Tradition

أَسْوَءُ النّاسِ مَعَاشاً مَنْ لَمْ يَعِشْ غَيْرَهُ فِى مَعاشِهِ

Imam al-Rida’ (‘a) is narrated to have said: “The worst of the people in respect to their economic lives are those who do not support others with their livelihood…”1

Brief Commentary

One of the worst attributes in a human being is the attribute of greed and miserliness. Sometimes, people fall into the trap of thinking that if they hoard their wealth and keep it all for themselves, they will gain a stronger position in terms of power and wealth. They refuse to support others, even their close family members. This type of greed and miserliness comes from a lack of understanding that wealth has no intrinsic value in and of itself; its value comes from the benefit that it gives to oneself and others. Such people have failed to understand the purpose of this life and the reason behind why God has given them such wealth.

• 1. Taken from the book: Tuhaf al-’Uqul, p. 334.