SPIRIT OF ISLAM MARCH 2O18

26 Spirit of Islam Issue 63 March 2018 THE MONEY CULTURE For Need, not Greed W EALTH is one of life’s necessities. But it is not life’s goal. If wealth is necessary to fulfill life’s material requirements, then it must be acquired as the mainstay of human existence. But if wealth is projected as life’s goal and its ever-increasing acquisition is considered the most important task, then it can become a source of great misery, which will destroy its seekers not only in this world but also in the Hereafter. Man has to live in this world for a certain period of time. For this, he requires some material facilities, which may serve as a support in his life. The majority of these things must be purchased with money. So it is essential for everyone to provide himself with the means to do so. In this respect wealth is a precious asset for all of us. This world is a testing ground and man has been given freedom, and therefore everything which a man receives is for a test, including wealth. Based on this concept of the creation plan, wealth is also for the purpose of a test. The proper use of money leads man to all kinds of progress, whereas the wrong use of it casts man headlong into the pit of destruction. Relative to money, there are two cultures prevailing in our society— money for the sake of man and man for the sake of money. The Quran rejects the concept of man for the sake of money, subscribing to the other concept that money is for the sake of man. In the chapter Al- Takathur (Greed for more and more) the Quran has this to say: You were obsessed by greed for more and more till you reached the grave. (102: 1-2) According to the Quranic concept, money or material goods are only meant to fulfil man’s needs. Money is not a goal in itself. Money can fulfil the physical requirements of man, but man is more than a physical entity. Man is an intellectual being, and as such can only find fulfilment in pursuing some alternative goal which is higher than that of money. Man is greater than money. Man should live for a higher purpose, and he should use money solely as his material base for constructive activity.