"And seek the (betterment of) the Ultimate Abode with what Allah has given to you, and do not neglect your share from this world, and do good (to others) as Allah did good to you, and do not seek to make mischief in the land. Surely Allah does not like the mischief-makers." Surah Al-Qasas 77.
Translation copied from the English translation of Ma'ariful Qur'an.
If a person is using his duniya (material possessions) for the purpose of making Allah SWT happy then this duniya does not remain duniya but turns into deen (religion), and becomes a way of earning thawab (virtue). In a verse (translation above) of the Holy Quran Allah SWT has guided us how to turn our duniya into deen.
"And seek the (betterment of) the Ultimate Abode with what Allah has given to you"
In this verse Allah SWT has given an advice to Qaroon who was an extremely rich man in the days of Hazrat Musa AS. It has been mentioned in the Quran that he was so rich that he needed many servants just to carry the keys of his treasures. In this verse Qaroon has not been advised to throw away or give away all his money. Rather he has been advised that use the wealth and the riches that Allah SWT has granted to you to make your eternal life better.
By saying "what Allah has given to you" Allah SWT has pointed out that regardless of however intelligent, however smart, however skilled a person is, his material success is dependent upon Allah's blessing. How many people we see who we know to be intelligent and smart but they never succeed in making money.
"do not neglect your share from this world"
Now the question is how do we turn our duniya (worldly possessions) into deen (eternal virtues)? Does it mean we give away, everything we possess, in charity? Some people believe that the only way of turning your wealth into deen is to give it all away in charity. But that is not correct as in this sentence Quran Karim is clearly saying that do not give away your share from this world, but to keep it and use it.
"do good (to others) as Allah did good to you"
But Quran has further advised that the best way to use that wealth is to share it with people who are less fortunate than us and remember to be kind to others just like Allah SWT has been kind to us.
"do not seek to make mischief in the land"
What it means is that there are certain means of gathering wealth that Allah SWT has declared Halal (permissible), and there are certain ways that Allah has declared Hara'am (forbidden). If a person uses Hara'am methods to gather wealth then, according to Quran, he/she causes Fasaad (anarchy) in this world. Stealing, dacoity, taking another person'e money using illicit means, defrauding someone out of money, are all Hara'am. If people start using these Hara'am means to get rich it eventually leads to anarchy in the world. That is why Quran is telling us that by all means we can try to earn more, but we should always consider whether that particular form of making money is Hara'am or Halal. If it is Hara'am then stay away from it no matter how tempting it is. And acquire your wealth through Halal means.
The message is that when trying to make money avoid Hara'am means, and carry out the financial duties that have been imposed upon you, whether it is obligatory Zakat or non-obligatory Sadaqah or Khairat (alms). Be kind to others as Allah SWT has been kind to you. If a person adheres to these principles, and says Shukr (thanks) to Allah SWT for all the blessings Allah SWT has showered on them, then all the blessings and wealth of this world will turn into deen.
Adapted from the talk "Is financial wealth just duniya (material)?" by Mufti Taqi Usmani DB
Translation copied from the English translation of Ma'ariful Qur'an.
If a person is using his duniya (material possessions) for the purpose of making Allah SWT happy then this duniya does not remain duniya but turns into deen (religion), and becomes a way of earning thawab (virtue). In a verse (translation above) of the Holy Quran Allah SWT has guided us how to turn our duniya into deen.
"And seek the (betterment of) the Ultimate Abode with what Allah has given to you"
In this verse Allah SWT has given an advice to Qaroon who was an extremely rich man in the days of Hazrat Musa AS. It has been mentioned in the Quran that he was so rich that he needed many servants just to carry the keys of his treasures. In this verse Qaroon has not been advised to throw away or give away all his money. Rather he has been advised that use the wealth and the riches that Allah SWT has granted to you to make your eternal life better.
By saying "what Allah has given to you" Allah SWT has pointed out that regardless of however intelligent, however smart, however skilled a person is, his material success is dependent upon Allah's blessing. How many people we see who we know to be intelligent and smart but they never succeed in making money.
"do not neglect your share from this world"
Now the question is how do we turn our duniya (worldly possessions) into deen (eternal virtues)? Does it mean we give away, everything we possess, in charity? Some people believe that the only way of turning your wealth into deen is to give it all away in charity. But that is not correct as in this sentence Quran Karim is clearly saying that do not give away your share from this world, but to keep it and use it.
"do good (to others) as Allah did good to you"
But Quran has further advised that the best way to use that wealth is to share it with people who are less fortunate than us and remember to be kind to others just like Allah SWT has been kind to us.
"do not seek to make mischief in the land"
What it means is that there are certain means of gathering wealth that Allah SWT has declared Halal (permissible), and there are certain ways that Allah has declared Hara'am (forbidden). If a person uses Hara'am methods to gather wealth then, according to Quran, he/she causes Fasaad (anarchy) in this world. Stealing, dacoity, taking another person'e money using illicit means, defrauding someone out of money, are all Hara'am. If people start using these Hara'am means to get rich it eventually leads to anarchy in the world. That is why Quran is telling us that by all means we can try to earn more, but we should always consider whether that particular form of making money is Hara'am or Halal. If it is Hara'am then stay away from it no matter how tempting it is. And acquire your wealth through Halal means.
The message is that when trying to make money avoid Hara'am means, and carry out the financial duties that have been imposed upon you, whether it is obligatory Zakat or non-obligatory Sadaqah or Khairat (alms). Be kind to others as Allah SWT has been kind to you. If a person adheres to these principles, and says Shukr (thanks) to Allah SWT for all the blessings Allah SWT has showered on them, then all the blessings and wealth of this world will turn into deen.
Adapted from the talk "Is financial wealth just duniya (material)?" by Mufti Taqi Usmani DB
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