He stopped them and said, ‘This is waste, Allah does not like corruption.

He stopped them and said, ‘This is waste, Allah does not like corruption.’” (Mustadrak ul-Wasa’il) In a tradition, from the book Faqih, the Holy Prophet (S) describes the various prohibited acts and states that the house one builds extravagantly and for show-off will be raised to seven floors by the Almighty Allah on the Day of Qiyāma. Allah (S.w.T.) will kindle that building and make it into a necklace and place it on the neck of that person. Then He will toss him into the fire.

The people requested the Holy Prophet (S) to explain how a person can build a house for show-off. The Prophet (S) explained that it denotes a house, which is more than needed, and one that is constructed to show the superiority of the owner over other Muslim brothers.

Amir ul-Mu’minīn ‘Ali (a.s.) says: “Whenever Allah intends goodness from His servants, He reveals to him to live moderately and spend his life in the best way and keeps him away from extravagance and prodigality.” (Mustadrak ul-Wasa’il) Hazrat Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) says: “Do you think if Allah has bestowed someone with wealth, it is because he is His beloved? And if He has given less to someone it is because he is low? No! It is not so. Whatever wealth is there, it all belongs to Allah.

Allah gives it to whomsoever He wishes as a trust and He has permitted the trustee to eat, drink, wear clothes, marry, and ride from it, (but) in moderation. If he has excess he must distribute it among the poor and fulfill their needs.

Then whoever follows the Divine commands, whatever he has eaten, drunk, worn, married and riden in moderation; all this is lawful for him and if he does not act upon it, everything is Harām.” Then Imam (a.s.) recited the ayat, “And do not be extravagant, Allah does not love the squanderers.” Then he continued, “Do you think it proper that a person purchases from the wealth which Allah has entrusted him, a horse costing 10,000 dirhams when he could have bought an animal worth 20 dirhams?; and it would have sufficed for him.

Or if he purchase a slave-girl at a cost of a thousand dirhams when he could have got one in twenty dinars and quite sufficient for him? When the Almighty says, ‘Do not spend wastefully.’ (One who wastes and squanders money has done Khayanat in the trust of Allah (S.w.T.)).[^3] Abbasi says that he asked Imam Riďa (a.s.) as to how much he should spend on his family?