"Vying for increase distracts you, till you visit the graves. Nay! Soon you will know. Indeed! Soon you will know."
Quran 102:1-4
Here are the first four verses from the 102nd surah, al-Takathur, here rendered as "Vying for Increase," which draws its name from this opening. It is one of the many warnings in the Quran against focusing our attention on the accumulation of wealth as a means in and of itself. As Nasr points out in the related Study Quran commentary, "According to a saying attributed to the Prophet, it means gathering wealth without right, withholding it from those to whom it rightfully belongs, and hoarding it." (p. 1555) Not surprisingly, I suppose, it sounds like something that the Ghost of Christmas Present who have said to Scrooge, which I guess speaks to the universality of the message. How many centuries have we been reminding ourselves of this essential truth, and yet never learning the lesson?
Quran 102:1-4
Here are the first four verses from the 102nd surah, al-Takathur, here rendered as "Vying for Increase," which draws its name from this opening. It is one of the many warnings in the Quran against focusing our attention on the accumulation of wealth as a means in and of itself. As Nasr points out in the related Study Quran commentary, "According to a saying attributed to the Prophet, it means gathering wealth without right, withholding it from those to whom it rightfully belongs, and hoarding it." (p. 1555) Not surprisingly, I suppose, it sounds like something that the Ghost of Christmas Present who have said to Scrooge, which I guess speaks to the universality of the message. How many centuries have we been reminding ourselves of this essential truth, and yet never learning the lesson?
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