We live in an age that constantly forces us to choose between extremes. On one side stands aggressive materialism, which measures a person\u2019s worth by the size of their bank account, the brand of their car, or their social media follower count. On the other side, a misconception sometimes arises that true spirituality requires abandoning the world, despising material wealth, and living in passive poverty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Islamic spiritual tradition, however, offers a completely different perspective\u2014the concept of Wasat\u00edyya<\/em> (the middle, balanced path). The challenge is not to reject this world (Duny\u0101<\/em>), but to understand its true place in our existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ships are built to navigate the oceans. The water beneath their keel represents Duny\u0101<\/em>\u2014the material world with all its opportunities, commerce, comfort, and beauty. As long as the water remains under the ship, the vessel safely sails toward its destination. The problem arises the moment a leak occurs and water starts entering the inside. In Islamic metaphysics, the human heart is understood as a sanctuary intended for knowledge, love, and eternal values (\u0100khirah<\/em>). The moment we let the material world slip from our hands directly into our heart, the tool becomes our master. Wealth no longer serves to ease life and help others, but instead transforms into a measure of human worth, pride, and anxiety over potential loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A giant of Islamic ethics and philosophy, Im\u0101m al-Ghaz\u0101l\u012b (1058\u20131111), adds in his seminal work I\u1e25y\u0101\u02be \u02bful\u016bm al-d\u012bn<\/em> (The Revival of the Religious Sciences<\/em>) that the material world is akin to a farm or sowing ground (mazra\u02bfah<\/em>):<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis world is a seedbed for the Hereafter. Whoever draws from it only what helps them reach eternity has won in this world. But whoever seeks pleasure in it purely for its own sake has lost their way.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n This lens refutes the myth that faith demands poverty. Many of the closest companions of the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) were immensely successful and wealthy merchants\u2014such as \u02bfUthm\u0101n ibn \u02bfAff\u0101n or \u02bfAbd al-Ra\u1e25m\u0101n ibn \u02bfAwf. Their strength, however, lay in the fact that their wealth resided in their hands, not in their hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When \u02bfUthm\u0101n financed entire armies or bought wells for the community, he did so without a sense of loss. If he had lost his wealth overnight, his inner world and identity would have remained untouched. To live in the world and not be consumed by it, therefore, does not mean owning nothing, but being owned by nothing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, the Qur’an explicitly rejects the idea that a person should renounce the beauty and blessings of this life under the guise of spirituality:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSay, \u2018Who has forbidden the adornment of God which He has produced for His servants and the good things of provision?\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 Qur’an, S\u016brat al-A\u02bfr\u0101f (7:32)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n This balanced approach to both realms of existence is summarized by a verse in S\u016brat al-Qa\u1e63a\u1e63:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut seek, through that which God has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as God has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 Qur’an, S\u016brat al-Qa\u1e63a\u1e63 (28:77)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The difference between a ordinary consumer and an eternity-oriented person lies not in what<\/em> they do, but why<\/em> they do it. In Islamic jurisprudence and spiritual science, actions are judged by intention (niyyah<\/em>). This principle is articulated in the very first and most famous \u1e25ad\u012bth in the Sah\u012bh al-Bukh\u0101r\u012b collection:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cActions are judged according to intentions, and every person will get only what they intended.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 Narrated by the companion \u02bfUmar ibn al-Kha\u1e6d\u1e6d\u0101b (\u1e62a\u1e25\u012b\u1e25 al-Bukh\u0101r\u012b, \u1e24ad\u012bth No. 1)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n When you work honestly, study, build a business, or care for your health and family with the intention of being a useful member of society and providing for your loved ones, daily labor becomes an act of spiritual devotion (\u02bfib\u0101dah). Work turns into worship, and earned wealth becomes a means to spread good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How can we practice this balance in today\u2019s fast-paced era?<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be “in the world, but not of the world” means living a full, joyful, and successful life with open arms toward all its blessings, yet with hands relaxed enough to let go of anything without bitterness or panic when the time comes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We live in an age that constantly forces us to choose between extremes. On one side stands aggressive materialism, which measures a person\u2019s worth by the size of their bank account, the brand of their car, or their social media follower count. On the other side, a misconception sometimes arises that true spirituality requires abandoning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":598,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/islam.cz\/mosque\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/islam.cz\/mosque\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/islam.cz\/mosque\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islam.cz\/mosque\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islam.cz\/mosque\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=597"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/islam.cz\/mosque\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":599,"href":"https:\/\/islam.cz\/mosque\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597\/revisions\/599"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islam.cz\/mosque\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/islam.cz\/mosque\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islam.cz\/mosque\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islam.cz\/mosque\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Ship Metaphor: The Art of Not Being Owned<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Wealth in the Hands of the Prophet\u2019s Companions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How to Transform Everyday Life into a Spiritual Act<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Holding the World in Your Hand in the 21st Century<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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