Love of and Greed for Worldly Things

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘The head of all sins is love of this world.’”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘No two fierce wolves in a flock of sheep in the absence of their shepherd, one wolf on either side is as destructive to them as the love of property and honor is to the religion of a Muslim.”

“No two fierce wolves in a flock of sheep without a shepherd, one wolf on either side is as quick (to destroy them) as the love of property and honor (popularity) is to destroy the religion of a believer.”

“Satan circles around the children of Adam in every (evil) matter (to make him sin), when he is frustrated (man did not sin) he ambushes him through his (love of) property and holds him (man) through such love by his neck.”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘One who is not comforted and satisfied with relief from Allah, his soul will be torn in pieces due to his sorrow for the world. One who follows his eyes to what is in the hands of the people, his depressed condition will increase and his anguish will not cease. One who does not appreciate Allah’s bounties, besides food, drinks and clothes, his deeds fall short and his suffering draws near.”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘The world and dirham (money) have destroyed those who lived before you and they will destroy you also.’”

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.) has said, ‘A person greedy of the worldly things is like a silkworm, the more silk it produces around itself the more difficult it becomes to come out, until it dies in sorrow.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) then said, ‘The richest person is one who is not a captive of greed.’ The Imam has said, ‘Do not allow your hearts to become preoccupied with what has already gone; it distracts your hearts from the task of readiness for what is to come.’”

“Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) was asked, ‘Which deed is more excellent before Allah?’ The Imam said, ‘No deed, after knowing Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, and knowing the Messenger of Allah, is more excellent than hating the world. It has many branches, and the sins have branches also. The first sin committed was Arrogance, the sin of Satan, when he refused to obey (Allah), assumed arrogance and became an unbeliever. Thereafter it is Greed, the sin of Adam and Eve. When Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, told them, ‘Enjoy the foods therein, but do not go near a certain tree lest you become of the transgressors.’ (2:35) They took what they did not need and it remained in their descendents to the Day of Judgment. For this reason most of the things that the children of Adam want do not need them. Thereafter is Envy. It is the sin of the son of Adam who envied his brother and killed him. From this branches love for women, love for the world, love to become the leader, the love to be comfortable, the love to speak, the love to be superior and rich. They total seven characteristics and all are found in the love for the world. The prophets and the scholars after knowing this have said, ‘Love for the world is the head of all sins.’ The world is of two kinds: The world of bare necessities and the condemned one.’”

“It is in the conversations of Moses: ‘O Moses, the world is the home of suffering. I caused Adam to suffer in it when he made a mistake and 1 have condemned it. Everything in it is condemned except what is for Me. O Moses, My virtuous servants reduce their interests in the world proportionate to the degree of their knowledge, and other creatures developed interest in it proportionate to the degree of their ignorance. There is no one who for his appreciation of the world has found any delight to his eyes and no one belittled it but that he found benefits in it.’”

“No two fierce wolves in a flock of sheep without a shepherd, one wolf on either side is as quick (to destroy them) as the love of property and fame is to destroy the religion of a Muslim.”

“Once Jesus, son of Mary, passed by a town, in which people, birds and animals had all died. Jesus said, ‘They all have died from violence. Had they died individually they would have buried each other.’ The disciples said, ‘O Spirit of Allah and His word, pray to Allah to bring them to life so we may ask about their deeds and avoid them (bad ones).’ Jesus prayed to his Lord and from space he was told to call them. Jesus at night stood on a high ground that dominated the town and said, ‘O people of the town?’ A certain individual replied, ‘Yes, O the Spirit of Allah and His word.’ He then said, ‘Woe upon you. What kind of deeds did you have?’ He said, ‘We worshipped the devil, loved the world with little fear, had long hopes and neglectfully engaged in useless and playful activities.’ Jesus asked, ‘How was your love of the world?’ He replied, ‘It was like a child’s love for his mother. When it came to us we rejoiced in happiness and when it went away we felt sad and cried.’ He then asked, ‘How was your worship of the devil?’ He replied, ‘It was obedience to the sinful people.’ Jesus asked, ‘How were the consequences of your activities?’ He replied, ‘We spent one night in comfort and in the morning we found ourselves in Hawiyah (a place in hell).’ Jesus asked, ‘What is HawiyahT He said, ‘It is Sijjin ’ Jesus asked, ‘What is SijjinV He said, ‘It is a mountain of burning coal that smolders upon us to the Day of Judgment.’ Jesus asked, ‘What did you say and what was said to you?’ He replied, ‘We said, ‘Return us to the worldly life so we can live piously, and it was said to us, “You are lying.”’ Jesus asked, ‘Why do not the others of you talk to me?’ He said, ‘O Spirit of Allah, they are harnessed with a harness of fire which is in the hands of stern and strong angels. I was among them, but not one of them. When punishment struck it took me with them. I am hanged by a hair on the brink of hell and I do not know if I will be saved or thrown into hell.’ Jesus then turned to the disciples and said, ‘Friends of Allah, eating dried up bread with not so pleasant salt and sleeping on the trash collection sites is much better in good health and safety in this world and in the next life.’”

“With every door to the worldly affairs that Allah opens to a servant. He also opens a door of greed to him.”

“Jesus, son of Mary, peace be upon him, has said, ‘You work for the worldly things while your sustenance is there without work. Y ou do not work for the next life where you will not receive any sustenance without work. Woe upon you. You are bad scholars. You receive payments but destroy the work. Perhaps the worshippers’ deeds are accepted and perhaps they will be taken out of the narrow space of this world to the darkness of the grave. How can one be of the scholars who is on his way to the next life while he is holding to the world and what is harmful to him is more beloved to him than what is beneficial to him?”’

“The farthest that a servant can be from Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, is the condition wherein one has no other concern but his stomach and his genitals.”

“Whoever passes the nights and days with the world as his biggest concern, Allah places poverty between his eyes, makes his affairs chaotic and he will receive of the world only what Allah has made his allocated share of the world. Whoever passes nights and the days with the next life as his biggest concern, Allah places wealth in his heart and sets his affairs in an orderly manner.’

“Whoever’ s entanglement with the world is greater his sorrow to leave this world becomes more intense.”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Whoever’s heart is lodged with the world is ensnared with three things: a concern that never vanishes, a wish that never comes true and a hope that never materializes.’”