Holy Propeht (S) An important point to remember is that the...

Holy Propeht (S) An important point to remember is that the wealth which human beings enjoy actually belongs to Allah. The Qur'an continuously brings men's attention to the fact that wealth is only God's, and that man is no more than a proxy of God in supervising it; consequently, man should not disobey God regarding the trust put under his charge. “Allah is the Owner of heavens and the earth: To God belongs the dominion of heavens and the earth” (3: 189).

“And it is God Who provides sustenance to all people: Is there a Creator, other than God, to give you sustenance from heaven or earth?” (35: 3). People are requested to spend of the wealth that God has bestowed upon them, on those who do not have it. The fact is that wealth is not theirs, for they act only as representatives who have been assigned by God to manage it: “Spend (in charity) out of the (wealth) whereof He hath made you heirs" (57: 7).

“And spend something (in charity) out of the wealth which We have bestowed on you, before Death should come to any of you and he should say, 'O my Lord! Why did You not give me respite for a little while? I should then have given (largely) in charity, and I should have been one of the righteous” (63:10). Being Grateful to the Almighty Just as fasting teaches us to sympathize with the poor and the needy, it also teaches us to be grateful for all the blessings of the Almighty we enjoy.

The food and wholesome drinks so abundantly available are great blessings of God. Because we have them everyday, we do not realize their importance. But when we are forced to restrain ourselves while fasting, we understand the importance of having enough to eat and satisfy the pangs of hunger. The Holy Qur'an says: “And whoever is grateful, he is grateful for his own soul, and whoever is ungrateful, then surely My Lord is Self-sufficient, Honored.” (27:40) “Nay!

But serve Allah alone, and be among the thankful ones.” (39:66) The following Ahadith also talk about the importance of being grateful: • The first of your obligations to Allah is to thank His favors, and seek His pleasure. Imam Ali (a) • Every breath you take requires thanks, in fact a thousand thanks, and more. Imam Ja`far as-Sadiq (a) • No-one knows a favor except the one who thanks, and no-one thanks a favor except the one who knows.

Imam Hasan al-Askari (a) Exercises Choose a country that has recently undergone a tragedy (war, earthquake, hurricane etc.). What happened to the people there? Imagine you were living there.