When iron falls into the hands of a rude...

When iron falls into the hands of a rude, forgetful, lustful rogue, it becomes an evil material. When Ibn Muljam had a sword, he could kill the Imam of the Lovers- Imam Ali (Pbuh) in the mosque. Thus, he became the worst of all people and this can be traced back to his bad spirit.

When Imam Ali (Pbuh) had a sword he established and spread justice: the reward of one stroke of the sword in the battle of the trench (Battle of Khandag) -as declared by the (Pbuh)- is superior to all the worships of the jinns and human beings. For those adorned with divine etiquette and the lovers of God, money and commercial goods act as a take-off platform toward Heaven and a means for acquiring His Mercy and Blessings and attaining an eternal and great reward.

Truly, wealth is the commerce for heavenly trade for believers who are noble, kind, generous, compassionate and have divine ethics. For such people, wealth serves as a vehicle driving them towards God’s eternal blessings. In addition, it is a means to obtain the good of this world and the Hereafter. That is why God has called the property of one who has died “his good leftovers” in the blessed chapter of the Qur’an entitled Baqarah.

God considers the wealth and property of a believer to be a manifestation of the belief of that believer, his nobility, generosity, mercy and passion. One-third might be spent in a good way according to his will and the remaining two-thirds are to be distributed amongst his inheritors according to the Quranic verses. Imam Sadiq (Pbuh) has said the following in interpretation of a verse in the Quranic chapter Baqara. “Our Lord!

Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter…” (4) The good in the Hereafter is God’s Pleasure and Heaven, and the good in this life is a good temper and bountiful daily bread. (5) Thus, we can conclude that the believer’s wealth and property are similar to a factory in which God’s pleasure and a musk-scented Heaven are produced. Believers earn their income through legitimate business transactions, abiding by the law and avoiding unlawful transactions.

In short, they earn money through continuous lawful transactions and by obeying God. They spend their income on the expenses of their household, paying the alms tax and the one-fifth levy. They spend the rest to help the deprived, the oppressed, and the weak and to aid relatives and friends.