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SHAP JOURNAL 2003/2004 WEALTH AND POVERTY
'Wealth and Poverty' in RE: a Muslim reflection
Muhammad Ibrahim
Key Words: Islam; Attainment Targets 1 and 2; Applied Ethical Issues; Interaction;
Prejudiced Stereotype; Spiritual Dimension; Accountability.
Wealth and poverty are emotive issues that provoke a variety of responses from people. Some are
complacent, whilst others find they are inextricably involved. It is through handling such an issue
in the classroom that one can begin to differentiate between vice and virtue. Even within an
objective discussion attitudes and opinions become obvious, so much so they can be indicative of
an individual's attitude to life. Wealth and poverty therefore becomes an excellent vehicle to
facilitate the strengthening of the journey to ‘goodness’. For example, some pupils will become
deeply involved, being able to empathise with a given situation, whilst others can be indifferent.
Often those who are able to empathise tend to be more balanced and have a diligent approach to
their education, whilst those on the other end of the spectrum can face real difficulties in their lives
which can be nurtured through their environments. It does raise the fundamental distinction
between being either selfish or selfless. Some parents will openly discuss current affairs,
demonstrate examples of good practise through the way they handle and respond to situations etc.
Likewise, there are others who are indifferent, who lack those basic skills to enable humans to
interact at a more compassionate level. A child from a home of neglect and/or violence will find it
harder to develop such skills.
Religious education therefore, when being objective and inclusive, becomes the most powerful
vehicle within the curriculum to develop those skills necessary to foster a society that learns to
become selfless and caring. Due to the materialistic, capitalist driven direction of education, there
has never been a time when it has been most pressing. A life without values is one that is not worth
living. Religious education therefore focuses on the development of goodness, providing the
opportunity for youngsters to learn about that which is good from a variety of perspectives, but
also learning how to respectfully handle difference. It therefore becomes the core of the whole
curriculum. The study of the issues around wealth and poverty can only but strengthen this.
Wealth is not achieved by technological brilliance, academic prowess, power and authority, but
through the willingness to live a ‘good’ life. Through this one becomes happy and contended,
even in times of difficulty one is able to take a more stoical view (in the original philosophical
sense) and handle situations better. This view can apply to all, whether they are atheistic, theistic
or agnostic. It is therefore inclusive. It is on this basis of inclusivity that all pupils can engage and
find a deep relevance and purpose to what they are learning.
To respect that which is good from a variety of perspectives not only strengthens an understanding
of difference, but is able to develop a sense of common purpose and to dispel many stereotypes
that can lead to prejudice.
Teaching methods, whether they employ systematic or thematic approaches will be successful as
long as they are contained within a good, structured programme of study. However, one must be
vigilant as to both their strengthens and weaknesses and balance each approach accordingly. For
example, within a systematic approach, too much emphasis on attainment target one, 'learning
about religions', can lead to a ‘them and us’ attitude, which can subliminally alienate the pupil.
Likewise, in a thematic approach it can be difficult to develop a coherent approach to
understanding the way in which a life stance can offer a coherent package to life. The interplay
between both becomes important. This is a skill that the specialist needs to develop, as religious
education will tackle those issues that are sensitive and/or personal. Each lesson will develop its
own personality, much in the same way every discussion or argument will. Discussions have the
tendency to lead to arguments and arguments to division. Religious education therefore has a most
difficult task to fulfil, ‘How to resolve conflict?’ Fundamental to this is ‘Educating for difference’,
the ability to teach that ‘The rose often exists amongst thorns’, or just as’ The fly loves muck, the
bee loves honey’. What is pure to one, can be loathsome to another. The ‘roses’ are the easy bits,
they are shared, they are in abundance. However the thorns have to be dealt with fairly with
sensitivity, often in a non-judgemental way, as to judge implies a value judgement which in turn
undermines inclusivity. Let the children be the judges. They are excellent at it, it gets them
involved. In those areas where they are in difficulty, don’t be judgemental, apply the ‘Socratic
method’. Gentle questioning, providing examples enabling them to make a more informed
decision, becomes central. They are doing the learning, not you! They therefore must have
ownership of their own ideas.
This preamble has been deliberate as without an understanding of the philosophical intent behind
the delivery of a lesson then it ceases to be relevant or have a constructive purpose. For example,
when teaching about wealth and poverty in Islam within a systematic approach, then it is important
to often refer to those values or differences that exist between Islam and other life stances/faiths. A
good example will be to use Maimonides' levels of charity found within Judaism; each one is
better that the last: ‘1) to give sadly 2) to give less than is suitable, but cheerfully 3) to give only
after being asked 4) to give before being asked 5) to give in such a way that the recipient does
not know who gave it 6) to give in such a way that neither knows who the other is 7) not to give
charity, but to take the poor into business partnerships or lend them money so that they can
improve their situation without any loss of self-respect.’ [cf. articles by Angela Wood and Sandra
Teacher].To add further to this, one could argue on the grounds of inclusivity, it is clear that two of
the most significant theological questions are whether God created man, or did man create God?
The former would be argued by the theist, whilst the latter by the atheist. Despite the welter of
difference, there is still a huge common ground to be shared. What is significant are the applied
ethical issues that are involved. Wealth and poverty is an important issue to all. There is much that
can be learnt from each other in an inclusive way. These examples have been selected quite
deliberately. Not only can an enormous amount of attainment target two, 'learning from religion',
be extracted from them, thus making it relevant to the lives of the pupil, but they demonstrate the
richness of learning about and from in an inclusive way. This reinforces the importance of
developing such skills as empathy so as to learn from another in a safe and objective way.
Statistically, the world’s second largest faith is Islam, but yet most Muslims live in poverty. This
is apparent when one looks at a map of the world and then charts the poorest of nations. This raises
some vital issues, which here are likely to be rhetorical. However, through studying, identifying
the deeper underlying issues, some important points emerge. Many of the problems that are
encountered within Muslim communities, or between Muslim and non-Muslim communities, are a
direct response to the interaction of wealth and poverty. It is also important, from an Islamic point
of view to emphasise, that when considering the issue of wealth and poverty it does not so much
refer to that which is material. Spiritual wealth and poverty is actually more significant. An
impoverished society in ‘hikmah’ (wisdom) is indeed a poor one. A major part of this poverty is
the prejudiced stereotype of Islam verses the West. If there is a ‘war’, then this is based on
ignorance and not on the mutual understanding and sharing of what is ‘good’ between different
communities. Islam, albeit different in a number of perspectives, offers a lot that is valuable to
society. The abstinence from intoxicants, unlawful sexual relationships, unlawful financial
transactions are good examples of those boundaries that are designed to protect and promote
‘goodness’ in the whole community as opposed to looking at the immediate gratification of the
individual. Indeed, when one looks at the damage caused by drugs, including alcohol, the spread
of sexually transmitted diseases, the number of unwanted pregnancies, the breakdown of the
family structure, the unethical practices of business including the global economy, then one can
find that the ‘Islamic method’ indeed has a lot to offer, for the wellbeing of all.
When dealing with the concepts of wealth and poverty within the classroom it is important to have
a ‘working’ understanding of such terms. Part of this understanding is the appreciation of its
spiritual dimension alongside the material. There are many examples of attainment target two that
one can use, but they must all relate directly to the lives of the pupils. Pupils love to discuss, to
work together, to bounce different ideas off each other. ‘Fire them up’! Attainment target two is
excellent for this and is often the heart and engine of religious education. Discussions on ‘What
makes me happy?’, ‘Does it really make me happy?’, ‘Does it last?’, ‘What am I searching for and
why?’, ‘Does material wealth make me happier?’, ‘Can I be happy, but yet ‘poor’?’, ‘If I can be
‘poor’, but yet happy, what makes me happy?’ etc are vital questions that are the foundations to the
understanding of wealth and poverty. They are deeply rooted in the psyche of the individual.
They are essential to the wellbeing of society. But yet, how much time is allocated to this in the
curriculum? When it is, is it used effectively? These are important issues. They make religious
education come alive and a most relevant and important subject for life.
To embark upon an analysis of any faith text can become irrelevant and can have negative
repercussions without the necessary foundations like those raised in the previous questions. Pupils
have to identify with the issues to find a purpose contained within. There are many references to be
found within Islam on the subject of wealth and poverty. To develop a deeper and more profound
understanding of a few becomes more important than covering many superficially. For example,
in Islam, the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) said, "Do not wish to be like anyone except in two
cases. (1) a person, whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it righteously; (2) the one whom
Allah has given wisdom (the Holy Qur'an) and he acts according to it and teaches it to others."
(Fateh-al-Bari page 177 Vol. 1). This is an interesting, open example, as it necessitates the
defining of ‘wealth’ and ‘righteously’. This is such a super opportunity to link this to attainment
target two. It is so rich. It is also interesting to reflect that the second part of this hadith refers to
the Islamic source for such a definition – wisdom (hikmah), as to be found in the Qur’an (the Word
of God) and in the Sunnah (the example of the Prophet (SAWS)). Thirdly and most importantly,
the later part of the second case takes this whole exercise out of one that is passive into one that is
active. That is, through wisdom, the Muslim has to both practise it and encourage others to do the
same. The teacher does not teach, but facilitates. True education takes place when the pupil takes
what they have learned and is able to put it into practice.
To take another example: “Imam Bukhari and Ibn Jarir have cited this view of Hadrat Ubayy bin
Ka'b: “We took the Holy Prophet” saying: ‘If the son of Adam had two valleys full of wealth, he
would long for a third valley; the son of Adam's belly cannot be filled but by earth, to be from the
Qu’ran until ‘Alhakum at takathur’ was sent down’.” (Maududi). Islamic tafsir (exegesis) has
been extensive on this reference which both applies to the hadith and Surah 102 of the Qur’an.
One initial thought is, why is it, that when someone has, they want more, they are not satisfied?
This is a fundamental human condition that we can all subscribe to! It has many ramifications to
much that can be taught about wealth and poverty. Secondly, the ‘Alhakum takathur’ is a direct
reference to the 102 Surah of the Qur’an. In this Surah, God reminds humans of the danger in the
piling up of wealth and how this diverts attention away from the worship of God to worldly things
and that this will continue for many until they visit their graves. This has the direct implication
that death is not final and life will continue beyond the grave. True knowledge therefore refers to
the life after and it is upon the Day of Judgement that we all shall be held accountable for what we
did when we were alive in this world.
It is clear from an understanding of this, that the same issues apply to a number of life stances, for
example, Jesus said that man cannot worship God and mammon. Furthermore, it could be prudent
to explore an atheistic stance to this. The distinctions between being selfish and selfless still apply.
It could however be argued that the one who has access to a Divine Command has a greater
advantage in that such commands provide the opportunity for one to become aware of such issues.
All the more reason for religious education to be inclusive. In an ever increasing materialistic
world, the enrichment of the spirit becomes all the more important if humanity is to retain a degree
of sanity in the relationship he/she has within the world. To lose sight of the importance of
religious education is to lose one of the greatest opportunities we have to make the world a better
place for us all.