The Dangers of Fear of Poverty: How Satan Threatens and Allah Promises

Satan’s Threats vs. Allah’s Promises: Understanding the Fear of Poverty

Shaytan Threatens You with Poverty

Allah (ﷻ) said: 

﴿ ٱلشَّیۡطَـٰنُ یَعِدُكُمُ ٱلۡفَقۡرَ وَیَأۡمُرُكُم بِٱلۡفَحۡشَاۤءِۖ وَٱللَّهُ یَعِدُكُم مَّغۡفِرَةࣰ مِّنۡهُ وَفَضۡلࣰاۗ وَٱللَّهُ وَ ٰ⁠سِعٌ عَلِیمࣱ﴾

“Satan threatens you with poverty and commands you to immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is all-Encompassing and all-Knowing.” [Surah Al-Baqarah: 268]

️Sufyan al-Thawri said: 

لَيْسَ لِلشَّيْطَانِ سِلَاحٌ عَلَى الإِنْسَانِ مِثْلُ خَوْفِ الفَقْرِ، فَإِذَا قَبِلَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ أَخَذَ فِي البَاطِلِ وَمَنَعَ مِنَ الحَقِّ وَتَكَلَّمَ بِالْهَوَى وَظَنَّ بِرَبِّهِ السُّوءَ، وَهُوَ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ الآفَاتِ عَلَى الدِّينِ.

“Satan has no weapon against a person like the fear of poverty. When someone accepts that from him, they start engaging in falsehood, withholding from the truth, speaking based on desires, and thinking ill of their Lord. This is one of the greatest afflictions upon religion.”

It is reported that Shaytan says:

ما غَلَبَنِي ابنُ آدَمَ فَلَنْ يَغْلِبَنِي فِي ثَلَاثٍ، آمُرُهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ المَالَ مِنْ غَيْرِ حَقِّهِ وَيُنْفِقَهُ فِي غَيْرِ حَقِّهِ وَيَمْنَعَهُ مِنْ مُسْتَحِقِّهِ.

“The son of Adam will never overpower me in three things: I command him to take wealth unjustly, to spend it unjustly, and to withhold it from those who are deserving of it.”

 [Mawārid al-ẓamʾān li-durūs al-zamān, khuṭab wa-ḥikam wa-aḥkām wa-qawāʿid wa-mawāʿiẓ wa-ādāb wa-akhlāq ḥisān (4/598)].

 Imam Burhan Al-Dīn al Biqā’ī (d. 885 AH رحمه الله) said:

كَأنَّهُ قالَ: هَذا ما لا يُشَكُّ فِيهِ فَما لِلنُّفُوسِ لا تُوجَدُ غالِبًا إلّا شَحِيحَةً بِالإنْفاقِ-:

It is as if Allah (ﷻ) is saying [in the verse]: This [the reward of spending mentioned in the previous verse] is something that is not to be doubted, so why do souls not usually act except with stinginess in spending?

﴿الشَّيْطانُ﴾ أيِ الَّذِي اسْمُهُ أسْوَأُ الأسْماءِ، فَإنَّهُ يَقْتَضِي الهَلاكَ والبُعْدَ، وأحَدُ الوَصْفَيْنِ كافٍ في مُجانَبَتِهِ فَكَيْفَ إذا اجْتَمَعا! 

[The reason is:] “Satan”—the one whose name is the worst of names, as it implies destruction and distance (from Allah’s mercy). Either of these characteristics alone would be enough to warrant avoiding him, so how much more so when both are combined!

﴿يَعِدُكُمُ الفَقْرَ﴾ المانِعَ مِنَ الإنْفاقِ. قالَ الحَرالِّيُّ: الَّذِي لِخَوْفِهِ تَقاطَعَ أهْلُ الدُّنْيا وتَدابَرُوا وحَرَصُوا وادَّخَرُوا.

He threatens you with poverty—the poverty that prevents one from spending. Al-Harali said: It is this fear of poverty that causes the people of the world to sever ties, turn against one another, become greedy, and hoard wealth. 

وكُلُّ ذَلِكَ لا يُزِيلُ الفَقْرَ، كُلُّ حَرِيصٍ فَقِيرٌ ولَوْ مَلَكَ الدُّنْيا، وكُلُّ مُقْتَنِعٍ غَنِيٌّ،

Yet none of this removes poverty. Every greedy person is poor, even if he owns the whole world, while every content person is wealthy. 

ومِن حَقِّ مَن كانَ عَبْدًا لِغَنِيٍّ أنْ يَتَحَقَّقَ أنَّهُ غَنِيٌّ بغنى سَيِّدِهِ،

It is rightful of anyone who is a servant to the One who is wealthy to realize that He is the One who enriches His servant. 

فَفي خَوْفِ الفَقْرِ إباقُ العَبْدِ عَنْ رَبِّهِ؛ والفَقْرُ فَقْدُ ما إلَيْهِ الحاجَةُ في وقْتٍ مِن قِيامِ المَرْءِ في ظاهِرِهِ وباطِنِهِ. انْتَهى.

Fear of poverty is like a slave fleeing from his Master; true poverty is the loss of what is needed at a particular time for the maintenance of a person, both outwardly and inwardly.” End of the quote.

 [Nazm Al-Durar]