“And he had no group of men to help him other than Allah, nor could he defend or save himself.” [al-Kahf: 43]

All it takes is a moment, or a day, or a split second for our circumstances to change drastically – for better or worse. In the story in Surah al-Kahf, we have the proud owner of a luxurious garden, a wealthy man who was blessed with so much. But despite the reminders, this blessing resulted in his ruin. Not because being rich is a wrong thing (it’s a good thing!), but because his richness only increased him in arrogance, disbelief, al-kufr bil-ni’mah (ingratitude), selfishness, competition with others, false confidence, you name it. And so when the worldly reminders just couldn’t get through to him, the last reminder came – a seize of the blessing. Overnight, in a single moment, his garden was grazed to the ground and he was left with absolutely nothing. Not to just punish him without reason, but to give him a divine lesson… That Allah was there before all this wealth, that he had a Lord before all this, and so He `azza wa jall is the only One to remain after this and none can help but Allah.

Many people think that mere wealth is the fastest way to the top – to become a leader or become of high status among people. But really, it’s not the blessing alone which gets us places, but it’s how we use that blessing. It’s not the wealth, but it’s the wise and righteous usage of wealth that can elevate us.

‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (ra) said, “Whoever is given wealth by Allah, let him join ties of kinship, honour the guests, help and free the prisoner, the wayfarer, the poor and needy, the mujahidin, and let him use it to be patient over calamities. With these characteristics, he will attain nobility in this world, and honour in the Hereafter.”

Also Ibn Hibban said, “The most generous of people is the one who is generous with his money and uses it to protect himself from the wealth of others. Whoever is generous becomes a leader, just as the one who is miserly becomes humiliated.”

Don’t let your blessings cause your ruin. Use them wisely, righteously, and protect yourself with them.