Materialistic Greed & Rivalry: A Tafsir of Surat al-Takathur [Surah 102]

Materialistic Greed & Rivalry A Tafsīr Of Sūrat ʾl Takāthur – Delivered by Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq on 24th May 2013 at Al Kawthar Academy (Leicester)

Shaytan’s insinuations and whispers of fear of poverty have driven man to relentlessly pursue the amassing and accumulation of wealth and glory. This has created a sense of selfishness and ingratitude in man resulting in aspirations for what others possess. One’s entire life becomes a life of greed and rivalry all with the intention of displaying ones worth and value and with the intent of becoming superior.

The commentary of this sūrah condemns this attitude and calls for the realisation of the truth of existence. We are reminded not to be distracted by greed and rivalry in worldly material which will eventually destroy and envelop a person until death but rather appreciate the many favours we already possess.

The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ outlines the true definition of a rich person in the following ḥadīth:

‘Wealth is not the wealth of possession & material. Wealth is the wealth of the richness of the heart’. [Bukhārī]

From this commentary, we also learn the many ways of becoming content and eliminating distress. We also learn the permissibly of competing with one another in matters of religion.

Below are some of the timecodes and topics relating to this talk:

8:26 – What do we compete with each other in?
18:46 – What is the purpose of our creation?
26:16 – How should one live in this world?
32:30 – Rasulullah’s ﷺ detachment from the dunya
41:15 – How much is enough?
51:39 – Do you really have any wealth?
1:04:44 – What was the clothing of Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab .رضى الله عنه ?
1:13:47 – If only you knew with the knowledge of certainty.
1:24:19 – Is competition good?

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