Aslam

The Prophet Abraham prayed: O God, save me and my successors from idol worship-14 : 35Q. By this he meant the worship of gold and silver, as gold and silver are deities of people. The status of prophethood is so high that he had no fear of idol worship but it is possible here of the worship of gold and silver. The Prophet said : The owners of gold are ruined and the owners of silver are ruined. So it appears that he who loves gold and silver, worships stones and idols. There are two kinds of Shirk. One kind is secret shirk for which Hell is not the permanent abode and the other kind is open Shirk for which there is the abode of permanent Hell.

BENEFITS AND HARMS OF WEALTH

Know, O dear readers, that wealth is like snake in which there is both honey and poison. He who knows its honey and poison becomes careful of its harms and enjoys its benefits. The benefit of wealth is worldly and next worldly. Worldly benefits are known to all and the next worldy benefits are of three kinds (1) Benefit of divine service. It means wealth spent for pilgrimage sand Jihad as without money, these virtuous acts cannot be performed. A poor man is deprived of these virtues. The strength that is required for divine service is gained from food, dress, abode, marriage and other necessaties of life. These things without which divine service is not possible are also actions of worshipand divine service. This is up to the limit of necessity. (2)
Beneift of spending it in good works. Good works are of four Kinds-(l) charity, (2) expense for gentlemanliness, (3) expense for preserving honour and (4) to pay remuneration for works.
The benefits of charity are not secret. It appeases the wrath of God. Expense for gentlemanliness means entertainments, feeding, presents, helps, and expense for giving satisfaction to the minds of the honourable men. By this expense, brotherhood and fiendship are established and the attribute of generosity is born. The benefit of preserving honour is to save

180 The Book of Destructive evils Vol-III