And put forward to them the example of two men; unto one of them We had given two gardens of grapes, and We had surrounded both with date-palms; and had put between them green crops (cultivated fields etc.).
And he had wealth and he said to his companion, in the course of mutual talk: I am more than you in wealth and stronger in respect of men.
– Qurʾān, Sūrah Kahf, Verse 31-33
These verses describes the event of two people. One of whom had a lot of wealth and was proud of it, he refused to accept that there is any life after death, and if there is one, he claimed, he will be given more wealth and reward therein. His argument was that if Allah was not pleased with him, he would not have this amount of wealth in this world.
The other person, though less than him in wealth, was a true believer. He refuted the argument of the former by saying that the worldly wealth is not a sign of one being close to Allah, because the worldly benefits are given by Allah, in one way or the other, even to the disbelievers and sinful people, rather to the snakes, scorpions and beasts. It is a horrible mistake to presume that they are the signs of one’s being approved by Allah. Therefore, neither your wealth is the proof of your behaviour being approved by Allah, nor my lesser wealth is a proof of disapproval by Him. Allah’s approval or disapproval depends on one’s faith and by deeds alone and not on the amount of wealth one has.
