Tradition

"مَنْ وَجَدَ ماءً وَ تُراباً فَافْتَقَرَ فَأَبْعَدَهُ اللّهُ!”

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is narrated to have said: “One who has land and water available to him and is poor and needy in spite of this, is truly far from the mercy of God.”1

Brief Commentary

From the Islamic sourcebooks, it is clear that Muslims are duty bound to put to use all of the resources which they have at their disposal in a responsible and conscientious way. This includes things such as animal husbandry, farming, mining of underground resources, the establishment of factories, trade, etc… One of the teachings of Islam is the full utilization of the resources which we have been blessed with. If we make a habit of using these resources with one hundred percent efficiency, then this will cause our worldly life to be full of blessings and prosperity.

At the same time, this isn’t just something which deals with our worldly life alone. If we make a habit of working hard and successfully using the resources that God has blessed us with, then this will extend into our spiritual and religious life as well. As a result, we will find that our religious life is one filled with great blessings and closeness to our Creator as well.

• 1. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 103, p. 65.