Gems of the Promised Messiah & Imam Mahdi (as) – The Wealth and Riches of the Disbelievers

No one should be misled by the fact that disbelievers possess wealth, riches and property as well, and live in pleasure, engrossed in their luxury and enjoyment. I tell you truthfully that these people appear happy only in the eyes of the world, rather, only in the eyes of despicable materialists and those taken by outward appearances. In actuality, these people are burning from within and are drowned in grief. You look at the faces of these people, but I see their hearts. They are engulfed in a blazing fire, and entangled in chains and iron-collars, just as Allah the Exalted states:

إِنَّآ أَعۡتَدۡنَا لِلۡكَٰفِرِينَ سَلَٰسِلَاْ وَأَغۡلَٰلٗا وَسَعِيرًا [1]

Verily, We have prepared for the disbelievers chains and iron-collars and a blazing Fire.

It is impossible for them to adopt virtue. The weight of these collars hold them down in such a way that they are shackled like animals and beasts, and therefore cannot advance towards God. Their eye is forever set upon the world and they themselves incline towards it. Then, they constantly experience a pain and burning sensation from within. If they experience a loss in their wealth, or if – contrary to their wishes – they fail to succeed in a certain endeavour, they grieve and burn from within. This is to the extent that they will even go mad and lose their senses, or wander helplessly to and from court. It is true that an irreligious man is in a blazing fire, because he cannot find peace and comfort, which is the definite result of pleasure and satisfaction. An alcoholic, for example, will drink a glass of alcohol and then ask for another, and continue asking for more and more, and all the while, is consumed by a burning longing. In the same way, a worldly person is engulfed in a blazing fire; for his fire of greed can never be extinguished for even a moment. True happiness, in actuality, is reserved for a God-fearing person, in relation to whom, Allah the Exalted states that there are two paradises.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Malfuzat – Volume II (Farnham, Surrey: Islam International Publications Ltd., 2019), 134-135.

ENDNOTES

[1] The Holy Qur’an, 76:5.