Chapter 19 is on the second story – the two men, the wealthy guy and the guy who was not so wealthy😊.
Quite a number of us in our mid-30s and 40s can relate to this story. We’re at the age where we are done with all the playfulness of life and are trying to build. We’re trying to train our children, build our homes, prepare for the so-called foreseeable future, or the unforeseeable future where we should be well-to-do. And whether we like it or not, we start to ask ourselves, how many of us are living in our own houses? How many cars do you have? What businesses do you run?
Here enters the rich guy. Sister Sadaf speaks about our first companion. And I think I’ve never really taken time to study the lines of how Allah describes his land. But think about it. It’s a land heavily laden with fruit and grain – two gardens of grapevines, bordered by palm trees and placed between fields of crops.
Close your eyes and think about it. If you’ve ever seen grapevines, a proper grapevine, if you’re not sure, please check online for what a grapevine looks like, what the field of it looks like. Could be up to 400… 500,000 trees of grapes. And he has two of those bordering on both sides. And then he has palm trees as well, around that. And in between that, there are fields of crops.
The abundance of this provision. Allah says, ‘… does not fall short thereof’, which means it just continues to give. And in between all of that, Allah places water for him. He never has to worry about watering his plants, irrigation or getting a generator to bring the water. No, the water has been placed for him there. This is what this man owns. The possibility of this is that it would outlive him. It would be there for his children’s children’s children.
We hear of this kind of wealth. Generational wealth, isn’t it? The wealth that just keeps growing, right?
What happens with wealth that Allah gives, that just seems endless? You wake up in the morning and you have tripled one million dollars. And you wake up tomorrow and you have tripled that. So, let’s put it this way. Every hour you’re tripling a million dollars, not naira, a million dollars. Doing absolutely nothing. You’re going to begin to think there is some magic system that YOU set up that is working. And that you’re perfect at it. And… it’s never going to end. Yes?
A person starts thinking of the reality of life. They start to question if life is ever going to end. I mean, you’ve gotten to a point where nothing eludes you anymore. Anything you want you can get at the snap of your finger; you start to feel like a mini Fir’awn. You start to question death. You start to wonder if something like death will happen, you know?
And this is exactly what happens to this man. He’s entering his farm with his friend. Every time I’ve read Suratul Kahf, I think his companion is also well to do but not just as much as the richer fellow. So, he tells his companion ‘I am greater than you in wealth and mightier in numbers of men’. He doesn’t stop there. ‘I do not think that this will perish ever. And even if I should be brought back to My Lord, I will surely find better than this as a return.
’Why? Oh because guess what? I think this is all about me. I think I’ve done something so special. My Lord loves me. He doesn’t love you as much probably. So, this is never going to end, and if by some chance it does end, there’s something more waiting for me.
He never questions what it is he probably did. That’s not important. What’s important is the reward it is showing already.
Of course, his friend is flabbergasted and says ‘Ah brother calm down. Why did you not, as you were entering this farm, say something different? For me, I will not associate anybody with Allah. When you were entering you should have said alhamdulillah for what Allah has given me. There’s no power or might except from Allah you know. Although you see me less than you in wealth and children, it may be that Allah would give me something better than you and destroy what you have.
’Two things. He might bestow on another person the very like if not more or might reverse your fortunes – everything we have, parents, jobs, businesses, gifts, friends (or supposed friends), good health, all of that may be by something that you see in front of you, but the ultimate source is Allah. You must never forget that the ultimate source of all is Allah. And it is as He wishes, it is bestowed on mankind.
Back to our story, easy come easy go. He wakes up the following morning, gets to his ‘property’ and it’s as if it never existed, and the man is left wringing his hands thinking ‘O My Lord, I wish I had not associated anyone with you.’
And our sister says, and I agree, that this is a good story as Allah allowed him to see the error of his ways in his lifetime. Many of us are on this pedestal and Allah would take our lives before we were able to make good with Him. May Allah save us from this.
So, quick lessons summary insha Allah
:- Wealth is a test. Every blessing is a test, and every test is a blessing. When Allah gives you a test and you can succumb and succeed over that test, Allah uses that test to bless you. He wants to know how strong your faith is and whether you acknowledge the source of your ‘test’.
– Wealth is a two-pronged sword, and so also poverty. If you’re poor, you have the chance to turn to Your Lord in humility more but some use that as an excuse to do evil trying to find a way out of their situation. When you’re wealthy, you have a chance to be grateful and use your wealth to help or hinder and oppress. Regardless of what test Allah gives you either in poverty or in goodness, it is a matter of the state of our heart and knowledge.
– Wealth can come and go. For that brief period, you need to make sure that you’re not deluded about the enjoyment of the world. This is why poor people enjoy a closeness to their Lord because it allows for their calling upon Him. Wealth can bring social prestige and very fake friends. Fake friends that can distance you from Your Rabb. This world is a fleeting enjoyment. Save the bragging. Stop the boasting. Beware.
There’s one prayer that everybody can make, whether you are poor or wealthy, that Allah keeps you upon Suratul Mustaqeem and grants you Jannah. Wake up every night to cry for these. Purify your intentions, purify your deeds. Even if you need nothing in this life, these duas will forever be sacrosanct for every human being. Death is around the corner for us all.
May Allah take us when He is most pleased with us. Ameen.
