Translation
There was a sign in the encounter of the two groups—one fighting for the ways of God[truth and justice] and one consistently denying [His Grace]; you saw them with your naked eyes twice as many. But God strengthens whom He will. There is a lesson in this for those who have vision [see beyond what their eyes can see]! Men are preoccupied with the love of desires, of women, of children, of wealth [gold, precious metals, bank balances, and real estate], well-bred horses, cattle, and land. But these are provisions for the life of this world, whereas with God is the wholesome goal of life!168
Say to them, “Shall I tell you what is better than these [worldly attractions and desires]? Those who act responsibly in the eyes of God will be rewarded by their Sustainer with Gardens with rivers flowing, consummate companions, and God’s grace. God sees over the servants [as to how they act].”169
Interpretation
168. This is a deeper reference to the human condition and the counterbalancing forces that need to prevail. Human beings, both men and women, are prone to be driven by desires for love or lust, excessive love for children and family, and desires for wealth in the form of business, hired hands, harvest, land, and real estate in accordance with whatever economic system we live in—industrial, feudal, agricultural, knowledge, trading, and so on. All of these are necessary conditions for survival, human progress, and our well-being, and God does not forbid us to take advantage of or pursue these. But we have to display and exercise due sense of proportion and responsibility.
Unlike some of the other religions such as Christianity, Islam does not advocate monasticism, celibacy, or renunciation of the world. While Islam encourages proper and measured use of all these desirables in this life, it does not permit wanton abuse of power, wealth, sexual desires, and natural resources, which has become the hallmark of certain societies, ideologies, and lifestyles in our contemporary world. Many Muslims and Muslim societies today, like other societies and people of different ideological backgrounds, have succumbed to the same alarming tendencies all over the world. Income disparities; racial, sectarian, and ethnic divides; proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and large-scale pollution of air and water by industries, mining, fossil-fuel use, and so on are stark examples of our misplaced priorities and how we misuse our God-given talents and resources.
169. As humans face temptations and desires to abuse God’s bounty on this earth, God demands a sense of responsibility and accountability so that we take note of what God has given us and use it with Taqwa (a sense of duty, responsibility, and due proportion). People of all religions and many nations have abused these values, the results of which manifested in colonization, wanton abuse of human rights, accumulation of wealth in limited hands and nations, and disintegration of moral order in the world. According to an Oxfam research study, reported by the Guardian, January 19, 2015, in 2016 the eighty richest people in the world will have more wealth than the bottom 50 percent (3.5 billion) of the world’s population. Is this the kind of world that humanity, created by God, was to establish? It can’t be right or moral. But how are we going to change this system we have created, either by design or by benign neglect, for the benefit of the few at the expense of many? This is a real challenge, and we have to address it to prove our worth as a human society and as the favored creatures of God on this planet.
REFLECTION
Many Muslims and Muslim nations have fallen into the same trap where personal wealth and desires have taken precedence over national and societal priorities and wants, where religions are used to exploit citizens as opposed to uplifting the public, and where enormous national wealth is used for personal benefit as opposed to public education, economic development, and spiritual refinement.
ACTION
This is a fundamental crisis of confidence and morality in Muslim lands and in Muslim communities. Unless we reshape our priorities in light of the above verses, we are doomed to failure not only on this earth but also from God’s grace in the afterlife. Muslims have to stop blaming others for their failures.