1486 - ما رُوِيَ في تفضيلِ الفَقرِ علَى الغِنى‏

1486. TRADITIONS NARRATED ABOUT THE VIRTUE OF POVERTY OVER WEALTH

5053.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : الفَقرُ راحَةٌ ، وَالغِنى‏ عُقوبَةٌ .¹

5053.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Poverty is convenience, and wealth is punishment.' ²

5054.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : الفَقرُ خَيرٌ مِن الغِنى‏ ، إلّا مَن حَمَلَ في مَغرَمٍ وأعطى‏ في نائبَةٍ .³

5054.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Poverty is better than wealth, save those who relieve others' debts [with their own wealth] and give during tragedies.' ⁴

5055.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : ضَرَرُ الفَقرِ أحمَدُ مِن أشَرِ الغِنى‏ .⁵

5055.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'The harm of poverty is more praiseworthy than the exuberance of wealth.' ⁶

5056.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : في مُناجاةِ موسى‏ عليه السلام : يا موسى‏ ، إذا رَأيتَ الفَقرَ مُقبِلاً فَقُل : مَرحَباً بشِعارِ الصالِحينَ ، وإذا رأيتَ الغِنى‏ مُقبِلاً فَقُل : ذَنبٌ عُجِّلَت عُقوبَتُهُ .⁷

قال المجلسي : مقتضى الجمع بين أخبارنا أنَّ الفقر والغنى‏ كلٌّ منهما نعمة من نعم اللَّه تعالى‏ ، يعطي كلّاً منهما من شاء من عباده بحسب ما يعلم من مصالحه الكاملة ، وعلَى العبد أن يصبر علَى الفقر بل يشكره ويشكر الغنى‏ إن أعطاه ويعمل بمقتضاه ، فمع عمل كلٍّ منهما بما تقتضيه حاله فالغالب أنَّ الفقير الصابر أكثر ثواباً من الغنيِّ الشاكر ، لكن مراتب أحوالهما مختلفة غاية الاختلاف ، ولا يمكن الحكم الكلّيُّ من أحد الطرفَين ، والظاهر أنَّ الكفاف أسلم وأقلُّ خطراً من الجانبَين ؛ ولذا ورد في أكثر الأدعية طلبه وسأله النبيُّ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله لآله وعترته .
وقال بعض : وإذا كان الأمر كذلك فالأفضل ما اختاره النبيُّ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله وجمهور أصحابه من التقلُّل في الدنيا والبعد عن زهرتها .⁸
قال الراغب في المفردات : الفقر يستعمل على أربعة أوجه :
الأوّل : وجود الحاجة الضروريّة ، وذلك عامّ للإنسان مادام في دار الدنيا ، بل عامّ للموجودات كلّها ، وعلى‏ هذا قوله تعالى‏ : (يا أيُّها الناسُ أنتُمُ الفُقَراءُ إلَى اللَّهِ واللَّهُ هُو الغَنيُّ الحَميدُ)⁹ .
والثاني : عدم المُقتَنيات ، وهو المذكور في قوله : (لِلفُقَراءِ الّذينَ اُحْصِروا في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ - إلى‏ قوله - يَحسَبُهُمُ الجاهِلُ أغنِياءَ مِنَ التَّعَفُّفِ)(إنّما الصَّدَقاتُ لِلفُقَراءِ والمَساكِينِ)¹⁰ .
الثالث : فقر النفس ، وهو الشَّرَه المَعنيُّ بقوله صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : «كادَ الفَقرُ أن يكونَ كُفراً» ، وهو المقابِلُ بقوله : «الغِنَى غِنَى النفسِ» والمعنيُّ بقولهم : مَن عَدم القناعة لم يفده المال غنىً .
الرابع : الفقر إلَى‏اللَّه المشار إليه بقوله صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : «اللّهُمّ أغنِني بالافتِقارِ إليكَ ، ولا تُفقِرْني بالاستِغناءِ عنكَ» ، وإيّاه عُنى بقوله تعالى‏ : (رَبِّ إنّي لِما أنْزَلْتَ إلَيَّ مِن خَيرٍ فَقيرٌ)¹¹ .¹²

5056.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) narrated, 'Allah said in an intimate conversation with Moses (AS), 'O Moses, when you see poverty coming, then say to it, 'Welcome O garment of the righteous', and when you see wealth coming, say, 'A sin whose punishment has been hastened.' ¹³

Al-Majlisi said, 'To combine both types of traditions [praising and disparaging poverty] and in order to portray that poverty and wealth are both bounties of Allah, most High, it must be said, that He gives each of them [poverty and richness] to whomsoever He wishes according to the complete interests He knows for each. So the servant should endure his poverty, and furthermore be grateful for it, and be grateful for wealth when he is given it, and use it as it is necessary. So with both acting in accordance with what their individual situation requires of them, it is generally agreed that the patient poor man is rewarded more than the grateful rich man. However the levels of their respective situations are completely different, and there can never be an absolute judgment about either side. It seems, therefore, that [a state of] sufficiency is safer and less dangerous than either of the two sides. Hence, the request for it [i.e. sufficiency] features in many supplications, and the Prophet (SAWA) would ask for it for himself and his household (AS).
Some have said that if this is so, then the best is what the Prophet (SAWA) and most of his companions have chosen in possessing less of the world and distancing oneself from its pleasures. ¹⁴
Al-Raghib has said in his al-Mufradat: the word poverty is used with four meanings.
The first: the need for bare necessities, that applies to all human beings, as long as they dwell in the realm of this world, or rather, it applies for all existing beings, and this is what is meant in His verse in the Qur'an: "O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah, and Allah - He is the All-sufficient, the All- laudable." ¹⁵
The second: lack of acquisitions, which is mentioned in His verse in the Qur'an: "[The charities are] for the poor who are straitened in the way of Allah - until His verse: "...Charities are only for the poor and the needy." ¹⁶
The third: poverty of the self, which is voracious greed, denoted by the Prophet (SAWA)'s saying, 'Poverty is almost infidelity', and is opposite to his saying, '[True] Wealth is the needlessness of the self.'
The fourth:Being in need of Allah, referred to in his (SAWA) saying, 'O Allah, enrich me through making me needy of You, and do not empoverish me through needlessness of You.' This is what is meant in Allah's verse in the Qur'an: "My Lord! Indeed I am in need of any good You may send down to me." ¹⁷¹⁸