Wallah! It is not poverty which I fear for you

Rasoolullah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:

“Wallah! It is not poverty which I fear for you. I fear for you, however, the world becoming easily accessible to you like it had become easily accessible to those before you. You will then vie for the world like they vied for it, but it will devastate you like it devastated them.” (Bukhari, Muslim – Mishkaat)

The concern of a parent at the time of death is the financial wellbeing of his/her child or children. A parent cannot contemplate his/her child suffering on account of poverty. Parents wish to see their offspring successful in this world by being financially secure. This was not, however, Rasoolullah’s (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) concern. In fact, he feared the very thing which parents wish to see of their offspring, viz. wealth and opulence. The reason for this fear of Rasoolullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) was the consequence of being wealthy in most cases, viz. ruin to one’s Deen and Aakhirat. (Mishkaat)

Comment: The focus of a Mu’min should always be the Aakhirat. In striving for the Aakhirat, if Allah Ta’ala grants one worldly comfort and prosperity then that is a ni’mat (favour/bounty) from Allah Ta’ala. If not, then too it is a favour of Allah Ta’ala to have saved one from indulgence in the luxury of this world which almost always leads to harm to one’s Aakhirat.