BETWEEN CONTENTMENT AND DISCONTENTMENT

Chapter 102 of the Quran refers to a reality of life in these words: “You were obsessed about acquiring more and more till you reached the grave.” (102:1-2) This verse refers to a historical fact. Every person is engaged in acquiring more and more money, but very soon he dies without fulfilling his desires.

Why this sad state of affairs in human history? The reason is that a person follows his own desires without knowing that the present world was not created for this purpose. It is this disparity between man and the world that has led to the tragic end of man dying without fulfilment. The world was created as a testing ground for a limited period, and not for man to fulfil his unlimited desires.

The right way of life for every man and woman is to discover the creation plan of the Creator, and to accordingly plan his or her life. Man is not the creator of the world, so he has no option other than to follow the scheme of things determined by the Creator.

The well-known American billionaire Bill Gates (b. 1955) tried his utmost to acquire money until after long struggle he became the richest person of the world. But, in the end he discovered that wealth was not an answer to his inner urge. Speaking at the University of Washington, Mr. Gates is reported to have said, “I can understand wanting to have a million dollars — it’s freedom. But once you get beyond that, I have to tell you, it’s the same hamburger.” (The Telegraph, October 28, 2011).

The right way of life for every man and woman is to discover the creation plan of the Creator, and to accordingly plan his or her life.

It means that money for the sake of need has a limit, but money for the sake of money has no limit at all. In other words, ‘money for the sake of money’ is an unachievable goal. And one who adopts an unachievable goal is bound to live forever in tension.