Have you ever questioned why you really want to be rich? Or how much money you need before you can call yourself rich?
Before focusing on how to get there, we need to ask ourselves those two fundamental questions.
It’s only until recently that I really thought about why I want to be rich when listening to a podcast. Before that, I was just telling myself: ‘I want to be rich,’ and thinking about how I’ll get there. I never really quantified or thought about what it meant to me.
Until you clearly define what you want (check S.MA.R.T goals), your mind just doesn’t perceive the goal properly, and that’s where the problem lies.
If you want to be rich because that’s what’s social media or society is feeding you to be. Then hold on. Take a step back and think again. If you start making a lot of money, very likely, you’ll get lost in the endless pursuit of wealth, which no amount of money can curb. There’s also a high chance you’ll mindlessly start chasing your desires and forget the purpose of your existence.
One way to look at money, in my opinion, is to think of it in terms of ‘change.’ If you want to push your ideas onto the world, you need to have that much worth of money. In the sense that only when you have, say, $1 million can you create a change worth $1 million.
Before blindly chasing money, I’ve realized, it’s crucial to learn why you’re running after it. Someone could literally give you $5million, but at the end of, say, 2 years, it’ll all be gone if you didn’t have bigger goals. You’ll be back at square-one dreaming about being rich again.
Bruh, and money is very addictive!
Whenever we ask Allah SWT for money, we should add the sentence ‘only if it doesn’t drive us away from You.’ When people (some) possess excess-money, their paradigm changes, and they subconsciously God-ify themselves (may Allah SWT not make us of those). Basically, they follow their nafs and get more distant from Allah SWT in the process.
As the Prophet PBUH said, “If Adam’s son had a valley full of gold, he would like to have two valleys…” [Sahih al-Bukhari: 6439]. That’s because it’s our fit’rah (nature), and how we’re fashion as, but Allah SWT has also given us reins (our minds) to be mindful of that and keep it in check.
I don’t think it’s wrong to chase wealth to have a comfortable lifestyle, but I also believe that as a Muslim, it’s important to ‘leave a dent’ on the world when you die. People should actually grieve your loss. You weren’t an ordinary person who came on earth, lived a comfortable life, and left. It’s important to think bigger. Think about leaving a legacy behind.
As the Prophet PBUH said, ‘….if you ask Allah for anything, ask Him for the Firdaus (the highest level of Paradise)….” [Sahih al-Bukhari 7423].
In Islam, we’re always encouraged to aim higher than we think we could achieve because Allah SWT has infinite resources to get us there. As an English saying goes, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
If money was everything, there wouldn’t be rich people who commit suicide. Think of it as a tool, if used right, can benefit you and those around, but merely possessing it will not bring you peace of heart.
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See you soon with another article, In Sha Allah.
Disclaimer: Please do not consider this blog as a financial authority. All the articles are written based on my own knowledge and experience. This blog is not authorised by any authority to educate people to make financial decisions. Apply the advice based on your own discretion.
