LOVE OF PROPERTY

The property or wealth obtained through forbidden (harâm) means will not be property of a person. Using such illegally obtained property is forbidden. Collecting permissible (halâl) property which is in excess of one’s necessity is a disliked action (makrûh) in Islam. Not giving its “zakât” will cause punishment in the next world (âkhirat). Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “Curses be on those who enslave themselves to gold and silver!” A slave always tries to gain the favor of his master. Running after worldly possessions is worse than trying to satisfy the appetites or desires of the nafs. If running after possessions and money causes one to forget about the commandments of Allâhu ta’âlâ, then it is called “love for the world.” The devil will take possession of a heart wherein the dhikr (remembering and mentioning the Name of Allâhu ta’âlâ) does not take place. The most sneaky trick the devil plays on a person is to encourage him to perform pious deeds so that he will regard himself as a pious and good person. A person who has fallen for such complacency has become a slave to himself. A hadîth-i-sherîf reads as follows: “In the past, all followers ‘’ummats’ of prophets were tested with various instigations ‘fitnas’. Hoarding property and money is the kind of fitna with which my Ummat (Muslims) will be tempted.” They will be pursuing the riches of the world in such assiduity as to forget about the Hereafter.