Zakir Naik – Being Poor or Rich all is a Test
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Allah says in the Quran, in Suri Anam,
chapter number 6, verse 10 65.
Allah says
that he has given
more sustenance
to some of the human beings over the
other.
Some of the human beings, Allah,
has given more sustenance
as compared to the other. Allah says this
in Surah Nihal, chapter number 16, verse number
71, that he has favored some of the
human beings over others in sustenance.
Allah repeats this message
in Suri Anam chapter number 6, verse number
165.
That Allah has
given more gifts
to some of the individuals,
and based on what he has given you,
he will test you.
Now there's a question
that people ask,
that how can Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, be
just that some people are born in a
poor family, some people are born in a
rich family, Some people are born healthy. Some
people are born with diseases.
It is unjust.
Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, is unjust.
How can he make the differentiation between different
human beings?
We come to know that this world
has life and death.
There is health and disease.
There is wealth and poverty.
All these are tests.
And Allah says in the Quran,
in Suri Anfal, chapter number 8, verse number
28, Allah says
that
surely
your wealth and your progeny, your children, are
a test for you.
And Allah says in chapter number
63 verse number 9, that let not the
wealth and your children
deviate you from the remembrance of Allah, subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala tested different people in
different way.
One of the tests? One of the best
deeds you ask anyone? That what are the
good deeds?
And the good deeds that all human beings,
whether they believe in God or not, they'll
say, the good deeds are charity. It is
contentment.
Charity will be there amongst the food that
he names.
So how can almighty God test whether some
people are charitable or not? If all the
people have the same wealth,
then where is the question of the test?
The test will only take place if some
people are poor and some people are rich.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala test people in
different ways. Maybe
some people are born in a rich family,
they have a lot of wealth. Some people
are born poor. But
the person who is rich, according to the
Islamic Sharia,
one of the pillars of Islam is Zakat.
That's every rich person who has a saving
of more than the nisab level, 85 grams
of gold, he or she should give 2.5%
of that saving
every lunar year in charity.
The person may be a millionaire, may be
a billionaire.
He may
give the required amount,
then he will get
passing marks. He may not give the complete
amount. He may give portions, small portion. Maybe
20% of what he is required to give.
A part of what is required to give.
He will fail. Some people may not give
zakat at all.
Absolutely fail.
The poor person,
he does not have to give zakat at
all. He gets full marks.
But we, humanly, we say,
poor man. You know so much problems he
has in his life.
And we look up to the person who's
rich.
Abu Luh the prophet said
that it is more difficult for a rich
man to enter Jannah than a poor man.
Well, as the Quran says in Suri Anfal
chapter 8 was 28,
that the wealth is a test for you.
It's a test.
We are fools that we think, okay, you
know, this person is rich. Allah has blessed
him.
It's a test.
If he doesn't use the blessing which Allah
has given him, it's a blessing, but the
chances of him failing the test is very
high. For example, in one of the question
papers, which came last year or 2 years
before, in 2,002,
a very difficult question came,
and most of those students could not reply.
Next year,
that question does not appear. It'd be foolish
for us to say, oh, how sad this
question did not come. You should be happy.
It did not come. So wealth is a
test. For those people who don't have wealth,
it is actually
easier for them to go to Jannah than
a rich man.
So Allah test different people in different ways.
Therefore Allah says that let not your wealth
deviate you from the remembrance of Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala. It's a test for him.