Piousness & Prosperity

Piousness is God-consciousness, being a believer of God and the Hereafter and one who is constantly mindful in putting into practice all rituals that God has ordained and in behaving with people kindly. He should be steadfast in upholding equity among people and not wronging them. Furthermore he should only act in accordance with God’s ordinances and should not go against them. And in case he does a wrongdoing than he becomes immediately regretful and repents to God, asking his forgiveness, and makes an effort not to repeat that action again. But piousness is not in contradiction with seeking prosperity, which all human beings seek.

Prosperity is the condition of being successful in thriving for the economic well-being. This is a natural aspiration for any human being, God says in the Qur’an: “Say: Who is there to forbid the adornment of God which He has brought forth for his creatures, and the good things of God’s sustenance? Say: These, on the Day of Resurrection shall be exclusively for those who believed during the life of this world. Thus We detail the signs for a people who know” (7:32).

In the life of this world God gives whatever He likes to whomever He wants, whether those who get more wealth or those who get less are believers in God or non-believers, there is no restriction and no biasing in this regard. God says: “Whoever desires the hasty world, We hasten for him therein whatever We will, for whom We please. Then We appoint for him Hell, to which he will be exposed, condemned, and rejected. And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it with the necessary effort being a believer – for such their effort will find favour. Each We supply (to) these and (to) those from your Lord’s bounty. And your Lord’s bounty is not confined” (17:18-20).

And in fact, God with His Wisdom has made all human beings different from each other, in their physical, mental or emotional characteristics, and consequently they differ in their skills and knowledge for earning their livelihood. These differences are for the well-being of the society and in their interaction with one another. God says in the Qur’an: “And He it is Who has made you successors in the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees, so that He may try you in what He has given you. Surely your Lord is swift in punishment; and surely He is Forgiving, Merciful”  (6:165).

In the life of this world there are two areas for which one competes: one of them is the material prosperity and the other is the moral improvement. Both require effort. One strives to achieve what he wants for his livelihood, for which he is recompensed more or less from His abundance. Here we say: God apportions to him, but if he does not strive for it, then He is to be blamed.

As for the moral side of his life, one needs to strive to be good with one's self, with his parents and kinfolk, and with the society at large. It is God and only God who can show him the good and the bad, the right and the wrong, so he should follow the Right Path. As Muslims say in their prayers: “ihdina as-sirat-al-mustaqeem” (O God, guide us to the Right Path), then they should strive to stay on it.

The Qur’an related the position of people of Makkah and Ta’if who did not accept the prophethood of Muhammad (God’s blessings upon him), they said: "Why would God send His message to this person (whose greatness and ethics they recognized, but he was not wealthy), and why not to one of the famous wealthy personalities of Makkah or Ta’if". Then God revealed the following revelation:  “Is it they who apportion the mercy of your Lord?  We have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of this world, and raised some of them above others by degrees, so that some of them may take others in service, and the mercy of your Lord is better than what they amass” (43:32)

In the last verse God made a comparison of two things: that He apportions to people their necessary livelihood (to some of them more abundantly than others) for a purpose (i.e. to test them). And He appointed the personality which He preferred so as to convey His Grace and Mercy to all of mankind, and this is the Prophet (peace be upon him): “And We did not send you (o Muhammad) except as a mercy to all the worlds” (21:107). “And it was by the mercy of God that you were lenient with them; had you been harsh and fierce of heart, they would have dispersed from around you …” (3:159).

But we have to be clear that although this Guidance is a mercy from God for all the worlds, yet only those who strive for God's sake, following the guidance of the Qur’an and the Prophet towards the Right Path – only these will find ways to please Him: “As for those who strive for Our sake, We shall assuredly guide them in Our ways, and truly God is with the virtuous” (29:69).

Although we have to be pleased with God’s diverse bounties (worldly prosperity and God’s guidance for a pleasant hereafter), yet the Qur’an often reminds its readers that worldly prosperity is short-lived, while moral rectitude will last forever. God says: “O mankind! There has come to you an admonition from your Lord, and a healing for (all the ill) that may be in the breasts, and a guidance, and a mercy for those who believe. Say: so then, with this bounty and His Mercy, let them then rejoice: it is better than (the worldly wealth) that they may amass” (10:57-58).

Then it is more worthy to rejoice in the rewards of the hereafter. Yet we need also to be aware that we cannot find this best bounty without passing through the difficult test of the material life. God says: “And whatever you are given (now) is but for the (passing) enjoyment of life in this world – whereas that which is with God is far better and more enduring. (It shall be given) to all who attain to faith and put their trust in their Lord” (42:36).

And how to put one’s trust in God? Maybe some people will say: if you have trust in God, then He will do all what you want, and all what you need, because He is capable of doing all things by His order “Be!” and it will be. To those I say: We should be mindful of our capabilities and make proper use of them, as it is a mandate from Him for us, so that we do what needs to be done, in order to attain the prosperity that we seek, and all good deeds and behaviour we need to achieve. And if we are sure about it and do our best, then we have the right to ask Him for support and help and success. But if we do not strive ourselves, then we cannot call claim to put our trust in God.