To invoke God's protection for beloved things such as children, cars, and homes, believers should say MAA SHAA ALLAH, meaning this is God's gift.1
Idol worship can be subtle, such as idolizing money, family, children, or the ego; giving priority to anything over God or thinking another can benefit or harm us is idol worship.1, 2
Money is one of the greatest tests of faith, and God tests people through wealth, debt, blessings, problems, and requests to give to charity.1, 2
God sends provision precisely measured, and money He provides is not random but has a purpose.1, 2
People are responsible for the worldly blessings God gives them, the more they have the more they are responsible, and the wealthy shall be charitable to relatives, the poor, and immigrants.1, 2
Charity converts worldly money into spiritual capital for the Hereafter, and Zakat means purification, so money is a tool to work toward the Hereafter, not a possession to cherish.1, 2, 3
Money cannot buy access to Heaven, and those who die as disbelievers could not ransom themselves even with an earthful of gold.1, 2
Spouses, children, and money can be enemies and are a test that should not pull us from God, and we should pardon and forgive.1, 2
The rich should not be haughty or trust in uncertain riches but trust God, do good, and be ready to give and share.1
Our money and our children are a test from God.1
To invoke God's protection for beloved things such as children, cars, and homes, believers are enjoined to say This is God's gift, MAA SHAA ALLAH.1
Some money is essential for basic needs, but having more than we need does not necessarily make us happier, and material things eventually stop providing happiness.1, 2
Many of the problems people face today come partly from greed, dishonesty, arrogance, and exploiting the weak, which amount to setting up material wealth as a god besides God.1, 2
Money in itself is not bad; what gets people into trouble is idolizing it, greed, and the violation of God's laws that follows.1
Once money becomes an idol, people try to draw near it by hoarding, and they may backbite and slander others to get ahead.1, 2
Unlike Qaroon, Solomon kept God first in his mind rather than money, and the rich believer uses money in God's way instead of idolizing it.1, 2
Believers should trust that behind the apparent disproportion in provision lies some important unseen lesson.1, 2
God increases or reduces provision as He wills, and He measures it precisely because if He increased it for everyone they would transgress on earth.1, 2
Unequal distribution of wealth is not unfair, and greater wealth is not a sign of God's special grace on a person.1, 2
The Armstrong article describes the Christmas spirit as a commercial creation to sell merchandise rather than honor Christ, a delusion of Satan made to appear good.1
No one can buy or force their way into Heaven, and worldly status counts for nothing with God.1
This life is full of distractions such as money, children, work, and entertainment, and believers must not let this lowly life divert them from God.1, 2
However much we love our children, they cannot help us, and if we idolize them they can become sources of grief.1, 2
God's tests vary from mild to exacting and include hardships like sickness, fear, and loss, as well as blessings like wealth, health, and children.1, 2, 3, 4
Many religious leaders take people's money illicitly and repel them from the path of God.1
Tests are not only hardships; every blessing God gives, including money and children, is a test of how we reflect on His blessings.1, 2
Money and children are joys of this life, but righteous works bring an eternal reward from God and a far better hope.1
People can idolize their spouses, their children, or money and material things by loving them too much.1, 2, 3
Being very rich does not make a person happier than the common man, since the rich often seem more anxious, fearful, stressed, and depressed.1, 2
If a person is sincere, God perfects their relationship with Him through tests based on their weaknesses, and may take away anything held more important than Him.1, 2
People are tested with wealth, health, or their lack to show whether they worship God alone in all circumstances, and only God knows why some get adversity and others prosperity.1
Money and children do not bring a person closer to God; only belief and a righteous life earn the reward.1
All worldly gains such as money, wealth, fame, and power become worthless the moment after death.1, 2
Disbelievers cannot be helped by their money or children against God.1
Money in itself is not bad; it is idolizing it, greed, and the resulting violation of God's laws that get people into trouble.1
Wealth can make a person arrogant, forgetful of God and his soul, and blind to how fleeting the world is, which is the pattern of human failing.1
Disbelievers cannot be helped by their money or children against God and incur Hell forever.1
Money and children are joys of this life, but righteous works bring an eternal reward from God and a far better hope.1
Zakat is due on income such as paychecks, dividends, interest, royalties, or rent, not on assets like property or jewelry, and no Quranic verse puts Zakat on assets.1, 2, 3
Property and luxuries are gifts from God to be appreciated, not truly ours, and the more we thank God the more He gives us.1, 2, 3
God does not love the arrogant, as shown by Qaroon, who was given great treasures and oppressed Moses' people.1
Money is a tool and not bad in itself, but it becomes an idol when we trust it instead of God, and we must learn to trust God alone.1, 2, 3
God tests people through their weaknesses, and if you hold anything more important than God, such as your job or children, He may take it away to test you.1, 2
Idols are not only statues or messengers but can be money, cars, jobs, spouses, or children, anything that occupies our minds most of the time and takes priority over God.1
No amount of wealth can ransom disbelievers from retribution on the Day of Resurrection.1, 2
This worldly life is only play, boasting, and hoarding of money and children, a temporary illusion.1
Solomon was a righteous man whose horses became too important to him, and God used them to test him, yet he steadfastly submitted.1, 2, 3
Worldly pleasures such as women, children, gold, silver, horses, livestock, and crops are adorned for people, but a far better abode is reserved at God.1