Ambition and the Quran
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"True Believers" don't fit a certain mold that involves wealth strictly in the financial sense, it can but doesn't only have to.
True but since this thread is about "ambition", and Allah says "properties" . . .
Therefore True Believers must have "wealth". . .
(3) but strive with <- ie. motivation
(4) their properties <- ie. do you have wealth?
(5) and their lives <- ie. do you have skills?
49.15Those who do not have "wealth" cannot strive with their "properties"
It is better for them to feed themselves and not burdening other people, rather than thinking about something else. . .
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And none will HEED it except those who possess knowledge.
Peace out
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I say strive with themselves and their possessions. You think that only material things are useful matters?
And I told you examples of ambitions that one can undertake without any money at all.
True Believers must have faith and strive in the cause of God in whatever way.
Those who have no properties can contribute with their bodies.
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No. You need to translate the passage correctly.
None will heed (or take it to heart) except those who posses intelligence.
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Your very body is in control or possession of you. You can strive with it, with possessions or not.
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None will heed (or take it to heart) except those who posses intelligence.
I see no merit on your objection . .
First you contest that there are no "double negative", and it is clear. . .
and now you contest on the meaning of "heed" , as it means to "take it to heart"
What difference that is makes ?
It doesn't matter much to me since I can agree with you that it is about to "take it to heart"
but it is related to the "reminder of Allah in verse 3.7", ie. no one knows its interpretation except Allah.
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Your very body is in control or possession of you. You can strive with it, with possessions or not.
So if you want to believe that "body" is a "property" . . it is up to you, it is your opinion.
However, I've never seen people interpreted "body" as "property", including in the Quran or any legal texts etc.
In fact, the verse distinguish between "properties" and "lives" (body).
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No. Those who possess intelligence knows it meaning. They heed (its message) and obey.
Why would God enter allegorical phrases and then let no one understand them whatsoever. Is that not redundant revelation?
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True but since this thread about "ambition", and Allah says "properties" . . .
It depends on people and their circumstances, there are many different circumstances in rl and to brush them all over with a very stringent black and white criteria is for one not realistic and two, takes the verses in a very narrow sense that would contradict other places where we told to do good with what we have in different ways. No one can argue that taking time off to teach illiterate kids is a good act, an altruistic act, it doesn't have to involve money and it would benefit society. if one has the ambition to do good, then there are a million ways of doing so regardless of financial wealth. Properties can be taken as whatever you have in terms of assets. If you don't have financial assets, doesn't necessarily mean you're out of the running. You may have other assets as valuable. God is not unaware of the realities.It is better for them to feed themselves and not burdening other people, rather thanking about something else. . .
Your reasoning here is as bad as that of those who want the poor shipped off to some island and left to fend for themselves since they are a burden on society. It's almost as if we're reading different books here, which we well can be since I see no evidence of such in the quran. It is unrealistic, shortsighted and absurd. -
If you struggle with your life then you primarily struggle with your body. See the separation that it is AND possessions. You can struggle in the cause of God without a single coin.
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No. Those who possess intelligence knows it meaning. They heed (its message) and obey.
Why would God enter allegorical phrases and then let no one understand them whatsoever. Is that not redundant revelation?
No need for me to repeat. . .
if they understand the allegories, then it is inconsistent with the word "no one knows except Allah" (rule of negation, "except". . ie. ONLY Allah knows their meaning
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Thanks God.
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Red It's not always like that.
I think there are still poor people who also give charity.
Even they're poor, they're still willing to share what they have to other. MashaAllah.
Blue No! They're not burden. They're people who need our help. We can improve ourselves by doing goodness for them.
Beside, I think there are poor people who can live independent even though they're poor. They live accepting what they earn and can be grateful without much complaining.
I believe that poverty is not always caused by stupidity and/or laziness.
And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and Jannat - its width (is like) the heavens and the Earth; it has been prepared for the righteous. Those who spend in prosperity and adversity, and who restrain anger, and who pardon the people; and God loves the good doers.
Those who criticize the ones who give willingly among the believers concerning the charities, and they ridicule those who not find except (within limit according to) their effort. God will ridicule them, and they will have a painful retribution.
Peace.
Salaam,
Very well said, mashaAllah bravo
May Allah bless you pr
mmKhan -
Yeah you can repeat your faulty translation/interpretation as many times as you like and fools can heed your words.
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It depends on people and their circumstances, there are many different circumstances
This is the author of this thread wish to find out . . ie.
Specifically, I'm talking about where wealth/status/material things are sought past the point of sustenance.
I know Isa referred to the difficulty of the wealthy in reaching heaven in
Matthew 1923-2623 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ?Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.? 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, ?Then who can be saved?? 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, ?For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.?
. . .
Anyways, I know that some lessons aren't repeated in the Quran and fall under the "affirming that which came before" clause...but I'd like some wisdom specifically on ambition.
Whether properties and being wealthy and ambitious etc is a barrier for reaching heavens ?
This is the "circumstances" . . the "issue" of this thread.
and it is not. . .it is in fact, the main condition of becoming a True Believer, to benefit the society (the scale Allah addressing to).
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Your reasoning here is as bad as that of those who want the poor shipped off to some island and left to fend for themselves since they are a burden on society. It's almost as if we're reading different books here, which we well can be since I see no evidence of such in the quran. It is unrealistic, shortsighted and absurd.
It is your opinion, but the verse clearly says "properties" , and in context of True Believers, I believe it is the properties that beyond our needs and that can benefit the humanity.
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Peace,
So one who is poor cannot be a "true" person with faith?
And I thought iman was not bound to earthly possessions. How about someone who has just a small share to give, had much wisdom to share and who died on the battlefield against people who oppose God after contributing much and did an unselfish strategic move which saved several people, but died doing that. Does this person not have any true iman?
Or the poor man that gives up his possessions completely and goes out to help people instead. Is he without iman?
Is not iman to have iman in The Master and do everything he can in the cause of God?
Does it all come down to wealth in the end. So superficial.
Salaam,
I agree handshake
Red If a poor person earns $5 in a day and he spent only 50 cents in the cause of Allah. Another person earns $1000 in a day and he spent $50 in the cause of Allah. In this case that tiny contribution is better than this $50. Because the poor person share 1% of his income and the rich person share only 0.5%.
May Allah increase our knowledge and guide us on His path pr
mmKhan -
Red If a poor person earns $5 in a day and he spent only 50 cents in the cause of Allah. Another person earns $1000 in a day and he spent $50 in the cause of Allah. In this case that tiny contribution is better than this $50. Because the poor person share 1% of his income and the rich person share only 0.5%.
People don't need to be ambitious to accomplish all these. It normally happens automatically in life of a Muslim, without any plans. laugh
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Whether property and being ambitious etc is a barrier in Islam ?
When you respond with 'the calling card of "true believers" is wealth, and the poor can go hang', it's begging responses that will be contrary to those opinions. If you wanted to stick to what 'the author of the thread wished to find out'...then you should have said, nope 'property and ambition is no barrier' and that's that. When things naturally proceed and perhaps even evolve based on what you yourself post, it is disingenuous to say 'that's the issue and nothing else'.==============================================================================================
At any rate, to the OP...I wrote a reply some time ago but didn't get a chance to post it
Interesting question by Existential1, don't think ambition has been covered much in our discussions here. Thank you roshan_m for the verses.
My thoughts...Is it 'bad' to be ambitious and/or wealthy? Is having wealth thrust upon one in the sense of 'he didn't set out to achieve it, it just happened because good intentions/blessed because good person etc' rather than achieved by one's ambition better taken? Is it better to be poor? Is there a surfeit of piousness associated with poverty? (all the holy men with no possessions theme, not sure what came first though). I've often found that people tend towards the respective latter...because they think it's not right to have ambition in regards to wealth and sometimes in regards to other material things. Is it because one is afraid of the responsibility associated with having wealth? Do some think not having wealth absolves them from a wealth of things because they can use poverty as a defense? Some may think that having ambition leads down to the devil's highway of temptations and is better to stay away from, others may think that ambition connected to anything of this earth is something to be avoided totally as it is a test (a test is taken as something to be avoided but unusually only in regards to wealth and associated financial/material things). Thing is, one can't avoid these tests, life is a test no matter what you choose to do or not do, no matter how rich or poor you are. The tests will be different, but they will still be present.
Imo, ambition should be directed towards something which involves a beneficial aspect for all and with minimal negatives (trying not to hurt others in the process) since it helps you focus and keeps you moving towards a goal (we're talking about generalised ambition coupled with something good overall intended/worked in; wanting to be the top dog in some mafia organisation would couple it with an overall negative aspect or directionless 'I just want to be rich because x is and it looks like it would be oodles of fun would be chaotic drift with the emphasis on what would only benefit oneself, everything else can go hang, leading to the many cons associated with this line/type of thinking).
There is nothing wrong with wanting and working towards something as long as it is balanced with stuff that helps you keep your perspective and allows you to utilise it for some good along with benefits to oneself, without harm to others. You see examples of this all around, good rich people and bad rich people; good poor people and bad poor people...so on in simplistic terms. I don't think that living in a hair shirt and sleeping on pavements is a character building exercise (it could be but not by choice, surely) or that throwing yachtloads of money around on luxuries etc for the rest of one's life and/or dying smug and happy on a hoarded pile of gold is either. As with everything, things should be balanced and/or fine tuned. It's a continuous process and ambition can be a great thing coupled with good direction and so on.