We are created beings, and no one knows us better than Allah Ta’ala who created us. Only Divine Guidance from Him can solve our problems in the best way possible and guarantee us true happiness. Allah Ta’ala knows our intricate make up and has sent guidance to ensure that our lives function at their optimum and that we don’t self-destruct.
One of the inbuilt qualities in man is greed. If it is left unchecked, it becomes what the Ulama of Tasawwuf and self-reformation define as the root of all things destructive in this world and within ourselves. Exploitation, wars, strife and disputes are just some of the consequences of uncontrolled greed. People’s rights are trampled and even the cause of immorality is the greed for pleasure.
Greed is a sin that causes a person to disobey Allah Ta’ala in pursuit of personal pleasure. Greed can significantly distort our relationship with money leading to unhealthy attributes and behaviour, causing us to be irrational. Greed is an intense and selfish desire for wealth, power, food, influence, pleasure, privileges and in fact anything good. What makes it problematic is that it is a relentless pursuit of gain and influence at the expense of ethical considerations and the well-being of others. It is characterized by an excessive and insatiable appetite for more, regardless of the consequences.
The modern world is built on a culture of greed.
People are encouraged to do whatever makes them happy, to chase their dreams, and not care about what anyone else says. Religion, morality, and family are cast aside for the sake of personal pleasure. It creates a soulless, godless, narcissist, hyper individualistic society.
Milton Friedman speaks for the capitalistic ideology of greed when he says, “We need to destigmatize greed. There’s nothing wrong with being greedy. Greed is good, greed is right, greed works.” In the book The Spirit of Capitalism, the author argues that greed is what makes some nations better than others. This then is the philosophy of the capitalist driven society we are born into. We are indoctrinated to desire things we don’t need and to need things we don’t desire. We absorb this philosophy into our daily lives, and we start feeling deprived if we don’t have something which others have even though we might have no actual need for it.
The Islamic philosophy and teaching on greed is radically different to this.
Islam does not discourage seeking wealth or permissible pleasures, but indicates that checks, balances and moderation are necessary. We are encouraged to set goals, have a vision, work hard and never give up. Realistically it is the quality of ambition within limits which pushes us to improve and raise the bar. At the same time we are taught to be grateful for each day, be content with our destiny after making the effort, avoid comparing ourselves to others, and to enjoy the little things in life.
- The Islamic concept at its root is based on radha bil qadr, to be content with Divine destiny. “Is it they who allocate the mercy of your Lord? We have allocated among them their livelihood in the worldly life and have raised some of them over others in ranks, so that some of them may put some others to work.” (Noble Quran 43:32) Allah Ta’ala makes it abundantly clear that He is in charge of giving us money, wealth, income and ultimately all that we desire. How much we earn is not based on skill, talent, effort or intelligence. Society is designed in such a way that everyone has something that someone else needs. The wealthy need people to collect the dirt, clean their homes and give them a haircut, and the dirt collector, maid and barber need the doctors and dentists. The different levels of society are determined by Divine Decree. Each level of society can benefit from the others.
- Allah Ta’ala knows what’s best for us in every circumstance even though we might not understand or fathom it. The Israelites were being mercilessly persecuted by the Pharaoh even when they had accepted the message of Prophet Moosa alaihis salaam, much like how the Palestinians are undergoing genocide at the hands of the modern-day Pharaohs, the Israelis. Yet this difficult situation had a greater Divine Wisdom behind it. “We intended to favor those who were held as weak in the land, and to make them leaders and make them inheritors, and give them power in the land.” (Noble Quran 28:5-6) The oppressed people were given the lofty ranks of Paradise if they were killed or died, while the survivors were given complete freedom and power. On the other hand the oppressors failed the test and earned places in Hell.
Sometimes a good person is not given a lot of money because his nature is such that having a lot will lead him astray to Hell. For him it is better not to have as the wealth will corrupt him. Once the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam was giving money to a group of people. Sa’ad radhiallahu anhu noticed that he had left out a good man. He requested that the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam give him money. At the third time, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam replied that at times he does not give to a good person out of fear that the wealth would take him to Hell. (Bukhari) He might gain the world but lose the Hereafter. Not giving him money will be better for him.
All spiritual philosophies and faiths condemn and frown on greed. The Greek philosophers depicted greed as a vice that leads to moral and societal decay. Erich Fromm said, “Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.”
Abd al-Rahman III was one of the most powerful men of his time. Emir of Cordoba from 912 to 929, and later the Caliph of Cordoba from 929 to 961, he ruled over the Islamic state in Andalus, which covered most of today’s Spain and Portugal. He noted in his diary, “I have now reigned above fifty years in victory and peace. Beloved by my subjects, dreaded by my enemies, and respected by my allies. Riches and honors, power and pleasure, have waited on my call, nor does any earthly blessing appear to have diligently numbered the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen on my lot, they amount to fourteen. O man! Do not place your confidence in this present world.” An astute observation was made that there is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed.
The modern era on the other hand has glamorized it, particularly in the capitalistic societies where success is frequently measured by material wealth and financial achievements.
Greed is very sternly warned against in the Hadith:
- The Hadith warns us, “Beware of greed, for it was greed that destroyed those before you. It commanded them to be miserly and they did so. It commanded them to break family ties, and they did so. It commanded them to behave wickedly, and they did so.” (Abu Dawood)
The warning is clear. Unrestricted desires lead to Hell and to destruction in this world as well. Greed is mentioned as the cause of destruction of past nations. Some were destroyed in their greed for power, others in their greed for wealth, and yet others in their greed for immoral lustful actions. The Hadith explains three ways in which greed corrupts the soul and leads to evil deeds. Greed leads to miserliness and leaving out the noble quality of generosity. The second sin mentioned in this Hadith is breaking family ties. How often are family ties broken over business disputes, wranglings over inheritance, and greed for extra money? The third sin mentioned is immorality. This could refer to people doing immoral deeds to earn money like prostitutes, or people being greedy for immorality like sex addicts and sexual deviants. Greed is the key to the dark world of exploitation for sexual pleasure. In pursuit of lust, the most vulnerable in society are exploited, small kids are abused, and women are trafficked. Currently a 74-year-old French surgeon is on trial for abusing 299 patients, mainly children with an average age of 11, over a 30-year career. He even detailed this abuse in notebooks.
All three results of greed mentioned in this Hadith are devastating, not just to the soul, but to the family and society as well. Paedophilia and some of the worst abuses of the most vulnerable in society is due to unbridled greed for personal pleasure.
- “The son of Adam grows old but remains young in two matters: greed for wealth and greed for long life.” (Muslim)
This Hadith reminds us that greed never ends. Two things that people desire the most in this world is a long life and a lot of wealth. Neither of these are bad things in themselves. Both wealth and a long life can be blessings if used in ways that are pleasing to Allah Ta’ala. This Hadith is not a condemnation of these desires but an observation of human nature. Human beings never give up the desire for wealth and a long life, even if they are old and wealthy. This Hadith is a reminder to us that nothing will ever be enough. No life is long enough, and no amount of money is ever enough for those who do not make an effort to keep their greed in check.
- “If the son of Adam had two valleys full of wealth, he would desire a third. Nothing will fill his belly but the dust of the grave, yet Allah relents to those who repent.” (Bukhari)
This Hadith is a firm reminder that greed is insatiable. A greedy soul will consume you and take you down dark places. There is no amount of wealth, possessions, fame, accomplishments, or sexual adventures that can satisfy the greedy soul. Kidnappings are on the rise in South Africa, even of small kids. Nothing is driving that evil except a greed for more money.
Planned obsolescence and greed
There is an interesting story that illustrates how the modern concept of greed has become mainstream, and how the concept of consumerism was engineered. Prior to this, humanity largely built things to last, and people would buy only what they needed. There’s a light bulb in a fire station in San Fransico which has been in use since 1901. Made by the Shelby Electric Company, it is nothing extraordinary in itself with a hand-blown carbon filament originally emitting 30 watts. So why could such an old bulb still work while we need to change ours every so often? This is the secret behind consumerism. In 1932 the world’s biggest electrical companies who made not only lightbulbs but supplied the world with street lighting, copper wires for phone lines, cabling for ships, trains and tram lines, fridges, ovens and electrics for cars, homes and offices met and formed the Phoebus Cartel. They made a policy decision to put anyone out of business who created a lightbulb that lasted more than six months. They systemised how long each appliance should last. Planned obsolescence or building an item to last for a limited period of time was concocted and the continuous upgrade was created.
Greed for money drove them to disregard the consumer. Humanity caught up with the idea of obsolescence, so they came up with engineered dissatisfaction, where you very quickly do not feel satisfied with what you have. The 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air was the first car and product designed to engineer dissatisfaction. It had a blue sheen on the dashboard and was meant to be an accessory with your handbag or coat. But they already had a catalogue of what the upgrade would look like in six months’ time. Largely similar under the hood but with new details in styling, add-ons, tailfins and colours. They forced the consumer to be unhappy with his new purchase very soon after buying it.
That is the principle which has people queuing for the latest smartphone which is pretty much like the old model with incremental improvements and throwing out expensive models to have the latest on offer. Now you had the rolling upgrade where you yourself felt that you were making an informed decision to upgrade and that your current item was inadequate. Reliability and long-term performance became irrelevant. What mattered was cosmetic change.
Where does this constant need for upgrade end? Greed to be the perfect biological human is what makes people in Beijing pay up to R600 for a canister of pure mountain oxygen pumped from the Canadian Rocky Mountains. A canister of what they call “the cleanest air on earth” will last you around 17 minutes! Another company sells air sourced from different regions for R23,000 for a 580ml jar which will last you about a minute! Greed for betterment blinds us to how ridiculous some things actually are, and how incredulous we can become.
Greed drives conflict
Western scholars have advanced the theory that greed is the major cause of armed conflict and war, bringing in its wake exploitation of people. From the sweatshops of Asia where brand name clothing is manufactured under slave conditions to the wars on Afghanistan for control of their mineral resources, greed for gain through control of goods and resources powers wars and exploitation.
DR Congo is a country continually in the grip of war and instability due to the wealth of its mineral resources. The second largest country in Africa and the 11th largest in the world, it was run as King Leopold II of Belgium’s personal possession from 1885-1908. He extracted a fortune from the territory using forced labour to build his wealth. He used systematic brutality and atrocities including forced labour, torture, murder, kidnapping and the amputation of hands and feet of men, women and children when the quota for rubber was not met. That instability continues today with Tantalum being just one example of the rare minerals found there. It is used in smartphones and weighs less than half a garden pea, yet it is essential for smartphones and almost all other sophisticated electronic devices to function. It can hold a high charge while operating in a range of temperatures making it ideal material for tiny capacitors which temporarily store energy. 40% of this mineral comes from the DR Congo.
Abdur Rahman ibn Auf radhiallahu anhu once made this Dua for an entire Tawaaf, “Oh Allah, protect me from the greed of my soul.” When he was asked why he made this Dua, he replied, “When I safeguard myself from the greed of my soul, I safeguard myself from miserliness, greed and breaking of family ties.”
Unbridled greed results in frustration because when a person is not content with what he has been given, he has continuous desires, and it is impossible for us to gain and fulfil all our desires. This leads to perpetual worry, anxiety and unease.
The hadith informs us that the richest person is the one who is most content, “Be satisfied with what Allah has set out for you and you shall be the richest of the people.” (Tirmidhi) Another hadith points out, “He Is successful who has accepted Islam, who has been provided with sufficient for his want and been made contented by Allah with what He has given him.” (Muslim)
Benefits and blessings of being content with the Divine Decree:
- One who has this quality has less stress and anxiety in life because these stem from fear of the unknown. When we are connected with our Creator who controls tomorrow, the anxiety lessens.
- “When Allah loves a people He subjects them to trials. So whoever is content, then for him is the pleasure (of Allah Ta’ala).” (Tirmidhi) Whoever is content with Allah Ta’ala’s decisions will gain His Pleasure. Being content means you can still try for better. It doesn’t necessarily equate with happiness. The people of Gaza are still content with the Decree of Allah Ta’ala after a year of horror although they still feel the pain and anguish. The Sahaba radhiallahu anhum had this quality of being pleased with Allah Ta’ala’s decisions and thus earned the accolade of His Pleasure, “Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him.” (Noble Quran 9:100)
We are not all built exactly the same. Our strength and range of desires differ and Islam takes cognisance of this and caters to all of mankind. There is leeway in Islam and we all need to decide how much we need or want within the spectrum of permissibility. Some might be more immersed in business than others but still fulfilling their religious obligations. Others might be more immersed in worship. The main priority is to get to Paradise.
The Sunnah teaches us that the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam occasionally enjoyed the pleasures of the world such as fine clothes and good food, but he did not go out of his way to attain them. Not everyone is on the same level. As long as you do not engage in Haraam and are carrying out the Fardh acts then there is no problem in enjoying Halaal pleasure.
Wealth is a tool which more often than not corrupts but not always. Enjoy it while fulfilling your obligations to Allah Ta’ala and humanity and raise your bar of piety. We can’t realistically live without desires if we are human and not everything, we yearn for is evil in itself. Capitalism says that all desire is good while some ideologies shun the world and call all of it evil. Islam takes the middle ground with the world not being the most important priority. There is wisdom beyond our intellect in what we get or not. We can want better for tomorrow, but we need to be content with what we have today and accept the status quo after having made the effort.
We are taught a Dua in the Noble Quran, “Oh Allah, grants us goodness in this world and goodness in the next world.” Yearning itself is thus not greed because we are being taught to ask of the good things of this world. The Hadith tells us, “Good, lawful wealth is excellent for a pious man.” (Al Adab Al Mufrad)
Being content does not mean that we sit down at home and do nothing to earn a living. We need to make the effort and strive but after all that we accept the final, Divine outcome. We don’t prioritize what we yearn for over what we actually gain. Our desires do not interfere with what is more important: our relationship with Allah Ta’ala, our faith, Salaah, etc.
“Men whom no trade or sale make neglectful of the remembrance of Allah, nor from establishing Salaah and paying Zakaat.” (Noble Quran 24:37) This verse indicates that wealth should not prevent people from the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala. These people are described as people of trade and business, people who strive to earn, yet the wealth is not the overriding priority of their lives as in the Western capitalist system.
How do we keep greed in check?
- Reduce expenditure so that there is less concern to earn more. Budgeting is described as a quality of the special servants of Allah Ta’ala. Have mindful spending and learn to control impulse buying.
- Do not overly concern yourself with the future and what is yet to happen or come your way.
- Cultivate gratitude by appreciating what you have currently and looking at those who are less fortunate.
- Ramadaan teaches us how to control our desires from turning to greed. We stay away from Halaal food, drink and sexual pleasures. It provides a method of training that shows us how to keep desires in check. We follow a timetable and have order in our day for Sehri, Salaah, Taraweeh, Iftar and recitation of the Noble Quran. It helps us curb impulse eating and buying. If this spirit of Ramadaan can become a reality after Ramadaan, then the Muslim community will be a society of respect and honour where the less privileged are taken care of.
Controlling desires, looking with empathy at the less fortunate and being content with our lot are key ingredients in building self-control and curbing greed.
- Re-evaluate what success means. Embrace a minimalist, simple lifestyle and set meaningful goals, not limitless aspirations. Success should not be judged on wealth but a holistic, fulfilling lifestyle.
Greed leads us to exploit others and makes for an evil world, while contentment and looking out for others brings true happiness and joy.
COMMENTS