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People usually think that Allah only loves those who have been blessed with wealth, good health, luxurious houses and cars, beautiful spouses, many children, good education, and every other good thing one can readily imagine. Is that really the case? Does Allah love those who are wealthy more than those who are not? In this article on Islam4u, we will dive into this matter more deeply.
How Happiness is Defined
So people think you must have everything that defines happiness to be a successful person Allah loves. However, if we go and ask such people who are fabulously rich, or filthy rich, whether they feel happy or not, what will they say? There are always exceptions. However, many such people say that they have many problems in life. Problems that people who aren’t so well-off don’t. This misconception that rich people are the happiest and Allah loves them has resulted in the following:
- People spend their whole lives making as much money as they can in the hopes of one day becoming rich.
- People who aren’t so rich think that Allah doesn’t love them for not making them prosperous.
- People have become envious of such people and wish they would also be like them.
- People have disregarded other aspects of happiness that are immaterial, such as a healthy body, sufficient food to feed oneself and one’s family, and most importantly a good heart that always remembers Allah and thanks Him for what He has given them.
Why This Belief Is Flawed
Allah does not say in the Quran that He gives riches to those He loves. On the contrary, He speaks about rich people, such as Qarun (Korah), about whom Allah says He Himself had given him immense riches yet he did not listen to the prophet of his time Moses. As a result, he was punished by the earth swallowing him and all his wealth. Therefore, just because someone is rich it does not mean that Allah has favored them.
Almost all the prophets of Allah, including Prophet Muhammad, lived very simple lives and were not quite rich. Most of the prophets were shepherds, which shows that their job status wasn’t as high as people would expect. Nevertheless, Allah loves His prophets and all those who serve Him more than anyone else.
Then what is the reason behind Allah making certain people rich and some poor if it has nothing to do with how much He loves them? The answer is not as simple as one would think.
Wealth Is a Means of Test
Allah makes two points in the Quran concerning why and how some people have been given more wealth than others. First, Allah says in 64:15:
إِنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ ۚ وَاللَّهُ عِندَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿١٥﴾
Your possessions, and children are only a test, and Allah—with Him is a great reward!
This means that we will be tested on how we make use of our wealth. If we are very wealthy, do we help the poor? Do we pay all the Islamic taxes? Do we spend our money on improving the welfare of others? If we aren’t wealthy, do we still strive in the way of Allah to provide for our family? Do we avoid beggary to preserve our dignity? Are we content with whatever Allah gives us? All of these are different ways that Allah tests us with our wealth.
Allah in another verse says:
وَاللَّهُ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
And Allah provides for whomever He wishes without any reckoning.
Therefore, Allah gives as much wealth as He wants to whoever He wants based on nothing that we can reason or calculate. For example, He may give a great deal of wealth to someone righteous to test him and see whether he is grateful. On the contrary, He may make someone who is evil very rich once again as a means of testing him. Maybe He wants to show others that being rich is not important. It is how good you are that counts.
How to Get Rid of This Myth and Gain a Better Understanding
Just look at the examples of good and bad people who were wealthy. Why were good people wealthy and why were the evil ones wealthy? Allah had given both of them wealth. However, the righteous ones used it in the right way and thanked Allah for it while the evil ones were driven by greed and followed in the footsteps of Satan.
If we come to realize the fact that wealth is not a sign of Allah’s love for a person, our lives will transform considerably. Allah loves those who are content with what they have yet do not show laziness and work hard to earn a halal income. There have been many people who gradually became wealthy due to their perseverance and reliance on Allah. Even then, they did not forget Allah in the slightest. Then there were and are people who are not so well-off yet they are ever thankful for what Allah has given them. Allah loves those who are grateful for what He has given them whether they are rich or not and does not like those who are ungrateful.
By disposing of the myth of Allah loving those who are rich, you will become much more optimistic about your life. Wealth won’t be such a big issue in your life and you will come closer to Allah. In the end, we have always been advised to look at those who are below us and then thank Allah for making us better than them.
