05/24/2026
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Whoever is mainly concerned about the Hereafter, Allah will make him feel independent of others and will make him focused and content and his worldly affairs will fall into place.
But whoever is mainly concerned with this world,
Allah will make him feel in constant need of others and will make him distracted and unfocused and he will get nothing of this world except what is decreed for him."
If we live with a mindset of deprivation, always believing that we won't have enough and holding on tightly to what we do have for fear that we may lose it, that will be our reality.
If we live with a mindset of gratitude, noticing all the good in our lives, always thanking Allah for what we have, we will feel content and at peace.
An important part of living in gratitude is sharing with our families and community by giving sadaqah (charity) with a thankful heart, seeking only Allah's pleasure.
Charity does not decrease our wealth but brings blessings for both this life and the Hereafter. Allah said, "If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]."
I have witnessed this truth many times in my life. My husband was a Muslim who only prayed twice a year at Eid. After I embraced Islam a few months after our marriage, we began praying together a couple of times a day. The day after we prayed together for the first time, my husband got an unexpected raise. Then, soon after we started praying all 5 daily prayers, he got an acceptance letter from a company with which he had been trying to get a job for over a year.
Alhamdulillah, I have found that the more good deeds I can do, especially giving sadaqah, the more Allah gives me.
In the Quran Surah 2:245, Allah asks:
"Who is it that would loan Allah a goodly loan so He may multiply it for him many times over? (Allah calls it a 'loan' because He intends to repay it with interest.)
And it is Allah who withholds and grants abundance, and to Him you will be returned."
When we die, we cannot take anything of this life with us, not our wealth or our children. What we will have is only the righteous deeds we have sent ahead of us: our firm faith in the Oneness of Allah and the Day of Judgment, our prayers, our fasting, and our charity.
When you give in charity, don't look at your bank account to see what you think you can afford - no - look into your heart. Allah has put in our hearts compassion for our fellow man, many of whom are suffering from extreme oppression, pain, starvation, and loss of their homes and loved ones.
So again, who is it that would loan Allah a goodly loan so He may multiply it for him many times over?