Advantages of Becoming Extremely Rich with Examples from the Sahābah (Companions)

Advantages of Becoming Extremely Wealthy

1. You can avoid getting into sticky situations where you may end up compromising your Dīn (religion (of Islām)) even unintentionally especially if you're in financial hardship. For example, you don’t have to feel forced to work in a place where they sell forbidden items, food or something else that Allāh has prohibited.

2. Have more free time to do that which you’re passionate about – of course this passion can be doing work that is leading you to making millions such as something you plan to eventually automate – e.g selling courses which are high in value due to the great benefit/quality they provide.

3. We may come across those who are complaining about the ills of society, lack of support and so on - do you wish there was a college/University whose syllabus is in line with your principles and values? Do you wish there was a great big supermarket with the best halāl food? If a person makes millions and billions, they can actually have a very good chance of bringing these ideas to reality. As a matter of fact, the world is your oyster.

4. You can easily leave a great legacy. A powerful example of this is regarding the one who is reported to be the richest man in history. According to Celebrity Net Worth (CNW), 'Mansa Musa I of Mali is the richest human being in history with a personal net worth of $400 billion!' [1] Allāh knows best if he is truly the richest person in history as there may have been another individual who is actually richer but we don't have exact knowledge about his existence and wealth. Or there may be an individual whom we do know about having a lot of wealth but don't really know how much it amounted to. An example of such a person is Qārūn regarding whom Allāh says:

'Verily, Qārūn (Korah) was of Mūsa's (Moses) people, but he behaved arrogantly towards them. And We gave him of the treasures, that of which the keys would have been a burden to a body of strong men.' [2]

Ibn Kathīr explains the above verse as follows:

"'And We gave him of the treasures,' meaning, of wealth;

'that of which the keys would have been a burden to a body of strong men.'

[This means] groups of strong men would not have been able to carry them because they were so many." [3]

Having mentioned the above, for sure Mansa Musa is up there amongst the richest individuals in history. According to CNW, Mansa Musa's tremendous amount of wealth 'came from his country's vast production of more than half the world's supply of salt and gold.' [1]

This man was in fact a Muslim. Although he is imperfect and would have his share of sins like the rest of us, he was known to have good morals and piety. He wanted good for the people. One example which reflects this is his development of the University of Sankoré which provided world-class learning. The classes offered included 'business, carpentry, farming, fishing, construction, shoe making, tailoring, navigation, etc.' [4]

5. Develop management and leadership skills – by managing your organisation/venture/project which is generating for you lots of revenue, its value can spread across the globe. This puts you in a position where you are now pushed to manage and lead from a global perspective. Even if your product/service does not spread globally, you can still play the role of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since you are the Founder, unless you decide to employ a CEO. By fulfilling the role of a CEO, you are pushed to experience the responsibility, mindsets and thinking a CEO has to employ to succeed in his role, thus going through a great development process. Once you've developed properly in this aspect of management and leadership, you can potentially apply this new highly developed way of thinking and being like a tool, to achieve many other kind of endeavours.

6. Realise that wealth can make you prosper in this life and the Hereafter if you have piety. The Prophet (ﷺ) said:

"What an excellent and good (thing) the wealth is for a pious person." [5]

Examples from the wealthy Sahābah (Companions)

Abū Bakr (may Allāh be pleased with him)

Allāh blessed Abu Bakr to be the best from amongst the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ). He possessed a good portion of wealth. One of the ways in which he utilised it was through freeing those who were persecuted and tortured for not renouncing their belief in worshipping Allāh alone without any partners. He set free 7 slaves including the famous Bilal (may Allāh be pleased be with him). Imagine what satisfaction one can attain, having saved a people who were suffering so much and close to death. How grateful would those freed slaves be to Abu Bakr? What supplication must they have been making for him? [6] Could he have engaged in such high levels of nobility without having enough wealth to free them? Of course not. This is the power of having surplus wealth whilst not enslaved to it but rather in control of it, using it to make great differences to the lives of those around us. Abu Bakr brought about a great positive change to each of those individuals he freed from persecution or torture. What deep level of fulfilment and happiness must Abu Bakr have felt for freeing them with the sincerity of doing it for the sake of Allāh? This act of making positive differences to people's lives innately is more valuable to us as human beings than simply possessing the wealth without doing any good with it.

Rafael Badziag who spent around 6 years interviewing 21 self-made billionaires, and documenting their words into a book called The Billion Dollar Secret, highlights the effects of making positive differences to the lives of others. He explains how money itself doesn't bring you happiness but is rather a means to become happier. [7] In other words, using the money to do good to others. It is important to add here that as muslims we believe when a person uses the money sincerely to attain the countenance of Allāh in a way that is permissible, they reach higher, deeper levels of happiness/fulfilment. And they don't suffer from this feeling of voidness which can still be experienced by those who make a positive impact to others but do it ultimately just to feel good or other motives which are not for Allāh's sake. The subject of feeling this voidness shall be elaborated on shortly.

Returning back to Rafael Badziag, the following is the effect he highlights on billionaires after they observe the positive impact on people due to their contributions. He said:

"Seeing their thoughts materialize and positively contributing to the lives of other people and seeing them grow, succeed, and be happy gives billionaires fulfillment." [8]

He was also told by 'Michal Solowow the wealthiest person in Poland,' something many rich individuals can relate to. He said

'"what makes me happy is when I see the people I've touched are happy. That makes me tremendously happy and emotional."' [9]

This positive cause and effect is a result of the fitrah (natural way) which Allāh created human beings upon. Allāh says:

'...[Adhere to] the fitrah of Allāh upon which He has created [all] people...' [10]

There's this innate feeling of fulfilment we as human beings feel when we positively impact an individual to make their life better. Having said that, we know and have experienced, that this fulfilment cannot fill a void in our hearts, thus, we cannot experience that deep inner peace or happiness. So how do we fill that void? The great scholar Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allāh have mercy upon him) said in reference to the heart: [11]

قال ابن القيم رحمه الله فَفِي الْقَلْبِ شَعَثٌ لَا يَلُمُّهُ إِلَّا الْإِقْبَالُ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَفِيهِ وَحْشَةٌ لَا يُزِيلُهَا إِلَّا الْأُنْسُ بِهِ فِي خَلْوَتِهِ وَفِيهِ حُزْنٌ لَا يُذْهِبُهُ إِلَّا السُّرُورُ بِمَعْرِفَتِهِ وَصِدْقِ مُعَامَلَتِهِ وَفِيهِ قَلَقٌ لَا يُسَكِّنُهُ إِلَّا الِاجْتِمَاعُ عَلَيْهِ وَالْفِرَارُ مِنْهُ إِلَيْهِ وَفِيهِ نِيرَانُ حَسَرَاتٍ لَا يُطْفِئُهَا إِلَّا الرِّضَا بِأَمْرِهِ وَنَهْيِهِ وَقَضَائِهِ وَمُعَانَقَةُ الصَّبْرِ عَلَى ذَلِكَ إِلَى وَقْتِ لِقَائِهِ وَفِيهِ طَلَبٌ شَدِيدٌ لَا يَقِفُ دُونَ أَنْ يَكُونَ هُوَ وَحْدَهُ مَطْلُوبَهُ وَفِيهِ فَاقَةٌ لَا يَسُدُّهَا إِلَّا مَحَبَّتُهُ وَالْإِنَابَةُ إِلَيْهِ وَدَوَامُ ذِكْرِهِ وَصِدْقُ الْإِخْلَاصِ لَهُ وَلَوْ أُعْطِيَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا لَمْ تَسُدَّ تِلْكَ الْفَاقَةَ مِنْهُ أَبَدًا

"In the heart are disorders that cannot be remedied except by responding to Allāh. In it is a desolate feeling that cannot be removed except by intimacy with Him in solitude. In it is sadness which will not leave except by happiness with knowing Him and truthfulness in his dealings. In it is anxiety that is not made tranquil except by gathering for His sake and fleeing to Him from His punishment. In it is a fire of regret which cannot be extinguished except by satisfaction with His commands, prohibitions, and decrees, and embracing patience with that until the time he meets Him. In it is a strong desire that will not cease until He is the only one who is sought. In it is a void that cannot be filled except by His love, turning to Him, always remembering Him, and being sincere to Him. Were a person to be given the entire world and everything in it, that would never fill the void.” [12]

With that being said, linking it back to the aspect of Abu Bakr freeing the slave, now you can hopefully fathom better the high levels of internal fulfilment and happiness he must have experienced. Not only did he do excellent by making a great positive change to their lives through freeing them from this torture but he also did it for the sake of Allāh. As a result he would feel fulfilment but also have this void in his heart filled as Allāh was in his heart. So how great would it be to become rich so that we can remove oppression, torture and suffering from peoples lives for the sake of Allāh? Furthermore, how rewarding would that be in the sight of Allāh? Immensely rewarding due to saving them from tremendous pain or falling into death. To understand this further, consider the following hadīth:

Abu Hurairah reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said,

“A prostitute had once been forgiven. She passed by a dog panting near a well. Thirst had nearly killed him, so she took off her sock, tied it to her veil, and drew up some water. Allāh forgave her for that.” [13]

Ibn al-Qayyim commenting on this hadīth said,

“If Allāh Almighty had forgiven one who gave water to a dog suffering from extreme thirst, then how about one who relieves the thirst, satisfies the hunger, and clothes the naked among the Muslims?” [14]

In other words, by becoming rich and using our surplus money to satisfy those who are the most needy, we can hope to acquire vast rewards including complete forgiveness and being from amongst the Siddeeqoon, in turn, acquiring the loftiest levels in Jannah.

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf is one of the best shining examples when it comes to being extremely wealthy yet so righteous. He appears to be the richest of the Sahābah. Despite having so much wealth, he has a very high rank in the Hereafter which is reflected by the fact that he is one of the 10 who were promised Jannah by the Prophet (ﷺ). He is another one of the Companions who is amongst those who were the best of all time when it comes to philanthropy. He used his wealth to change so many people's lives for the better as we shall see. [15]

Before mentioning his remarkable examples of philanthropy, I want to first highlight the competency he developed as an entrepreneur. This can be understood based on the following hadīth:

حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، قَالَ لَمَّا قَدِمُوا الْمَدِينَةَ آخَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَيْنَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَسَعْدِ بْنِ الرَّبِيعِ، قَالَ لِعَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ إِنِّي أَكْثَرُ الأَنْصَارِ مَالاً فَأَقْسِمُ مَالِي نِصْفَيْنِ، وَلِي امْرَأَتَانِ، فَانْظُرْ أَعْجَبَهُمَا إِلَيْكَ فَسَمِّهَا لِي أُطَلِّقْهَا، فَإِذَا انْقَضَتْ عِدَّتُهَا فَتَزَوَّجْهَا. قَالَ بَارَكَ اللَّهُ لَكَ فِي أَهْلِكَ وَمَالِكَ، أَيْنَ سُوقُكُمْ فَدَلُّوهُ عَلَى سُوقِ بَنِي قَيْنُقَاعَ، فَمَا انْقَلَبَ إِلاَّ وَمَعَهُ فَضْلٌ مِنْ أَقِطٍ وَسَمْنٍ، ثُمَّ تَابَعَ الْغُدُوَّ، ثُمَّ جَاءَ يَوْمًا وَبِهِ أَثَرُ صُفْرَةٍ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَهْيَمْ ". قَالَ تَزَوَّجْتُ. قَالَ " كَمْ سُقْتَ إِلَيْهَا ". قَالَ نَوَاةً مِنْ ذَهَبٍ. أَوْ وَزْنَ نَوَاةٍ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ، شَكَّ إِبْرَاهِيمُ.

Narrated Sa`d's father: When the emigrants reached Medina Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) established the bond of fraternity between `Abdur-Rahman and Sa`d bin Ar-Rabi. Sa`d said to `Abdur-Rahman, "I am the richest of all the Ansar, so I want to divide my property (between us), and I have two wives, so see which of the two you like and tell me, so that I may divorce her, and when she finishes her prescribed period (i.e. 'Idda) of divorce, then marry her." `Abdur-Rahman said, "May Allah bless your family and property for you; where is your market?" So they showed him the Qainuqa' market. (He went there and) returned with a profit in the form of dried yogurt and butter. He continued going (to the market) till one day he came, bearing the traces of yellow scent. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, "What is this (scent)?" He replied, "I got married." The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, "How much Mahr did you give her?" He replied, "I gave her a datestone of gold or a gold piece equal to the weight of a date-stone." (The narrator, Ibrahim, is in doubt as to which is correct.) [16]

Let me provide some context to the above hadīth to highlight ʿAbd al-Raḥmān's prioritisation of Allāh. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān had emigrated to Madīnah for the sake of Allāh. Due to the situation, he had to leave behind his property and wealth. He sacrificed it all to prioritise the Countenance of Allāh. So he arrives in Madīnah poor. The Prophet (ﷺ), the great leader he is, knows ʿAbd al-Raḥmān is from a very wealthy background, thus made the right decision in pairing him up with the richest of the Ansār people. Despite ʿAbd al-Raḥmān's needy situation, he chose to utilise his entrepreneurial competency Allāh blessed him with by going to the market and engaging in transactions, thus starting to make profit as a result. Later on, we shall see that he ended up becoming extremely rich and appears to have been much richer than his state when in Makkah.

Let's now look at examples of his philanthropy. One time, he sold a piece of land to 'Uthmān Ibn 'Affān for 40,000 dīnārs which is equivalent to around £8.5 million in today's value. [17] He distributed this amount amongst the poor individuals of Banū Zahrah (the relatives of the Prophet's (ﷺ) mother Āminah), the poor among the Muslims and the Prophet's (ﷺ) wives (may Allāh be pleased with them). [18] Look at how he honours those who deserve to be honoured. Through this distribution, he significantly improved the welfare of the needy, those who went through a lot of hardship and sacrifice for the sake of Allāh as well as the noble wives of the Prophet (ﷺ). Just this act of philanthropy alone is a rare act of generosity that many people are not able to implement due to their love and greed for wealth. Having said that, by enacting the intention/desire in wanting to be philanthropic, selfless, generous, helpful and caring along with practicing charitable acts, it is possible to reach great heights in generosity. A good way to start is by doing charitable acts we know is easy for us to do and then building upon it in a gradual manner.

Another example of how he used his wealth to bring about a massive positive difference to the lives of people is when he emancipated 30,000 households which of course would cost a very large sum. [19] If just one individual was manumitted, you can only imagine how grateful they would be to their manumitter. You have in a sense given them a new life. Imagine giving new lives to 30,000 households. How deeply satisfying would that be? How pleasing would that be to Allāh?

Various calculations have been made with regards to how much wealth 'Abd al-Raḥmān had when he passed away. One calculation showed his wealth to be valued to at least £700 million pounds which is close to the status of a billionaire. [20] What a role model he is for those of us who are hesitant in becoming extremely rich/one of the richest, due to perhaps fearing it could somehow automatically lead us to losing out in the Hereafter.

There were numerous other acts of great generosity he undertook. If you felt inspired by what has already been mentioned about him, I'd recommend you to do some additional reading/listening/studying with regards to his life. [21]

'Uthman ibn 'Affān

'Uthmān Ibn 'Affān's example is highly inspiring. He is one of the best of all time when it comes to philanthropy for the sake of Allāh. So what were his philanthropic actions?

Before I mention his examples, realise that what makes us the best in philanthropy is not by merely donating large amounts randomly to a cause we like but rather donating to something which may be capital that can be utilised to fulfil the needs of as many people as possible. This can be done through reputable organisations committed to such endeavours. We should be on alert to such opportunities and mentally prepared in advance to take advantage of such needs/causes which may arise and be charitable when the time comes. This not only makes us internally happy and become literally rich through the bounty and Will of Allāh, but also is a means for us to acquire great rewards in the Hereafter. This is the mindset 'Uthmān employed. One example of him employing such a mindset is mentioned in the following hadīth narrated by 'Uthmān himself:

رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَدِمَ الْمَدِينَةَ وَلَيْسَ بِهَا مَاءٌ يُسْتَعْذَبُ غَيْرَ بِئْرِ رُومَةَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ " مَنْ يَشْتَرِي بِئْرَ رُومَةَ فَيَجْعَلُ دَلْوَهُ مَعَ دِلاَءِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ بِخَيْرٍ لَهُ مِنْهَا فِي الْجَنَّةِ " . فَاشْتَرَيْتُهَا مِنْ صُلْبِ مَالِ

'the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)came to Al-Madinah and there was no water in it that was sweet except the well of Rūmah, so the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Who will purchase the well of Rūmah and place his bucket alongside the buckets of the Muslims, in exchange for better than that in Paradise?" So I bought it with the core of my wealth'. [22]

The water from this well used to be sold to the people. People can now consume it for free. In another narration, we come to learn:

'"the water of Rūmah was being sold to wayfarers, then I ('Uthmān) bought it with my own wealth and gave it to wayfarers for free." And some men testified to what he said.' [23]

With this wealth, he conferred a tremendous favour to his people in Madīnah, fulfilling one of their most vital needs for survival - water - which we are more in need of than food. Imagine so many people surviving through their daily taking of water from this well. How satisfying and fulfilling must that have felt? How grateful must the people have been towards 'Uthmān? How rewarding would that be in the sight of Allāh?

Furthermore, generations after generations have been benefitting from this water for more than 1400 years since 'Uthmān purchased this well. Today, 'the well of 'Uthmān is part of an Islamic Waqf... revenues from which are used to help the poor and pilgrims to the Haramain.' [24] What a great legacy he has left behind just by this act of charity alone. And how was he able to do this? He was extremely rich as well as having a clean heart synchronised with the characteristic of generosity which he utilises to attain the countenance of His Lord, Allāh.

The following is another example of 'Uthmān's philanthropic mindset. In preparation for the Tabūk expedition, the muslims lacked the necessary supplies and equipment due to their suffering of drought and hardship at the time. The muslims donated but it was not enough to meet the huge requirements of the army. [25] And so the 'Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) said:

"Who will equip them and Allāh will forgive him?"

No sooner had 'Uthmān heard this call of the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) but he hastened to seek the forgiveness and pleasure of Allāh.' The great classical scholar, Ibn Shihāb az-Zuhri gives us the details of 'Uthmān's charity:

'Uthmān supplied the army of Tabūk with nine hundred and forty camels, and sixty horses to bring the number to one thousand. 'Uthmān brought ten thousand dīnārs to equip the army and placed the money before the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) and the Messenger (ﷺ) began turning it over with his hand, saying:

"No deed can harm 'Uthmān after today" twice.' [26]

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What a praise and reward for such a monumental, noble giving by 'Uthmān' during the time of hardship and difficulty. This opportunity of helping could only be afforded to one who was very wealthy and generous. Furthermore, the desire to attain the forgiveness of Allāh and succeed in the Hereafter is what 'Uthmān was seeking. Thus, he is one of our best role models when it comes to being generous in times of great need and difficulty.

The above are brief examples to give you a taster. As mentioned with 'Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf, there were other laudable acts of philanthropy 'Uthmān undertook and I would recommend you to study more about his life. This is so that you can be further inspired towards developing the correct, righteous, entrepreneurial, philanthropic mindsets. As a result, you can feel more sincere, thus comfortable and confident in the pursuit of riches.

Footnotes

[1] Warner, B. (2014) The 25 Richest People Who Ever Lived – Inflation Adjusted. Available at: https://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/25-richest-people-lived-inflation-adjusted/

[2] Al-Qur'ān, Qasas(28):76

[3] Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, Qasas(28):76

[4] Khair, Z. (2003) The University of Sankore, Timbuktu. Available at: https://muslimheritage.com/the-university-of-sankore-timbuktu/

[5] Ahmad with an authentic chain of narrations. Translation amended. Accessed from: https://www.islamweb.net/en/fatwa/86813/struggling-to-become-rich-in-islam

[6] As-Sallabi, A. M. (2013). The biography of Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq. Darussalam, pp 67-70

[7] Badziag, R. (2019). I spent six years interviewing 21 billionaires. I found that the 1% are happier than the average person — and it's not just because they're rich. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/traits-habits-that-make-billionaires-happy-2019-8?r=US&IR=T

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Al-Qur'ān, Rūm(30):30

[11] Ibn al-Qayyim was a great student of 'Ibn Taymiyyah,' the scholar mentioned previously in this article.

[12] Madārij al-Sālikīn, 3/156. Translation amended. Accessed from: https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2014/08/28/ibn-qayyim-void-heart/

[13] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3321 & Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2245. Accessed from: https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2012/09/30/prostitute-forgiven-kalb/

[14] 'Uddat al-Ṣābirīn, 1/253. Accessed from: https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2012/09/30/prostitute-forgiven-kalb/

[15] Sunan al-Tirmidhī 3747, Sahih according to Al-Albani. The full hadīth is as follows:

Abdur Rahman ibn ‘Awf reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Abu Bakr is in Paradise. 'Umar is in Paradise. 'Uthmān is in Paradise. 'Ali is in Paradise. Talhah is in Paradise. Al-Zubayr is in Paradise. 'Abdur Rahman ibn ‘Awf is in Paradise. Sa’d is in Paradise. Sa’id is in Paradise. Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāh is in Paradise.” Accessed from: https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2013/01/06/ten-sahabah-promised-jannah/

[16] Sahīh al-Bukhārī, 3780. Accessed from: https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3780

[17] To understand how this has been calculated, see:

Islamic Portal (2020) Estate of Abdurahman ibn Awf worth £700 million. Available at: https://islamicportal.co.uk/estate-of-abdurahman-ibn-awf-worth-700-million/

[18] Islamweb (no date) 'Abdur-Rahman Ibn 'Awf, the Prophet's Companion. Available at: https://www.islamweb.net/ehajj/printarticle.php?id=45759&lang=E; Siyar A'lām an-Nubalā', Vol 1, pp 85-86.

[19] Siyar A'lām an-Nubalā', Vol 1, p 92.

[20] Islamic Portal (2020) Estate of Abdurahman ibn Awf worth £700 million. Available at: https://islamicportal.co.uk/estate-of-abdurahman-ibn-awf-worth-700-million/

[21] Amongst the reputable sources that can be referred to are:

Siyar A'lām an-Nubalā' , pp 68-92 & Hilyat al-Awliyā' pp 98-100

[22] Jāmi` at-Tirmidhi 3703, Hasan. Accessed from: https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:3703

[23] Musnad Ahmad 420, Sahīh. Translation amended. Accessed from: https://sunnah.com/ahmad:420

[24] The Editors of the Madain Project (no date) Well of Rumah. Available at: https://madainproject.com/well_of_rumah

[25] As-Sallabi, A. M. (2007). 'Uthmān Ibn 'Affān Dhun-Noorayn. Darussalam, p51

[26] Ibid, pp 51-52.