The concept of success for a materialist

Almost everyone likes to have their own house and car. There are people who allow themselves to contract illegal transactions to obtain these projects. Riba (the interest) which is very serious according to the Shari'ah is not a cause of worry for them. Without any hesitance at heart, they engage in interest with the pretext that they are in necessity which authorises them to commit forbidden acts. We all know that pork is impure and Haraam and we also know that despite this, its consumption is allowed for a person who is dying of hunger to death and has nothing to eat besides that. Thus, in such a situation, not only is it allowed, but it is obligatory to eat an amount that may save his life. According to the principle, if one does not eat of it and as a result dies, one will be guilty of suicide. In spite of all this, an honest, integral and dignified person will never go down to such lowliness to invent pretexts that may enable him to consume this impurity. He would rather die than consume it.

But nowadays, invaded by materialism, a person does not consider that at all. He needs a house. He needs a car. So, he does everything to acquire it without taking into consideration the value of this "need". One does all this to the detriment of one's Aakhirah. One considers success in this Dunya itself as success. That is why one goes in that direction itself without taking into consideration the damage that this may be causing to one's Aakhirah.

If one agrees to make one's Aakhirah suffer, it is because one does not know the value of Aakhirah. One does not know the value of one's existence in this Dunya. One is unaware of how precious one's life is. It is a life that can be used and invested to acquire the Aakhirah which represents the real and eternal happiness which exceeds all success. But one wastes it for something that one will not be able to acquire or for something that one gets only for a short while.

[English Version of "Ene concept de réussite de ene matérialiste" – Al Jamiat – Vol.7 No.3]