By Muneeb Nasir
(Friday Khutba delivered at the University of Toronto on Friday, October 10, 2008)
The headlines are furious.
“Meltdown anxiety”; “Bail-out anxiety”; “Depression”. The financial crisis has consumed the world over the past few weeks.
I read one headline that captures the essence of the crisis: Infected by greed, paralyzed with fear
Underlying this situation is a most serious spiritual problem in the industrialized world today which is reckless and untrammeled greed.
As a news article puts it:
“Greed caused the disgraceful corporate scandals that are filling the news; Greed has produced a system that has given money to the rich and in effect taken it away from the poor; Greed is responsible for the obscene salaries of CEOs; Greed is responsible for the endless stress and ruthless competition of the workplace and the strains and tensions in the conduct of our relationships; Greed generates the reckless ventures that, in part, caused the financial crisis the world finds itself in; Greed causes expensive wars that shatter lives.”
Allah alerts us to what greed and wantonness leads to and to learn from those who went down this path in the past.
“How many cities have We destroyed that exulted in their livelihood? Here are their homes now uninhabited after them except for a few? (Qur’an 28:58).
The Prophet, peace be on him, said: "Beware of greed (avarice), since greed (avarice) destroyed those who came before you. It led them to shed their blood and make lawful what was forbidden for them." (Reported by Muslim).
Wantonness, greed and reckless living are diseases that affect affluent societies. One of the signs of these conditions is the relative ease with which people enter in debt and live easily in this condition.
People are living beyond their means, while giving the impression of wealth, when they are actually poor.
The current crisis is an indictment of the weaknesses of a credit induced lifestyle.
The editor-in-chief of the Beliefnet.com web site, Steven Waldman, wrote in an article recently that he asked Dilshad Ali, one of his editors who is Muslim, how her faith affects her finances. She said that because of Islam's strong cautions against debt and usury, "we try so hard to pay credit cards on time, not take loans, etc -- it's a challenge, but it also keeps us financially stable and on our toes."
Historically, he wrote, all of the faiths have warned against greed. Greed was not only listed as one of the seven deadly sins, it's often thought of the mother of all of the others.
Combating greed and wantonness is hardly a focus of spirituality these days.
The problem is that we've surrendered our best anti-greed weapons.
This is what people have surrendered – these anti-greed weapons that religions have taught us.
Islam gives us such checks and balances because, “Allah does not love those who exult” (Qur’an 28:76).
Islam gives us treatments to curb greed and wantonness – it asks us to experience hunger, through fasting, and to reflect seriously on death and the Hereafter.
Dealing with anxiety
It is being reported that the financial crisis is causing stress and anxiety in people.
Experts working in the behavioral sciences say the financial crisis is having an effect on our psyches. The anxiety level is high.
The Muslim scholar of Andalusian Spain, Imam Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi (384-456 AH, 994-1064 AD), gave us a most profound legacy about dealing with and dispelling anxiety.
He wrote in “al-Akhlaq wal Siyar” (In Pursuit of Virtue):
“Dispelling anxiety is a goal upon which all nations agree – from the time when the Almighty created the world until the day when this world will pass away and be followed by the Day of Judgment – and their actions are directed to this goal alone.
Thus the only reason that some one chases after riches is to dispel the anguish of poverty. The only reason that someone seeks fame is to dispel the anxiety of seeing someone else outdo him. The only reason that someone chases after pleasures is to dispel the anxiety of missing them. The only reason that someone chases after knowledge is to dispel the anxiety of being ignorant about something.
I began the search for the way which would enable me to dispel anxiety …. I found it in one place alone, in the action of turning towards God the Almighty and powerful, in pious works performed with an eye for the eternity.
Actions performed with an eye on eternity are free from every kind of fault, free from every stain, and a true means of dispelling anxiety.”
A believer’s approach
In times such as these we must remind ourselves of a believer’s approach to the life.
The brilliant Muslim scholar, Imam Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyya wrote in al-Wabil al-Sayyib (Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya on the Invocation of God, Islamic Texts Society) that believers are those who when blessed, give thanks; when tried, persevere; and when sinful, seek forgiveness.
For these three conditions are tokens of a believer’s happiness (sa’adat al abd), and the signs of his success in this world and the next.
The first condition – when blessed, give thanks – as blessings comes to a servant, one after another.
What secures blessings is gratitude (shukr), based on three supports: inward recognition of the blessing; outward mention and thanks for it; and its use in a way that pleases the One to whom it truly belongs and who truly bestows it. This is how a believer shows gratitude.
The second condition – on the path to happiness – is the trials from Allah which test the servant, whose duty is patience (sabr) and forbearance: to restrain himself from anger with that is decreed; to restrain his tongue from complaint; to restrain his limbs from offences, such as striking one’s face in grief.
Patience (sabr) rests on these three supports and is a servant maintains them as he should, affliction will become benefaction, trial will change to bounty and what he disliked will become what he loves.
The third condition is that when we sin, we turn to Allah in repentance and seek forgiveness.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said in an authentic hadith:
“Every son of Adam is a sinner, but the best of sinners are the ones who turn [away from sin] in repentance [to Allah].”
Believers are ones who when blessed, give thanks (shukr); when tried, persevere (sabr); and when sinful, seek forgiveness (istighfar).
Engage in a cause nobler than yourselves
In such transforming times, people should be looking at opportunities to re-orient their lives.
Imam Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi (384-456 AH, 994-1064 AD) wrote:
“Do not use your energy except for a cause more noble than yourself. Such a cause cannot be found except in Almighty God Himself: to preach the truth, to defend womanhood, to repel humiliation which your creator has not imposed upon you, to help the oppressed. Anyone who uses his energy for the sake of the vanities of the world is like someone who exchanges gemstones for gravel.”
The question we must ask ourselves is – what noble cause can we use our energies for?
Recently, during Ramadan, we were constantly reminded of the need to support our community buildings and institutions. This, invariably, always refers to financial resources.
However, one of the threats to our community is no longer related to whether we have the money and financial resources to build and support mosques and centres and schools. We have demonstrated that we have the capacity to meet these needs.
The threat we are now facing is the lack of human resources – the volunteers and skills needed to meet the needs of our community and fulfill our societal obligations. (Dr. Umar Faruq Abd’Allah, the Muslim American scholar wrote a paper entitled, “Living Islam with Purpose”, in which he identifies meeting societal obligations as one of the operational principles required for community growth).
Our volunteer output is very low; indeed it is abysmal. We want activities for our children, for our young people; educational programs and social activities but most of us don’t want to give a few hours of our time to organize these things.
What we should be doing during Ramadan is not only fund raising for money but fund raising for committed volunteers – because, in the end, the bricks and mortars mean nothing, if there is nothing inside of them.
I am one of the victim of this crisis but I am patiently working on it. My question is whether there is any islamic banking or social services that could actually help these kinds of people.We are so busy building mosques that we have forgotten the social islamic structure in our community.How many Islamic social services in Canada has actually granted loans to the debtor who needs to get out of paying interest or usury or help students pay their loans.There are so called "Islamic banking in Canada" which are just meant for the RICH MUSLIMS....talking about discrimination...huh....I have called my self to these banks crying out for help.I needed to get out this interest but they just dont give loans only if you need a morgage or a car loan moreover I was suggested to go to charitable organizations .I dont need charity,I need help!I am saying these things not to pinpoint one organization but perhaps built some solid infrastructure to help these people.Not everyone person will runaway with your money.There are people who need your help but will not come forward in fear of shame and disgrace.May Allah help us get out of the burden of debt.Ameen.In the end I know Allah is sufficient for me.
Posted by: Sameera | December 29, 2008 at 05:58 PM