The “I Want it All” Attitude…

By: Fariha Lakhani

Materialism is an ongoing chronic delusion that has become a rope strangling our society. Generally speaking, the focus of our lives has become wealth, or what we can buy with that wealth – the next article of clothing, the house, the car, the smart device, etc.

All around us, popular media diverts our attention towards certain products or services by deeming their purchase a source of our own comfort, luxury, or an increase in status or fame. We are constantly told that we need to buy some product. And our obsession with acquiring products leads to us wanting more and more, one after another. Eventually, this is the way society works: wealth, fame, riches, social media followers, and admiration equals success. But why? When we equate material possessions with success, this points to an underlying societal problem: a lack of self-esteem. We are compelled to substitute the gap we feel in our lives by adding more material possessions so we can fit in, or be recognized and remembered. There is definitely an excitement in buying something new and sharing the joy with someone, but isn’t that excitement always short-lived, unless it was a really important purchase? Think about it. The cycle goes something like this – we are dissatisfied with our state of being or mind at a given time, so we buy. We are temporarily happy and satisfied, but then the happiness level drops, leading to another urge to buy something else, and so it continues.

Let’s think about housewives for a minute. We want the best of everything in our home because so-andso’s wife also has that in her house. We want that designer bag, that same dress, or even a better one so we look better than someone at the next high-tea. We want our furniture and living room to look the best and have the most expensive set of china for when the guests are over. But this desire for having a multitude of the best of everything eventually leads to ungratefulness and depression.

The purpose of our life is much bigger than, and beyond material belongings. Our responsibility as Muslims is to recognize that wealth is a blessing as well as a trial. Wealth should be a means to fulfill the important needs of our daily lives, but in no way does it grant us anything in the Hereafter, unless it is used to help the needy. Material possessions only take us away from Allah SWT and His commands because we become so engulfed in hoarding that we move away from our primary focus to attain the pleasure of Allah SWT. The Qur’an mentions, “O believers! What is the matter with you that when you are asked to march forth in the cause of Allah, you cling firmly to [your] land? Do you prefer the life of this world over the Hereafter? The enjoyment of this worldly life is insignificant compared to that of the Hereafter,” (Surah Tawbah, 38). Material things are temporary; they do not serve our purpose in this life, neither will they be beneficial in the Hereafter, unless they are used for a cause that will live on even after us.

One might argue that, “if we have the money, and we are not indulging in haram, then what’s so bad about buying what we want?” This is a valid question. It is definitely not haram to be buying possessions with our hard-earned wealth. But we need to remember what happens if we focus too much on material wealth. We get caught in a web of materialism. An individual starts to get tempted to possess something by “buying” or “achieving” it because the media, or a celebrity, or an influencer portrays it to be of certain value or benefit. In the process, we begin to lose sense of our priorities, and there could come a time when Allah’s commandments take a back seat for us, as we indulge in our “need” to own more and more.

Social media today puts so much pressure on us to have or become something that it challenges our own identity; not having such-and-such distorts our sense of being, as if we are outcasts. People are mostly worried about their material-oriented desires: technology, cars, gadgets, even physically “looking” like some celebrity or Instagram model. Where are these desires taking us? Why do we strive to achieve this never-ending status of being someone only to be able to publicize it on social media. What does it get us? A few likes? This goes on, but the sense of being content with all that you have never goes away.

It will not go away because we are continuously chasing one thing after another. There is no end to it. There is no final level that can provide the certainty that we will ever be fully content. The desire to always want and need more can never be fulfilled and we will continue to feel like we need more and better.

What can we do to make sure we are not too materialistic? Be grateful in the little things, and remember that this “gain” of the dunya might not eventually be a gain in the akhirah. Consider: “The Day He will gather you for the Day of Gathering—that will be the Day of mutual loss and gain. So whoever believes in Allah and does good, He will absolve them of their sins and admit them into Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there forever and ever. That is the ultimate triumph,” (Surah Taghabun, 9). Allah SWT clearly tells us in the Qur’an that the ultimate “gain” or “triumph” for us is Jannah, so let us put in our efforts to attain that place for eternity.