Endless Greed and Desire

[ummtaalib]

Endless Greed and Desire

 

Sayyiduna Anas Radhiyallahu Anhu narrates that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam said, “If the son of Aadam has two valleys of wealth, he will desire a third valley (of wealth), and nothing will fill the belly of the son of Aadam besides sand (of the grave), and Allah Ta‘ala forgives those who repent to him.” (Muslim #2415)

 

On account of his carnal nature, man is ambitious and greedy. The more he has, the more he wants. If we have three pairs of shoes, we will still pine for the fourth. If the latest phone is released, we will not be satisfied until we upgrade by acquiring it. If we fly business class, we will hanker after flying first class. If we drive a German vehicle, we will wish that we drove an Italian supercar, and the list goes on.

 

In essence, there is no end to the greed of man. If he devotes himself to amassing wealth, so that he can fulfil his dreams and ambitions, his mission will never end, as the horizon of his ambitions will simply continue to expand. In this manner, his life will end without him having secured happiness and satisfaction.

The only thing that will curb this insatiable craving is the sand of the grave. Sadly, it is then too late for a person to attend to his primary objective – preparing for the Hereafter. Thus, we need to wake up to reality – no amount of wealth, clothing, holidays, social events and functions or anything else of this material world will help us in the Hereafter or even bring us true satisfaction and happiness in this world. Rather, true happiness lies in being content and making shukr (expressing gratitude) for what you have, not in acquiring what you do not have.

 

Finally, after realizing that we have been exhausting our energy, time and resources in the wrong avenue, there is no need for us to be depressed and despondent, as Allah Ta‘ala will forgive us if we turn to Him in sincere repentance.

Uswatul Muslimah