Leave the world as we comes?

There is nothing much to write since few weeks ago. I quite busy with my fyp, personnel life and the identity dilemma that I going through, and plus I hardly trying to finish few books that I did not finished while at the same time try to fully understand by hope that can get ideas to write again.

While some of my hobbies become less interested to me, I started to realize that the only thing that constantly I do for the last few years till now is reading and writing. I did not play futsal for 3 months and loss my interest on swimming since few weeks ago. Whenever I read, knew and discover new things, I feel happy and it a kind of peace that parches into my heart.

It was on the second day of the last year Eidul Fitri, when I had a conversation with my mother. It was at night.  Our conversation just move around of what happened in the family, my mother struggle to give education to us, my deep regret on my own life and how does our future will look like. My mother comes across very significant point of our conversation when she said there is nothing much change for the last nine years in our house. She still sleeps in the same bed, the bed that inherited from my grandfather; keep her clothes in the same places and there is no sofa, no refrigerator, no dining table and the only electrical equipments that we have are radio and television. The only thing that changed is ourselves, her beloved children that growth up in front of her eyes.  The money that she gets from cultivation of paddy field after deduction of debt, the left is fully used for education of her children. So, there is no much money left for home-improvement.

My mother might not inheriting money or wealth to us, but she inheriting something that much more important that is knowledge, by using the money for sake of education.

And I’m sure your parents also do the same thing.

Talked about money, I remember about what Stephen M. Pollan write in his book, Die Broke. He suggested the four important points for the secure financial life:

1. Quit Today
2. Pay Cash
3. Don’t Retire
4. Die Broke

Die Broke which is the title of this book itself is the important point that we can relate to ourselves in context as a Muslim. He suggested that a person should not keep the wealth and asset but instead plan his life in such way that when he dies, there is no asset under his name and asset that need to pass to his children. The idea might seem weird but according to him inheritance the money encourages the belief that money has intrinsic value rather of its own rather than just being a tool for the daily life.

On the other hand, he makes few recommendations on the treatment of financial asset

1. Treat assets as resources to be used while one is alive, not treasures to be use after one’s death.
2. Aim to die broke and don’t expend efforts to build up estate.
3. Use the accumulated wealth otherwise spent to preserve an estate to help one’s family and improve one’s life.
4. Better to give to one’s child while it can still do the most.
5. One is a human being, not a company and one’s money should not outlive the owner.
6. Exit life as one comes into it: penniless.

Let’s examine the above points in the light of the Islamic teaching.  The words Exit life as one comes into it might hear quite radical in term of the financial planning. Leave this world as we come into it means we die without leaving any wealth and asset to our children. In this modern world, this suggestion difficult to accept since we live in this world that anything we want; education, medical treatment and food requires money. For some people, who always live in comfortable and always expected the asset from their parents once they die, this principle can lessen their comfortable life in the future.

But if we study this principle in the light of the Islamic teaching, this is not a new concept. This principle is the lifestyle of the Holy Prophet and his companions. For the sake of the religion, they give everything they had to spread Islam.

Abdul Rahman bin Auf, amongst the foremost companion of Prophet, makes used his wealth available for the cause of Islam.  He left Mekah at the time where he was very rich, to migrate to Madinah. He was asked to leave Mekah by Quraisy in the state of penniless as when he was first come to mekah. Despite of that, he successfully became rich again in Madinah, by using his skills in business.

Abdul Rahman bin Auf’s attitudes in dealt with wealth is what the Muslim need nowadays. The Muslim that feel the money only in the hand not in the heard, thus willing to give away anytime need for the cause of Islam. The Muslim who his heart not detaches to the money, but always wants to see his religion spread around the world. He know the money come from Allah, the as the vicegerent in the earth the money should be used to the cause of religion.

The Pollan philosophy might not totally can be accepted but with modification and adaptation to the Islamic principles, the philosophy can be applied to the Muslim’s life who want to free from material temptation, but at the same time do not leave the world without inheritance (money, wealth). This is kind of Muslim that can be success not only in this world but most importantly in the Hereafter.