Tradition

أَهْلَكَ النّاسَ إِثْنانِ خَوْفُ الْفَقْرِ وَ طَلَبُ الْفَخْرِ

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is narrated to have said: “Two things have thrown people into destruction and these are the fear of poverty and the seeking of glory.”1

Brief Commentary

There are two things which are the root cause of the increase that we see in thievery, bribery, and various other crimes in our society. Similarly, if we look at the root causes of greed and the accumulation of wealth in various individuals, we find that such behavior is caused by this same fear of poverty and the seeking of illusory glory.

When we look at some people, we find that in spite of their great amount of wealth, they are still engaged in the continuous accumulation of material wealth. In some cases, they even break laws for fear of somehow losing their wealth and becoming poverty stricken; this is in spite of possessing millions or even billions of dollars in their bank accounts. In other cases, people give up their sense of peace and calm in order to seek ever-increasing levels of glory and social recognition. They do this in order to compete with their rivals and to show themselves as being superior. This is while if they were to give up these two negative traits, their lives would be filled with ease and happiness.

• 1. Tuhaf al-’Uqul, Mustadrak Al-Wasa’il, vol. 12, p. 91, Al-Khisal, vol. 1, p. 68.