# Why Am I Rich or Poor? | Why Me?

**Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman
**Series:** Why Me
**Published:** 2024-03-17
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/JpwDs25yrRc
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-am-i-rich-or-poor-why-me
**Topics:** Afterlife, Faith

## Description
Is it better to be tested with wealth or poverty? Are you better off because you work harder than others? Is it your fault if you're in poverty? How can we understand the blessing of rizq, while also understanding the blessings of being poor? It all starts from a single truth: Allah has already...

## Transcript
**[0:00]** When you face a financial hurdle, it can feel like the foundations you've been establishing for your family begin to crumble. Then you start to question everything.

**[0:18]** Are others better off because they work harder than me? Is it my fault that I'm in poverty? How can we understand the blessing of rizq while also understanding the blessing of being deprived?

**[0:43]** It all starts from a single truth. Allah has already decreed your rizq for you.

**[0:58]** So, how do you deal with it? Losing wealth can be devastating. There is the uncertainty of the future,

**[1:16]** the regret from the past, and the feeling like all of your hard work just went to waste. Even more than your own grief and anxiety, there can be the shame of facing your family. You feel like you failed them. You fear that they've lost respect for you.

**[1:31]** And then you witness the tears of your loved ones, and it hits you like an arrow to the heart. The tension in a household that is going through a tough time is going to be felt by everyone, especially the kids. But in everyone learning to accept a new financial circumstance,

**[1:46]** there's a potential growth that could prepare you for anything that is to come. It's sometimes the first potential iman-breaking or iman-making test that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is going to give you. Before Allah tested Ayyub (عليه السلام) with his family and his health, He took all of his wealth away. Before Allah took Khadijah and Abu Talib away from the Prophet (ﷺ),

**[2:06]** He tested him with the boycott and the loss of all of his possessions. Accepting your rizq is at the core of accepting the life that Allah has decreed for you going forward. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (رضي الله عنه) said, حَبَّذَا الْمَكْرُوهَانِ الْمَوْتُ وَالْفَقْرُ Except two things that you dislike,

**[2:26]** death and poverty. And he said, by Allah, I do not care whether Allah tests me with wealth or poverty, for the right of Allah in each of them must be fulfilled. So if it is wealth, then the answer is gratitude. And if it is poverty, then the answer is patience.

**[2:42]** And that's what Sufyan al-Thawri (رحمه الله) said, true richness is only found in contentment. Just like the Prophet (ﷺ) said, if Allah wills good for a servant, He puts richness in his soul. Meaning that person is going to be content with whatever he has and

**[2:58]** is always going to feel rich. And the Prophet (ﷺ) said, and if Allah wills harm for a servant, جَعَلَ فَقْرَهُ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ He places poverty right in front of his eyes. Meaning no matter what he actually possesses, he always sees poverty. So should we

**[3:15]** love deprivation then? In some ways, yes. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, if only you knew the rewards that you had with Allah, you would want to be increased in poverty and need. But the Prophet (ﷺ) wasn't saying to ask for the circumstance of poverty.

**[3:31]** He was saying to ask for the rank of the poor and the blessing of perspective that comes with being poor. A person not given too much of this world is just not going to be as deluded by it as someone who has so much of it. And if he's content, he's happy here and he's happy in the hereafter. In fact,

**[3:48]** his contentment makes up for the other deeds he could never do. Imam al-Hasan al-Basri (رحمه الله) said, مَنْ رَضِيَ مِنَ اللَّهِ بِالْيَسِيرِ مِنَ الرِّزْقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ بِالْقَلِيلِ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ Whoever is pleased with Allah, with a little bit of sustenance, Allah is going to be pleased with a little bit of

**[4:05]** his deeds. So being content with Allah, no matter what the circumstances can lead to Allah being pleased with you in the next life and fast tracking you to Jannah. And subhanAllah, the majority of this Ummah are of this mold. Simple poor people who do their dhikr, who maintain their obligations

**[4:23]** and who sleep with full hearts, even if they have empty stomachs. And it's no coincidence. Yahya ibn Mu'adh (رحمه الله) said, verily the poor only become happier than the rich because of their remembrance of Allah. For they are in the custody of Allah. And look at what he says. He says if the

**[4:39]** siege of poverty were to be lifted from them, you would find few of them still remembering Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala because that's how we are as human beings. Now there is a Bilal path to Jannah and there is an Abdur Rahman ibn Awf path to Jannah, the path of hardship and the path of generosity.

**[4:55]** Most people get into Jannah through the Bilal path, but the Ummah always needs its Ibn Awf. But how many people with full stomachs have limitless cravings that leave them spiritually starved? Imam al-Muzani (رحمه الله) said, you are sufficed in this world with whatever you are

**[5:14]** content with, even if it is a date, a sip of water and just a little bit of shade over your head. Then every time more of this world is opened up for you, the more disappointment consumes your soul.

**[5:30]** The point is, what are you craving and who are you competing with? So,

**[6:00]** Allah makes it clear that people who look around at others and wonder will almost certainly stop looking towards Allah and the wonders He has promised them. And even though it may seem like they have it all,

**[6:15]** or that the constraints on your rizq always keep you a few steps behind, that same appearance of poverty with the worn down shoes or the tattered clothing will be a mark of honor for the believer on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet (ﷺ) said,

**[6:54]** The Prophet (ﷺ) is saying to those who don't have in this world, look at what you can have in the next. But it is not just that Allah replaces your sustenance in the next life with reward if you are patient. Ibn al-Jawzi (رحمه الله) said,

**[7:15]** And so while you may feel you are prevented from sustenance in one way, it may be that Allah has increased it in another way. Sometimes the rizq of wealth is actually stopping you from seeing another form of rizq. Maybe it's your friends or your family or other

**[7:30]** blessings you didn't even realize you had, or that weren't even possible when you had your wealth. Now does deprivation come through sin? Yes, sometimes it does. The Prophet (ﷺ) said,

**[7:46]** And as Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) said,

**[8:05]** SubhanAllah, we have a Lord who deprives some people out of love so that He can raise their rank and some people out of punishment to bring them down. But whatever the reason, a person has this opportunity to gain from their loss. It's either the repentance that brings you

**[8:21]** back to a path to Jannah, or the rida, the being pleased with Allah, that increases you in Jannah. Sometimes Allah is inviting you to a spiritual opportunity, to live with true tawakkul. As the Prophet (ﷺ) said, If you were to rely upon Allah truly, He would provide for you just as He provides for the birds.

**[8:41]** They go out in the morning with empty stomachs and they return full. You only get to know Allah as the one who withholds and the one who gives when you live both of those situations and you learn to trust Allah in both of those states. Then the circumstance becomes irrelevant. The Prophet (ﷺ)

**[9:00]** said, The one who eats and is grateful is just like the one who fasts and is patient. It's not about what you have or don't have. It's about your ability to see Allah through both poverty and prosperity. There was a debate between two Islamic scholars in the past. One of them was rich and the other

**[9:20]** one was poor. So the one who was poor comes late and he takes this shot at the other one and he says, I'm sorry I got distracted because I ran out of oil for my lamp. So the rich scholar, he responded and he said, well, I too was distracted because of how beautiful my chandeliers

**[9:35]** were. The point was that they both had their tasks and they both got to know Allah through their tasks.

**[9:55]** When He gives you, He shows you His kindness. When He deprives you, He shows you His power. And in all that He is making Himself known to you and coming closer to you with His gentleness.

**[10:12]** If you are given, be grateful. But if times are tight, be graceful. And at all times rely upon Allah. He is the best wakil, the best agent you could possibly ask for. If your situation is difficult, then seek the means to come out of it with full hope and optimism.

**[10:28]** And don't confuse being content with Allah's decree with despair and Allah's relief. Continue to strive and rely upon Allah because He knows what you have lost and He knows what you have missed through all of these tests and trials. And He can give you more in return

**[10:44]** than you could ever imagine. Just don't throw away the opportunities Allah is putting in front of you because they don't seem valuable at the time.

## Other Episodes in "Why Me"
- [Did My Life Really Matter? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/did-my-life-really-matter-why-me.md)
- [When Life Comes Full Circle | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/when-life-comes-full-circle-why-me.md)
- [What Will The Day of My Death Be Like? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/what-do-i-feel-when-im-dying-why-me.md)
- [Will Allah Still Forgive Me? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/will-allah-still-forgive-me-why-me.md)
- [How Can I Accept That I'm Dying? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/how-can-i-accept-that-im-dying-why-me.md)
- [What If It's Too Late? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/what-if-its-too-late-why-me.md)
- [Do Good Deeds Extend My Life? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/do-good-deeds-extend-my-life-why-me.md)
- [Why Is There So Much Suffering in The World? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-is-there-so-much-suffering-in-the-world-why-me.md)
- [Can I Escape The Outcome of My Sins? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/can-i-escape-the-outcome-of-my-sins-why-me.md)
- [Is Allah Testing or Punishing Me? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/is-allah-testing-or-punishing-me-why-me.md)
- [Why Is Everything Falling Apart? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-is-everything-falling-apart-why-me.md)
- [Why Did They Have to Die? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-did-they-have-to-die-why-me.md)
- [How Do I Find Love in Loneliness?  | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/how-do-i-find-love-in-loneliness-why-me.md)
- [I Didn't Mean to Hurt You | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/i-didnt-mean-to-hurt-you-why-me.md)
- [Why Do They Get the Life I Want? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-do-they-get-the-life-i-want-why-me.md)
- [What If I Could’ve Changed Things? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/what-if-i-couldve-changed-things-why-me.md)
- [Why Were Hurtful People Put in My Life? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-were-hurtful-people-put-in-my-life-why-me.md)
- [Will I Ever Find True Love? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/will-i-ever-find-true-love-why-me.md)
- [Why Make Istikhara? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-make-istikhara-why-me.md)
- [Why Won't Allah Answer Me? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-wont-god-help-me-why-me.md)
- [Did I Choose To Be Muslim? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/did-i-choose-to-be-muslim-why-me.md)
- [Why Do I Have to Carry Their Burden? |  Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-do-i-have-to-carry-their-burden-why-me.md)
- [Why Do I Look Like This? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-do-i-look-like-this-why-me.md)
- [Why Do I Have These (Dis)Abilities? |  Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-do-i-have-these-disabilities-why-me.md)
- [What Shaped My Personality? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/what-shaped-my-personality-why-me.md)
- [Why Is This My Family? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-is-this-my-family-why-me.md)
- [What Happened On My Birth Day? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/what-happened-on-my-birth-day-why-me.md)
- [Why Did Allah Choose This Time for Me? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/why-did-allah-choose-this-time-for-me-why-me.md)
- [Where Was I Before I Was Born? | Why Me?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/where-was-i-before-i-was-born-why-me.md)
- [Trailer: Why Me? | A Ramadan Series on Understanding Qadar](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/why-me/trailer-why-me-a-ramadan-series-on-understanding-qadar.md)