In a world where billionaires like Jeff Bezos invest millions into trying to cheat death and Steve Jobs reflected on mortality as life’s greatest change agent, Islam offers the only satisfying answer to the question that haunts every human soul: what happens when we die? Sheikh Karim Abu Zaid breaks down a powerful hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) about four types of people and how their relationship with wealth and knowledge determines their fate in the Hereafter.
The Billionaire Who Does Not Want to Die
Jeff Bezos has publicly invested in research committees and gathered scientists and biologists with one goal: to defeat death. Steve Jobs, on the other hand, acknowledged that death is the destination we all share and called it life’s single best invention. Yet neither man had the answer that Islam provides. As Muslims, we are reminded that the Dunya is temporary — even 40 million dollar beachfront homes were wiped out by a single hurricane in Florida, with no flood insurance to cover them. These are signs from Allah for those who reflect.
“Your wealth will never decrease because of a sadaqah that you give for the sake of Allah. In fact, whatever you spend in the cause of Allah, He will give it back to you. The prophet said if Allah guides through you one soul, it is better than the entire world and everything in it.”
The Four Types of People: A Hadith to Memorize
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) described four types of people and told us to memorize this teaching. The first has both knowledge and wealth, and because of his knowledge he earns and spends carefully — this is the best rank. The second has knowledge but no wealth, yet because he sincerely wishes he could do the same good as the first, Allah gives him equal reward based on intention alone. The third has wealth but no knowledge, and wastes his money recklessly in haram. The fourth has neither wealth nor knowledge, yet wishes to be like the third — and this is the worst of all.
“The second person, because of his sincere intention, receives an equal reward like the first one. He didn’t spend any money, he wasn’t even tested with it — he just had a good intention. Look at the beauty of knowledge: when you have knowledge, your intention alone can earn you the reward of the wealthiest person.”
Investing in What Lasts Beyond This Life
- Allah sometimes tests with what we consider good and sometimes with what we consider bad — the people of Aad boasted “who is stronger than us?” and were destroyed by wind
- Social Security may never reach you — the Prophet said the lifespan of his ummah is between 60 and 70 — but sadaqah invested with Allah is guaranteed and will never be broken into
- The beauty of believing in the Hereafter is that even the poorest person in Jannah will have ten times the entire world
- Spending in the cause of Allah, including building Masjids and dawah centers, is the only investment that continues to grow even after you leave this world
