LOVE OF MATERIAL WORLD

By

Ibn 'Abdillah As-sudaisiy

When someone loves worldly things excessively and he pursues it at all cost, there is no doubt, shaytaan would becomes his close friend, advising him to disobey His Lord in order to become rich, famous and powerful. He takes shaytaan's admonitions because he is desperate to acquire worldly materias at all cost. If care is not taken, it would get to a stage that he would be ready to sacrifice anything just to please shaytaan. That is why you see people using human parts or sacrificing human beings (even that of close relatives) for rituals. They become very wicked, cruel and inhuman in their desperate ambitions. By the time he is completely destroyed by his evils, shaytaan would be the first to mock and disown him. Allaah says:

(كَمَثَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِذْ قَالَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ اكْفُرْ فَلَمَّا كَفَرَ قَالَ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِنْكَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ)

"The hypocrites are] like the example of Satan when he says to man, "Disbelieve." But when he disbelieves, he says, "Indeed, I am disassociated from you. Indeed, I fear Allah , Lord of the worlds." [Q59:16]

Allaah says in one of the verses of the Qur'an that the power of shaytaan is not on those who truly believe and rely on Him. But the power of shaytaan is on those who patronize him and those who worship him beside Allaah (Suratu Nahl, Q16: 99-100). We should rely only on Allaah for our needs and acquire worldly things in a halal way within limitations. Shaytaan in his antics lure Children of Adam with worldly things that would not last. They end up sacrificing their deen for wealth, fame and political appointments. Allaah has warned us many times not to be deceived by worldly materials (Q35:5), yet, many people have failed to yield to the warnings. Allaah declared that shaytaan is our enemy and we should deal with him in that manner, yet, a lot of people still make him their best friend. AllaAllahah says:

(إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا ۚ إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُوا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ)

"Indeed, Satan is an enemy to you; so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze (hell fire)"

May Allah guide us against shaytaan and its agents in the society.