Issue No: 222
23rd January 2015
2nd Rabi al Thaani 1436 A.H
Salamun alaykum
Meeting point: Davos city:
A record 2500 delegates drawn from business, politics, civil society, science and culture sectors will be descending in the picturesque ski-resort city of Davos, Switzerland this week from 21st – 27th January, 2015.The record turnout at this show piece assembly includes 1,500 top business leaders from over 140 countries and more than 300 heads of state /government to attend the 45th edition of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual meeting. The WEF is a non-profit organization, founded in 1971, to unite international political leaders, business leaders and journalists from across the globe to discuss and shape global, regional and industrial agendas with regards to economics, health and the environment.
Wanting more wealth:
Ahead of this week’s meeting of the billionaires and politicians a research report titled ‘Wealth: Having it all and wanting more’ was released by Oxfam; the anti-poverty charity. The study found that – on current trends – by next year, 1% of the world’s population will own more wealth than the other 99%.This implies that we will be living in a world where wealth would be concentrated among 1% of the combined people living on earth.
Separately the Equality Trust, which campaigns to reduce inequality in the UK, reports that Britain’s current richest 100 had the same wealth as 30% of UK households.
Obviously this rising inequality in wealth ownership is dangerous and definitely has ramifications on numerous agendas affecting man including peace, governance, happiness and living standards of the global citizen.
Wealth in Islam:
Wealth in Islam is considered as n’imah-gift- from Allah SWT and man as the khalif- steward- of Allah SWT is a trustee of this gift and other numerous Divine gifts. Islam neither opposes material pursuit nor does it promote obsessive accumulation of wealth. The doctrines of Islam have set into place a check whereby the material development of human being does not eclipse the spiritual development. Further in order to mitigate the effects due to inequality prevailing in the society it rewards in abundance the spending of wealth on individual, family and the society.
A cause of poverty:
A tradition from the 6th Imam J’afar As Saadiq a.s. reports that a cause of the people falling into poverty, becoming needy, hungry and naked is due to the wrong doing of the persons having wealth.
This indicates that the state of poverty and inequality in wealth is a consequence of concentration of wealth without due attention to responsibility towards its ownership.
Reflect:
- How covetous are you in pursuit of accumulating wealth?
- As the steward of Allah for the n’ima of wealth are you discharging your responsibility towards your family, community, society, the nation and the world?
Wa ma tawfiqi illa billah
Fazle Abbas Datoo
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Resident Alim
Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat