The Ill Effects of Seeking after status & wealth — Ustaadh Abu Inaayah Seif

The poet said: I knew the evil, not for the evil itself, but in order to abstain from it. For the one who does not know evil from good, then he falls into it.

Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه: The people used to ask the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم about the good. However, I used to ask him about the evil out of fear it may befall me.


Two of the most prominent and widespread diseases plaguing the hearts in our societies are loving and chasing after wealth and status.

•The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم warned us against these two affairs extensively: “Two hungry wolves that have been let loose amongst a flock of sheep - are no more harmful and destructive to those sheep - than a man’s desire and eagerness to acquire wealth and seeking status is destructive to his religion.”

Ibn Rajab رحمه الله: The way the wolves let loose are destructive and a threat to the sheep; the same way the heart is corrupted by these destructive traits.


•The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم: Hasten in performing good deeds before you are overtaken by trials which will be like part of a dark night. A man would be a believer in the morning and a disbeliever in the evening. Or he would be a believer in the evening and disbeliever in the morning. He will sell his religion for a small portion of this Dunya.

•“And you love wealth with immense love.” [Sūrah Fajr, 20]

•Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire - of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with Him the best return. [Sūrah āl-‘Imrān, 14]


Ibn Rajab رحمه الله mentioned that love of wealth is of two types:

1)A severe love of wealth and a constant pursuit of seeking it - from its lawful means.
2)Seeking wealth from any means necessary. This is more severe as this individual denies all the rights that are due upon that wealth.

•“And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul - it is those who will be the successful.” [Sūrah al-Hashr, 9]

•The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم: “Stinginess and Eemaan can never be combined in the heart of the servant ever.”


•Abu Tha’labah came to Abu ‘Umayyah ash-Shābanī رضي الله عنهما to ask him about the āyah:

“O you who have believed, upon you is [responsibility for] yourselves. Those who have gone astray will not harm you when you have been guided.” [Sūrah al-Mā’idah, 105]

He responded “By Allaah, you have asked someone who is well informed. For indeed I asked the Messenger of Allaah about this and he mentioned:

‘Rather you will command with the good and you will forbid the evil; until you see that wealth & miserliness being obeyed, desires being followed, dunya being given preference to, and every single self-amazed person being astounded by his opinion. So, upon you is to be concerned with your own self.’”

This is what we see happening now. Opinionated youth are amazed at themselves and are taken away from their elders and their brothers upon Sunnah - this is from the tricks of the Shaytaan.


When pursuit of wealth reaches such a degree - where it now becomes miserliness and acquiring it through whatever means necessary - an individual’s deen and Eemaan diminishes and weakens in a clear and noticeable way.

What was once tamassuk (clinging firm to the religion of Allaah) now becomes struggling and this is because of his love of wealth. If he were to refrain from the obligations and indulge in prohibitions, his religion would diminish until nothing remained except very little.

Ibn Rajab mentions that the seeking of status and fame is worse than seeking wealth. This is also of two types:

1)Seeking notability/status through gaining leadership and wealth and being exalted over the people:

“That home of the Hereafter, We assign to those who do not desire exaltedness upon the earth or corruption. And the [best] outcome is for the righteous.” [Sūrah al-Qasas, 83]

Being raised and debased is from Allaah. Many people are seeking to be raised, even if it means opposition to the truth.

2)Seeking notability and to be raised over the people in the affairs of the religion. Utilising affairs of the religion - such as knowledge, action and zuhd for status. This is far worse - more lewd, more repulsive, more destructive and detrimental.

Sufyān ath-Thawrī رحمه الله: Knowledge is only virtuous if it is sought for Allaah. If that is not the case, then it is just like anything else.

If this is worse, what about those who don’t even possess knowledge or zuhd? And they pretend they have something in order to gain status and wealth from the people. They are even worse.


•Ibn Rajab رحمه الله: Why is the speech of Salaf more beneficial than our speech? They would speak for the honour of the religion, for the salvation of the souls and for the pleasure of ar-Rahmān. We speak to honour our ownselves, and in seeking after the dunya and in order to be accepted by the people.

•In a narration, Mu’āwiyyah asked Ā’ishah رضي الله عنهما: “write to me a letter advising me and do not overburden me (make it short).”

So she wrote back saying: “Salaamun ‘alayk, Indeed I heard the Messenger of Allaah say: ‘Whoever seeks the pleasure of Allaah through the anger and displeasure of the people, Allaah will suffice him from the harms of the people. Whoever seeks the pleasure of the people through the displeasure and anger of Allaah, Allaah will entrust him to the people.’”


•The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم: Whoever learns knowledge - by which the Face of Allaah should be sought - for the purpose of obtaining a portion of the Dunya, he will not smell the fragrance of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection.

The one who will sell his religion for a portion of the dunya is selling his hereafter.


•The hadīth of Anas رضي الله عنه in Tirmidhī mentions that whoever makes the hereafter his concern, Allaah will place richness in his heart.
This means the heart will be content and pleased with decree of Allaah for him. Allaah will gather for him his affairs and his portion of the dunya will come to him, regardless of him not prioritising it.

•Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله in al-Fawaaid: When morning and evening enter upon a person and his only concern is Allaah alone; Allaah will take care of all his affairs - He will remove all that which worries him and causes him to grief. He will free up his heart and tongue for his dhikr, and his limbs for obedience.

However, when the dunya is his concern, Allaah will place all of his worries and griefs upon him and will entrust him to his own self as a punishment for him. And therefore, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would supplicate:

ولا تكلني لنفسي طرفة عين

Do not entrust me to my own self for the blink of an eye.

So, his heart is preoccupied with love of creation rather than of Allaah. Limbs preoccupied with being in service to the people rather than being obedient to Allah. He is put to work and held captive as animals are kept captive, constantly in servitude of others.


The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned that whoever makes the dunya his concern, Allaah will place poverty between his two eyes (will see himself as poor as he does not feel content). His affairs will be in disarray.

Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله mentioned that worries come about due to two reasons:

1)Being ardent upon obtaining the dunya.
2)Falling short in relation to righteous actions and acts of obedience to Allaah.

The cure for the love of the dunya is to prioritise the hereafter. And to make the truth more beloved to us than anything else.


The perfection and completeness of mankind revolves around two affairs:

1)Knowing and recognising the truth from falsehood.
2)To prioritise the truth above falsehood by acting upon it and calling to it.

As the poet said:

تعرف الحق ولكن لا ترى للحق حقا

“You know the haqq (truth) but you don’t see that the haqq has a haqq (that the truth has the right of being followed).”


Shaykh Rabee’ in his explanation of Hadith of ‘Irbād bin Saariyah: “O Muslim youth, the ship of salvation is to return our rulings and affairs back to obedience to Allaah and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. So flee to Allaah.

Likewise, return to Allaah in those affairs of splitting. If someone is upon the truth, we accept his statement - not because of who he is but because the truth is with him. Likewise, we abandon the one who opposes and contradicts it regardless of who he may be - regardless of his knowledge, worship and piety.


There are 4 types of people regarding knowing the truth and prioritising it above falsehood:

1)The one who knows the truth and gives it precedence over falsehood by acting upon it and calling to it. They are the best of the creation, and the most noble to Allaah.

2)The one who has no understanding and insight in his religion, has no desire for it or to prioritise it. He does not know the truth, nor does he want to know it. The worst type of people.

3)The one who has knowledge and understanding but is weak. He knows the truth but cannot prioritise it. This is the affair of the weak believer. And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned that the strong believer is better and more beloved to Allaah than him.

4)The one who has strength and passion but lacks insight and understanding in religion. Wants to be upon truth and carry it out but does not have knowledge of it.

The solution to cure the heart from all diseases to ensure it is pure and free from these ailments. A heart that is pure and sound is free from shirk, hatred, animosity, jealousy, miserliness, arrogance, love of dunya and leadership. It is free from every affair that will make it further away from Allaah.