى
ٱلآخِرَةِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ
“O you who believe! What is the matter with
“O you who believe! What is the matter with
you, that when you are asked to go forth
in the
cause of Allah, you cling heavily to the
earth?
Do you prefer the life of this world to
the
Hereafter? But little is the comfort of
this
life, as compared with the Hereafter.”
(al-Quran 9:38)
إِنَّمَآ
أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلاَدُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَٱللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ
“Your riches and your children may be
“Your riches and your children may be
but a trial, but in the Presence of Allah
is the highest Reward.”
(al-Quran 64:15)
Money (wealth) is the biggest trial for mankind. We love it
and don’t want to part with it. We don’t easily share it with others either. In
the back of our minds, there is fear of losing it. We forget that it is Allah
Who gives it to us and He can take it away in a blink. It is not difficult for
Allah to shuffle things up.
يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ
آمَنُواْ لاَ تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلاَدُكُمْ
عَن ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ
وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَـٰئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَاسِرُونَ
“O you who believe!
Let not your wealth
nor your children
distract you from
remembrance of Allah.
Those who
do so, they are the
losers.”
(al-Quran 63:9)
Wealth should not become a distraction. The true servants of
Allah always remember Him and when they have a little wealth, they remember
Allah even more. They know that they have to share this wealth with the needy
because they (the poor) have a share in their wealth.
The Prophet (s.a.w.) and his wives never kept the money in
the house. Whenever it was given to them, no matter how much, it was given away
or distributed among the needy of the area immediately.
Money is dear and it is very easy to fall in love with it. But
the more you have, the more you will be questioned about it on the Day of Judgment.
The worst thing that wealth brings, is the greed that results in corruption. It
is never enough. We always want more.
Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w.) said that if somebody had one
valley of wealth (‘maal’), he tries to get another one. And if he had two valleys
of wealth, still it won’t be enough for him and he strives for the third one.
The only thing that can fill up his belly (greed) is the dust of grave.
In other words we keep striving for wealth until death comes
to us and we leave everything behind. How silly!
Abdullah bin Aamer bin Kreedh wanted to buy a house. He saw
one that he liked and contacted the owner, Khalid bin Aqaba. The price was
settled for 90-thousand Dirhams. When the house was sold and Khalid told his
family that they had to move out. His wife and children were shocked. They felt
hurt and sad, and started crying. When the night fell, Abdullah heard the
crying voices of women and children. He asked his wife to inquire about it. She
told him that it was the family of Khalid bin Aqaba. They were grieved at the
loss of their house. Abdullah bin Aamer immediately sent his servant to Khalid’s
house with a message that the sale deal was cancelled. The house was theirs and
they could also keep the money he paid for the house.
The house had been given back to them as a gift from Abdullah
bin Aamer. Allah-o- Akbar!
Those were the people with heart, who feared Allah and
always wanted to please the Almighty with their noble deeds. No wonder they
were blessed by Allah not only in this world but also in the Hereafter. Can you
find a single Muslim like that in the entire Muslim World today? There are many
Muslim millionaires in various countries of the world though.
We should be accumulating good deeds for the Hereafter and
abstain from accumulating the wealth in this world. Jubair bin Nafeer narrates
a Hadith that our beloved Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w.) said:
“The Almighty Allah did not send
me the message (‘wahee’) to become a trader and accumulate wealth. Instead, He
sent me the message to glorify Him, praise Him, prostrate unto Him in prayer, and
keep worshipping Allah until death comes to me in that state.”
As a matter of fact Prophet Muhammed
(s.a.w.) was referring to the last two verses of Surah al-Hijar in the Holy
Quran. In those verses, the Almighty Allah addressed the Last Prophet (s.a.w.)
and said:
فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ
رَبِّكَ وَكُنْ مِّنَ ٱلسَّاجِدِينَ
وَٱعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ
حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَكَ ٱلْيَقِينُ
“But hymn the praise
of your Lord, and
be of those who make
prostration (unto Him);
and serve your Lord
till the inevitable (death)
comes unto you.”
(al-Quran 15:98-99)
**********
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