The (s.

The (s.a.w) said, ''The best help in piety is being free from need.''[^4] Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s) said, "The best help for the hereafter is this world."[^5] Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s) said, "One who forsakes his world for his hereafter or his hereafter for his world is not from us."[^6] ***** Imam Musa al-Kazim (a.s) has very elegantly described the relationship of the believer to this world and the hereafter.

He said, Work for your world as if you are to live forever and work for your hereafter as if you are to die tomorrow. ^7 ***** Wealth versus Poverty and Asceticism However, a question comes to mind: Docs not Islam, like other religions, prefer poverty to wealth and affluence? The reality is that Islam does not consider poverty or affluence as the goal; the ultimate goal is to submission to the will of God and whatever helps that submission is preferred.

Therefore, Imam as-Sadiq (a.s) said, "Wealth which prevents you from injustice is better than poverty which pushes you towards sin.''[^8] So what does Islam say about asceticism (zuhd)?

Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq explains the real meaning of asceticism as follows: "Asceticism (zuhd) in this world is neither neglecting your wealth nor making the permissible (halal things) into forbidden (haram); instead, zuhd in this world means that your wealth should not be stronger to you [in attachment] than what is with Allah." [^9] Affluence and Charity Once people have amassed enough wealth to ensure a comfortable standard of living for themselves and their dependents, then they must realize that it is better to share the extra wealth with the less fortunate members of the society.

They must engage in public service. After all, the affluent people are to consider themselves as the trustees of God's wealth and the poor as the dependents of God­ should not the trustees of God take care of His dependents?

Referring to the lack of concern for the society's well­being by corporate America in the nineties, Harvey Pitt, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission said, "We are coming off a period of enormous and probably excessive exuberance in the markets ...I don't want to condemn corporate America.