In this beautiful world of uncertainty, human existence subconsciously starts its journey as an innocent traveller. It settles down in a space called society, which is interrelated with individuals sharing an environment. Verily, there are positive and negative sides to a growing society. In this social system, we tend to fall prey to the plots of the social class, indeed divided and calculated by monetary income, which leads to extreme insecurity and inequality within the society which creates significant differences called the Poor and the Rich, who makes the society run from complex to complex. Indeed, social class has a substantial impact on a person’s life outcome and daily interactions, and one’s socioeconomic status can have significant consequences.

But self-acceptance and self-Act of being poor or Supreme Rich is the central dilemma in one’s life, which penetrates a person’s mind & body and through the eyes and perceptions of society. Luckily, a ray of hope and conditions might change; it depends on one’s habits, behaviour, and mindset, which you generate due to an inferiority complex and superiority complex, which differentiates between the rich and the poor.

The poor immensely suffer from insecurities!

The poor immensely suffer insecurities within their surroundings due to insufficient money, unemployment, laziness, untidiness, lack of patience – hunger, thirst, lack of accommodation, lack of self-confidence, lacking desire to earn wealth, many times due to injustice, inequity, and exploited by the profiteers and the money-lenders. Probably it galvanizes their adverse conditions and eventually lose interest in everything. They feel incomplete, unhappy, broken, and crushed, which affects their performance in leading everyday life. The Helpless / poor people consider themself to be strangers in their hometown. They feel that their hometown is not their hometown and their relatives are not their relatives, and they are good for nothing.

How you think, feel and Act!

There is a beautiful saying of The Prophet of Islam (PBUH): “He who acts Poor will become (stay) Poor” (1). And by the same token, if you act depressed, you’ll be depressed. Also, psychologically if you Act angry, you’ll be mad. If you Act sleepy, you’ll be drowsy. If you Act lazy, you’ll be lazy. The human body conceives and shapes up by the way you think, feel and act. It’s all a mindset. If you think you are poor, then you are Poor. If you Act poor, you’ll become (stay) Poor.

Most people can gauge if you are rich or poor by just looking at your face. One thousand four hundred years ago, Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon Him) said: “Poverty is the blackness of the face in the two worlds.” Today R. Thora Bjornsdottir, a student and researcher at the University of Toronto, demonstrated well-being differences and said that “These differences reflect in a person’s face. Therefore financial differences show upright in a person’s face, literally etched into facial structure & tissues (2).

Do you wonder why the rich are successful while others stay poor?

Because of the poor habits of the poor-minded, the poor Always perceive the problem ahead, never the Solution. At the same time, Rich is busy seeking Solutions for all his troubles. The poor always prefer to play the victim’s card rather than take responsibility to change their circumstances. Verily, the rich have a positive attitude and progressive thinking in comparison to the poor. Thus educate yourself on the power of positive thinking and attracting abundance.

The Almighty Allah (SWT) wants you to earn and be successful in life. He says: “We have made the night to serve as a dress and the day for earning livelihood” – (78:10-11)

No Food to Eat, No Dress to Wear, No means of Livelihood

However, it is not possible to develop good habits until one has food to eat, a dress to wear, and means of Livelihood. Because there are genuinely many needy persons who do not possess even a penny, they do not even have a loaf of bread to eat. And lack of Livelihood. How can such poor people reflect on the secrets and mysteries of the universe and make efforts to refine their conduct? People can become interested in the refinement of self and good morals only after their necessities.

Imam Ali (PBUH), the cousin of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), did not like poverty and dependence on others, said: “If poverty comes before me in the form of a human being, I shall kill it” (3). Nothing was essential in the eyes of Imam Ali (PBUH) than eliminating the destitution/poverty of the people. Indeed, Imam Ali (PBUH) uttered strong words against poverty and against those who preached indigence, pulling down the tower of their falsehood and deceit.

Think Rich & Shun Bad Habits

Meanwhile, I don’t prefer you to Act rich. Still, I wish you to be confident enough to think rich and be content in whatever you acquire because it’s not a human’s prerogative to feel insecure or unequal in this world. So get up, look at the beauty of this world and the wonders of this beautiful creation with pure heart, pure soul. And train your conscience in such a way that you shun bad habits and adorn yourself with good qualities and acquire the most incredible bliss and prosperity to the fullest.

The Holy Quran says: “O humankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah (jjh), & Allah – He is The All sufficient, The All laudable.” – (Surah Fatir 35:15). Hence trust in God and Contentment is an absolute treasure. Work persistently to change or leapfrog your condition and never fall victim to social class because every human life on earth is equally valuable and dignified. Come out from the dungeons of poor habits and behaviour. Change in mindset & perspective can find freedom from poverty and think Rich creates rich and strive to master wealth not Act Poor is the key.

Reference:
Bihar al-Anwar, V. 76, P. 316, no. 6
https://www.cnbc.com/
Nahj al-Balagha, p. 84.