There is nothing wrong with making a profit and enjoying a legitimate income. However, in Matthew 19:24, it is written, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s Kingdom.”
A proper understanding of this verse is critical.
Islam teaches that those who are most beneficial to creation are close to righteousness, as the Creator monitors how we use money, influence, abilities, skills, and more to benefit the rest of creation.
Why is this relevant?
Across the world and in our society, we have wicked people who pretend to be good.
How is this possible? Study the price increases on bread, milk, and other essentials, including water and electricity. Study how a few benefit while many others suffer so that a few can live in luxury.
Sadly, little is being done to hold those accountable for abusing others.
For example, the corruption at Eskom is well-known, and taxpayers spent a billion on the Zondo Commission, yet nobody important has been imprisoned. We are heading for stage 7/8, and only a few can escape load shedding, while the majority experience anxiety and stress from the uncertainty of endless looming darkness.
How evil are those few people who benefit/profit from the corruption at Eskom? Do they not understand what is written in Matthew 19:24 and what Islam promotes about beneficial behaviour?
For a few years of luxury living, these evil people are sacrificing their eternity, living in the hope of receiving forgiveness while robbing others. God often speaks of justice in the Torah, Bible, and Qur’an, and this is not allegorical talk. Justice will happen in this reality or the next, whether you believe in life after death or not.
Moving on, the leaders at BRICS, including President Ramaphosa, Putin, and the Premier of China, enjoy telling us how evil the West behaves, yet they also live in palaces with bodyguards just like their Western counterparts.
In comparison, we struggle to feed our families and must often choose between quality food and electricity. Was it irony or an insult when the petrol price increased after the BRICS summit ended?
What is the value of some global leaders pointing out the faults of others when they are no better as political/economic leaders? We continue to talk about corruption, but little is done to enforce justice.
What is the value of African leaders telling us about the evils of White colonialism/Apartheid/West when the cost of bread and milk, electricity, and water has increased 100 times under their authority?
Why are so many of Africa’s leaders so wealthy when their citizens struggle for affordable food and water? What is the difference between a black or white oppressor when the suffering is the same?
* Cllr Yagyah Adams, Cape Muslim Congress.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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