Nothing Belongs to Us
A valuable perspective
Every person possesses one or another thing in this world. It is commonly said, “I own a big multi-million-dollar home”. Some say, “I have a lot of wisdom and knowledge as compared to other people”. While some say, “All the hard work is done by me. Therefore, I deserve this victory”. In today’s world, worth of a person is gauged according to the amount of money he or she possesses and it’s a sad reality. That is why “How much you earn ?” is a frequently asked question. However, a small portion of people says, “Nothing belongs to us. By the grace of the Almighty, I have so and so things”. Well, “By the Grace Of the Almighty I have…” is not just a statement. It shows the perspective for a person to see this world. It is a representation of the belief that “I own nothing, Everything Belongs to God” and the people who live with this perspective are humble. We tend to forget that there are so many people who do a lot of hard work but they don’t get results. Then in this kind of situation people blame God, “If God is in control, why is this happening; how come I am not getting results?”. When things go according to a person’s wish he or she says, “That’s because of me” and when things don’t work out according to one’s wish then he or she says, “Why does God not want that to happen?” Therefore, it is of great importance to know how things, failures, success should be looked upon to save ourselves from distress and confusion.
Who says religion does not give a solution to every problem? In fact, the only authentic solution comes from religion. It would be interesting to know how Islam solves this confusion.
It is mentioned in the Quran
And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, (2:155)
Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him, we will return.” (2:156)
Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided. (2:157)
Just as mentioned above in the verses, people who are rightly guided realize this fact that everything belongs to God and He is the ultimate owner. It is very important to know the law of inheritance that is going to continue until the world ends. The owner of the house leaves the house when he dies then it is inherited by another person and this process continues till the world ends. So, money can go away, huge expensive homes are inherited, the ability to do hard work can go away, the hands given by God can be taken back, success can turn into failure, failure can turn into success. For example, if today a person has a Lamborghini then it can be destroyed in a car accident tomorrow. A body can be paralyzed by disease, a successful business can be destroyed in just a second and the list goes on. Hence, nothing in this world belongs to a person, Everything belongs to God. One should have an attitude in a way that when he works with his hand, he should always remember that this hand is given by God. If God did not give this hand it would be not possible to write or do any other work with this hand. Similarly, when one is given victory then it should be considered that it is from God who allowed that to happen. Otherwise, the fruits of labor can be lost. Not only this, the body which is used to do multiple tasks is not bought from Amazon or any shop but it is given by God. In fact, the soul in the body is also given by God and it can be taken away anytime.
Allah says in Quran
Say, [O Muhammad], “To whom belongs the earth and whoever is in it, if you should know?” (23:85)
They will say, “To Allah .” Say, “Then will you not remember?” (23:86)
God knows that every person tends to forget.Therefore, He is reminding us in the above verse (23:86) “will you not remember?” Living with the concept of “Nothing belongs to us” frees us from arrogance and make us a humble person, and also help us to realize the true worth of things. However, there is something which remains and that is our deeds.
Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace, and blessings be upon him, said, “Three things follow a deceased person. Two of them return and one remains. His family, his wealth, and his deeds follow him. His family and wealth return, but his deeds remain.”( Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6149, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2960)
Yes, deeds are the things that remain and it cannot be taken away. All the good deeds are rewarded in this world and hereafter. It is mentioned in the Quran
Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer — We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do. (16:97)
When God promises something then He definitely fulfills His promise. That’s the matter of trust in God. So, people gauge the worth with money but in reality rich is the person who has many good deeds. It depends on a person’s choice which thing he gives priority to, “Good Deeds” or “Valuable Things of this world”.
