Library Ethics Greater Sins Chapter 34 The Thirty-Second Greater Sin: Isrāf Extravagance depends on prevailing conditions at different times
Extravagance depends on prevailing conditions at different times
- Details
- Hits: 2179
Extravagance depends on prevailing conditions at different times
Extravagance differs from person to person, it also depends on the prevailing conditions. It is possible that spending a certain quantity may not be extravagance in times of prosperity but if a similar amount is spent in times of famine when people are starving to death, it will be counted as lavishness and squandering. It would be obligatory for those people to avoid spending like in normal times and instead distribute that wealth among those who are in need.
Moatab, a servant of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) says, “There was an acute shortage of food when Imam (a.s.) asked me, ‘What is the position of our stocked grains?’
‘We have sufficient to last us months,’ I replied. Imam (a.s.) said,
‘Take it out and sell it.’
I said, ‘There is a shortage of wheat and barley in Madinah.’ But Imam (a.s.) insisted I sell it.
When I had sold it all, Imam (a.s.) told me that I should buy the daily requirements from the market like the common people and said,
‘Fix a diet of half wheat and half barley for my family, Allah knows that I am capable of feeding them all pure wheat bread but I like it that Allah sees me fulfilling duties of my life faithfully.’”
The same order applies to the matter of dressing. Some stupid people have accused Imam Sajjad (a.s.), Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) and Imam RiÄa (a.s.) for wearing fine clothes whereas their fathers, grandfathers, the Holy Prophet (S) and Amir ul-Mu’minÄ«n ‘Ali (a.s.) all wore humble clothes. The Holy Imams (a.s.) have always refuted this accusation by saying that those times were different. In those days the majority of the people dressed in very ordinary clothes but now there was prosperity and affluence in society.
“If we were to wear the same types of clothes today, people would insult us.”
(Wasa’il ul-Shia)
In an incident connected with the same subject we find Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) asking his critic to come near. When he came near, Imam (a.s.) opened his outward garment and the man saw an old tattered shirt inside. Imam (a.s.) said,
“This is the dress I wear to show humility to Allah and the other (outward) dress is for you and people like you to see.”
(Wasa’il ul-Shia)
