A Spiritually Fit Muslim &

Materialism Senior Program

Spiritual Fitness Camp 2015

What makes someone “rich”?

Understanding

Materialism

Wealth does not only refer to physical goods. Rather, it refers to everything one has been bestowed with:

knowledge, wisdom, medicine, etc. All of these

things are included in wealth. These should also be spent in way of Allah.

-Promised Messiah (as), Malfoozat, Vol. 1, pg. 20

What is the longest you have waited in line at a

Black Friday sale?

When was the last time you spared just a few

minutes to wake up early for Tahajjud or to read

nawafil?

How can time be wealth?

What does this expression mean?

“Keeping up with

the Joneses’”?

In a society where ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ (neighbors and friends) becomes an obsession, the obsession is largely abetted by advertisements of the latest models of this and

that. An introduction is provided to the general public of the luxurious lifestyle of the rich by displaying the latest design of sofas, luxurious chalets fitted with the most modern kitchen and bathroom appliances and gadgets, etc. People with less means available to buy all that they want are willy-nilly

turned to false plastic money to fulfill their desires. Obviously, this means that they buy far more than their earnings.

-Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (rh)

Staying Within Your Means

Can someone who only has lots of money be truly happy?

Can money buy happiness?

Let’s see what humans need

to be happy and healthy…

In 1943, Abraham Maslow came up with a

“hierarchy of needs”

The Bigger Picture

If we chase material happiness, we might lose

what really makes us happy: those who love us

(God, family, friends)

The basics in life (food, water, air, love, shelter, clothing) are what will

give us happiness, health, and belonging

Should someone who is from a wealthy family that has employees working under them have to do hands-on

tasks such as cleaning bathrooms and

sweeping/mopping when they come to the Masjid?

Does money make certain

people better or more

entitled than others?

Allah does not love people because they are rich/poor, black/white, male/female.

He loves those who are humble and righteous, and who surround themselves with the

company of righteous people.

Are those who are less wealthy than

your family worthy of your company?

On one occasion, the Holy Prophet (sa) was told that one of his companions, Sa’ad, who was wealthy, was boasting of his enterprise to others. When the

Prophet (sa) heard this, he said, “Let no man imagine that his wealth

or standing or power is the result merely of his own efforts or enterprise. That is not so, your power and your

position and your wealth are all earned through the poor.”

Tirmidhi

How do some people get rich and some people get poor?

What does this mean?

And spend out of that with which We have

provided you before death comes upon one of you and he says, ‘My Lord! if only Thou wouldst grant me respite for a little while,

then I would give alms and be among the

righteous.’

[63:11]

What does this all mean? Is having or spending money wrong?

Having wealth is not bad, but

humility and righteousness are more

important to God than material wealth

Once, the Promised Messiah (as) was sitting on the roof of Masjid Mubarik in Qadian, awaiting the arrival of some guests with whom he was to have a meal. One very poor Ahmadi friend, Mian Nizam

Din Sahib of Ludhiana, wearing ragged clothes, was also sitting there at a short distance. In the meantime, some wealthy, respected

guests arrived and sat near the Promised Messiah (as). To make room for each of them, Mian Nizam Din Sahib had to move further

back and he did so until he reached the place where shoes were kept. When the meal was brought, the Promised Messiah (as) who had observed the whole scene, took a plate of food and addressing

him, said, 'Come, Mian Nizam Din. You and I will eat together inside,' meaning his chamber next to the mosque. At that Mian

Nizam Din Sahib's joy knew no bounds, and those who had sat near the Promised Messiah (as), pushing Mian Nizam Din Sahib farther

away, were duly mortified.

Islam promotes

moderation, simplicity, balance

Know the difference

between what you NEED

and what you WANT

How We Spend Our Wealth

Can Bring us Closer to

or Further Away from Allah

What is the difference between

NEEDS and WANTS?

WANTS

Things we would like to have, but

can survive without

Examples?

Needs vs. Wants

NEEDS

Things we need to live and survive

Examples?

Think of the last 3 purchases you made. Write them down.

Activity

Beside each item, write

down if it was a WANT or a

NEED

Can You Survive Without It?

How many people have had McDonald’s or any other fast-food in the last

week?

How many people prefer brand name clothes and items over non-brand

name ones?

Can eating too much fast food or only buying brand names

make us materialistic?

Fast food is more expensive and

less healthy than homemade meals

Brand name items are the

same quality but higher priced

than most non-brand name items

Wasteful spending that harms our health and well-being, but also

spins the world out of balance

…HOW?

Let’s Do the Math:

The average American

spends $1,200 a year on fast

food (dailymail.co.uk)

How can YOU help

fix this imbalance?

1 billion people in the world

are overweight

1 billion people in the world

are chronically

hungry

The Answer: Moderation

How can we become

less materialistic?

5 Steps to Becoming Less Materialistic

How can we

become less

materialistic?

1. Be grateful for what you have

It was a long, hard winter. Saadi was very cold because his shoes were worn out and soaked with water. For the first time, he was sorry that his family was so poor. He thought how nice it would be if they had enough

money to buy a thick coat and some good shoes. One day, Saadi was returning from school with his bag in hand. He stopped before the

central mosque just as the Adhan for afternoon prayer was being called. Saadi liked to pray in the mosque, so he went into the courtyard and walked up to the fountain to perform his ablution. He sat at a fountain and took off his shoes. His socks were dirty and wet. Angrily, he threw one of his torn shoes to the ground. Then, he saw a man performing

ablution next to him. This man washed one leg and then stood up. Saadi noticed that the man had only one leg. Now he was embarrassed. He

had been worried about his shoes, but that man had only one leg. Maybe that man had enough money to buy shoes; but money couldn’t

buy him his health. Saadi began to pray to Allah and thanked Allah for his strong legs.

Story of Sheikh Saadi (ra)

2. Focus on having a comfortable afterlife with

Allah, rather than trying to find comfort here on earth

Once, the Holy Prophet (sa) was lying down on a hard mattress. When he got up, there were such deep marks on

his back that his companions asked him if they should provide him with a bed made of softer materials instead?

The Holy Prophet (sa) replied:

“I have no connection with this world; my relation with this world is only of a transitory kind like that of a rider who stops by a shady tree while traveling. He

rests for a short while in the shade and then takes off.” (Jami Tirmidhi)

How can we

become less

materialistic?

Think of 3 things of yours that you

don’t NEED and can live without

(clothes, money, books, gadgets, etc)

Donate them to charity so someone who

needs them more than you can benefit

from them

How can we

become less

materialistic?

3. Try to spend on NEEDS, rather than on WANTS

4. The basic key is to live a SIMPLE and MODERATE life

How can we

become less

materialistic?

“And those who, when they spend, are

neither extravagant nor niggardly

but moderate between the two…” [25:68]

How can we

become less

materialistic?

5. Remember, we have to impress Allah - not other people.

Chaudhry Zafarullah Khan sahib (ra) was a rich and famous Ahmadi Muslim. He was the first foreign minister of Pakistan, and was the President of the UN General Assembly and International Court of

Justice.

Out of his monthly income of thousands of Rupees (dollars), he would only keep a few hundred for himself. He would donate

everything else to the Jama’at, or to those less fortunate than him.

He was happy to live a simple life to help heal others’ suffering and make Allah happy.

On his deathbed, Alexander the Great told his generals: "After my death, when you put my body in the casket, let my arms hang over the edges with my palms wide open, so the public can see my empty hands while I am leaving the world." After he died, many dignitaries came to view the royal funeral and were very surprised to see his arms hanging over the edge of the casket with his

palms wide open. They asked questions about this unique scene. A wise man told them:

"O People, Alexander the Great is telling us that when he ruled the world, great treasures of gold, silver and wealth

came to be under his possession. Yet, indeed, he is leaving the world empty handed, as he entered it”.

Life is Too Short to Get Attached to the Material World; Let’s Become Attached to Allah

The End