Ain Al-Hayat, The Essence of Life.pdf - Higher Intellect | Content ...

people and ask for alms. This faqr is despiceable. This faqr makes a person avaricious.
As people earn reward for expending their wealth in Allah’s way, similarly there is
reward for those who spend their lives with patience and forbearance while in penury.
The reward, in fact, is greater for such persons than for the rich and charitable. Because
riches generally take one towards evil and mischief but faqr keeps a person’s attention
riveted towards the remembrance of Allah. If Allah had not created faqr in the world,
then the superior trait of patience and resignation would never have been practiced.
The question of faqr is very delicate to answer. Why Allah had to create faqr? Why has
He given people the tendency to commit sin? If the instinct of sin was not there, then
how would one get the reward for shunning sins? It is advisable not to delve in these
thoughts. Even the Prophet (a.s.) and the Imams (a.s.) have advised people not to delve
too deeply in the matter..
PENURY & OPULENCE
It is narrated from Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s.) that the pious men of penury will see the
Heaven forty years ahead of the pious opulent persons.. The Imam then cited a simile
that the impecunious and opulent persons will be like two boats anchored on a wharf.
One boat laden with merchandise and the other void of anything.. The person on the
empty boat would walk away without paying any duties and taxes and the master of the
boat with merchandise will have to give account of the goods carried on board before
he is allowed to go ashore!
• The Prophet of Islam (a.s.) has said that man hates two things. One is the thought of
death and the other is the scarcity of wealth. This, despite the fact that death relieves
the person of all the cares of the world and the scarcity of wealth makes one less
accountable on the Day of Reckoning!
• Hazrat Ali (a.s.) has said, “ Two things kill a person. First, the fear of poverty and
indigence and secondly, the desire for status and recognition.”
• Imam Moosa Kazim (a.s.) said, “ Don’t belittle the faqirs amongst the Shias of Ali
(a.s.). On the Day of Judgement each one of them will intercede for so many
persons that the number will be equal to the population of the two big tribes of
Rabiah and Mudar.
• It is narrated from Imam Jafar e Sadiq (a.s.) that “ The hardships in this world are
the Endowments of Allah. For the pious Allah has stored penury in His Treasury!”
• One tradition says that penury is a trust from Allah. One who keeps his penury to
himself, he will get reward equivalent to one who has fasted on all days and prayed
throughout the nights all his life. One who expresses his impecunious position to a
person who is capable of ameliorating his situation, but fails to do it, it will be
tantamount to killing the person. It will not be killing someone with a sharp lethal
instrument, but it will be killing him by way of hurting his psyche.
• The stronger the faith of a person, the more his means of livelihood will decrease.
The Imam (a.s.) said, “ If men were not pleading with Allah with humility, even