|
Rasool Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) advised us to make dua, seeking
protection of the trials of this world. One such dua is; “Oh
Allah I seek refuge from anxiety and sorrow, weakness and laziness,
miserliness and cowardliness the burden of debt and being over powered by
men.”
The notion of debt causing anxiety and sorrow is something that is well
established in the Islamic texts. Rasool Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam)
informed us of this issue. Although this is something that Muslims and
non-Muslims are aware of, as it is a very real issue that affects all
humans. In this day and age there are countless problems associated with the
burden of debt. These problems were also prevalent among the people of the
time of Rasool Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam). Indeed the anxieties of
debts have affected almost all peoples from all times. There are many
references to debt in the ahadith of Rasool Allah (Sallallahu alaihi
wasallam), verses of Quran and incidences involving the Sahaba (ra).
There is one such incident that highlights the importance of the correct
etiquette and paying and demanding payments of debts. Abu Sa’id (ra)
narrated that “An Arabian nomad came to Rasool Allah (Sallallahu
alaihi wasallam) and demanded his loan which was due on Rasool Allah (Sallallahu
alaihi wasallam). And threatened him with harsh treatment in case the loan
was not paid off. Rasool Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) companions
reproached him saying he did not know whom he was addressing in that manner.
The nomad then said ‘I am just demanding my due’. Rasool Allah (Sallallahu
alaihi wasallam) turned towards the Shahaba and said, ‘Why don’t you side
with the person who is in the right?’ After that Rasool Allah (Sallallahu
alaihi wasallam) sent a message to Khola bint Qais (ra) to ask if she could
give him some dates as a loan till dates came to him. Khola (ra) said
‘alright, my father and mother be sacrificed on you.’ Thus Rasool Allah (Sallallahu
alaihi wasallam) borrowed the dates and paid the loan of the nomad.
Moreover, He (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) gave a feast for his creditor. The
nomad then said, ‘you have done me a favour. May Allah do favour on you.’
Rasool Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, ‘Those people are virtuous
who pay off their loans cheerfully. In fact the Ummah cannot become
sanctified whose weaker sections cannot get its right without distress and
anxieties.’ ” This incident not only highlights the issue of debt within
society but it also highlights the issue of how the creditor and the debtor
should treat one another with mutual respect.
The stress and anxiety surrounding debts are issues that affect society in a
detrimental way. Rasool Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) warned us of
these problems. However if we are to look around us today we can see the
reality of this phenomenon. In western societies there are many problems
associated with excess borrowing. There are many anxieties and distresses
associated with the poor and needy not getting their rights, and also
anxieties and distresses are associated with debt itself. The UK and US have
become credit card societies. There are many hidden, long term and
short term, problems that are built into these types of societies.
Individuals within these societies suffer several psychological and social
scourges. However these individual issues are projected onto the community
as a whole. They are then actually exacerbated at this level. The sum, with
regards to the detrimental affects of debt, is much greater than the parts.
The Consumer Debt Hangover
When the insatiable cycle of borrowing and spending subsides, and the debts
that have been incurred have to be repaid, the debt hangover starts.
To give an insight into the fallout of the debt trap, consider the following
statistics.
Evidence from the 'The British Association for Counselling and
Psychotherapy' suggests that at least 10 per cent of students who sought
counselling are suicidal or had attempted to kill themselves over debt
problems.
Christmas = A Capitalist festival
As Christmas approaches so does the usual hectic frenzy of preparations for
the winter holiday season. And as these preparations begin to gather
momentum in every community across the western countries, one can't help but
notice that what was once a Christian religious festival has now become a
festival for a very different type of worship. High streets are packed with
shoppers and churches are lying empty, retail stores are preaching
consumerism to the masses, and the clergy continue to remain completely out
of touch and out of favour with the population. However, the creed of
enjoying one's self to the maximum and relentlessly engaging in a
materialistic pursuit has lead to little tranquility for the worshippers at
the capitalist altar.
In fact below the sparkling wrapping of Christmas being a time for getting
merry, enjoying oneself and freeing oneself from the strains and stresses of
life, the modern day demands and expectations of consumerist Christmas
actually make it a very stressful and problematic experience for many. If
you combine together a capitalist society driven by materialism, a financial
market which hands out credit cards and personal loans like sweets, and
advertising from every media and communication channel that mesmerises in
its enticement, then what you have is an open trap, 'the debt trap' and few
can escape its clutches if they choose to drink from this poisonous chalice.
It's not just advertising and easy credit that makes people spend
The aforementioned analysis does little to go beyond the surface and explore
questions which are more fundamental in nature, such as why do people want
to have the latest mobile phone or buy the latest car even though they
cannot afford it? Why do people brave the clenches of the poverty cycle
knowing full well the slippery slope it offers? To answer these questions,
we need to have a brief look at the values and goals defined in the western
society which takes its spirit from the secular capitalist viewpoint of
life.
The oft quoted cliché 'eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you die'
is an apt place to start exploring the mindset fashioned by the western
society. Self gratification is the goal, and consumerism is one of the
clearest shapes that this goal takes. Part of consumerism is the
overwhelming desire people have to express themselves through material means
such as the desire to have the latest gadget or to wear the latest fashions
that have hit the high streets.
Additionally, as a result of the capitalist identity, individualism
flourishes and people want to express their individualism by being different
in the way they dress, the way they look and the music and fashions they
listen to and wear. This desire to appear in a certain way due to how the
society judges people as successful or unsuccessful and this is what fuels
the demand to obtain the latest high street releases.
So one cannot blame marketing on its own for developing the spending craze
that has possessed so many consumers. The positioning and targeting of the
marketing is almost always to tap into these distinct motivations that
already drive society. For example, car adverts play more on the appeal he
car has to the eyes of others (namely women) then it does on the
functionality of the car itself. In fact all posters and images that can be
seen in high street shops to entice consumers are actually enticing them by
conveying the message that this item will enhance their identity.
Conclusion
The capitalist ideas of materialism and individualism are ideas that push
people to seek happiness through the acquisition of material things. The
images portrayed in the media are so overwhelming that many feel compelled
to have the objects that they think will make them happy even if it means
becoming indebted in the process. The misery is not felt until the euphoria
wears off after the New Year where the reality of their debt burden begins
to impose on their lives.
Spending is not disliked in Islam but the condition is that the financial
means should exist for spending to occur. Spending is encouraged in the
Islamic texts and miserliness is condemned. Many misconceptions have been
created about Islam and spending which have falsely distanced many from the
supremacy of Islam to man made solutions.
The debt trap is an open pit which many in western societies cannot escape
from. Muslims should be wary of the pitfalls from western culture and
capitalist financing that can lead to them becoming victims of this. Muslims
should also be aware that the Islamic ideology is a complete way of life
providing a moral and intellectual framework to build an Islamic society as
well as a comprehensive economic, ruling and social system to govern the
people's affairs.
|
