Aslam

Question: What is the reason that wealth, honour, relatives and name a.icl fame are necessary for a man to get happiness in the next world?

Answer: These are like the wings of a bird to fly to the destination.

(1) Wealth: A poor man is sometimes unable to gain perfection. He is just like a warrior who runs to fight without arms or like a bird of prey which roams to catch prey without wings. For this reason, the Prophet said: How good is lawful wealth for a pious man. He also said: How good is the help of wealth for God-fear? Why will it not be good when a great deal of time is spent in search of wealth, dress, house and subsistence unless there is wealth. Many troubles keep such a man away from Zikr and Fikr. He is also deprived of the merits of pilgrimage, Zakat and charities. A certain pious man was asked: Which is the thing called gift? He replied: Wealth, as a poor man has got no happiness. He was again asked about gifts. The pious man said:
Security is also a gift as a fearful man has got no rest. He was again asked: What are the other gifts? He said: Peace arising out of self-control as a patient has got no happiness. He was again asked: What are the other gifts? He said: Youth, as there is no happiness in old age? These are the gifts which help towards the gifts of the next world. For this reason, the Prophet said: If one gets up at dawn with health of body, mind free from fear and with daily provision, he acquires as it were the whole world?

(2) Children, wives and members of family: It is not. secret how useful are the wives and children. The Prophet said about wife: A religions wife is a help towards religion. He said regarding children: When a man dies, all his pious acts are closed up except three things - a pious issue who prays for him etc. We have mentioned this usefulness of children and other things in the chapter of marriage and it should not be repeated here.

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94 PATIENCE AND GRATEFULNESS Vol-IV

(3) Relatives: They add to the strength of a pious man. If he has no such relatives, his works increase and he gets no leisure in religious services.

(4) Name, fame and influence: These are means to remove dishonour and disgrace. In their absence, the enemies may give him trouble and oppressors may create trouble for him in his works and thus these things may keep away his mind from the remembrance of God. The mind of a believer is his principal thing. So honour and influence may remove these things from a man. God says: Had God not removed one party by another party, the world would have been destroyed - 2 : 2518. Influence has got no meaning unless the opinion of the people are brought under control.

Question: What gift is therein the honour of relatives?