Is being poor superior to being rich? Are there not any rich people that are superior to the poor? Can a Muslim be very rich and one of the beloved most beloved slaves of Allah?

Is being poor superior to being rich? Can a Muslim be very rich and one of the beloved most beloved slaves of Allah? Can only poor people be in the highest degree? Can very rich people be among the friends of Allah if they worship in the best way? Were there not any rich people among the Companions?

Dear Brother / Sister,

There is no rule like "Being poor is superior to being rich."However, richness is a hard test; most rich people cannot fulfill their duties of worship properly, become very busy with worldly affairs and forget the hereafter. Therefore, the number of the poor people to go to Paradise is more than the number of the rich people.

There are also some rich people who work for the sake of Allah and are not deceived by the world. Those rich people who work for the sake of Allah and who are not deceived by the world are superior to the poor. The test of everybody is different. The test of a poor person is different from that of a rich person. The degree of a person in the eye of Allah becomes certain as he performs the deeds that are most appropriate in his status and as he acts sincerely.

Hadiths about being rich and poor:

"Jibril came to me and said, "O Muhammad! Your Lord sends His greetings and says, ‘There are some people among my slaves; their belief becomes perfect with wealth. If I made them poor, they would act ungratefully. There are also some people among my slaves; their belief becomes perfect with poverty. If I made them rich, they would become unbelievers. There are some people among my slaves; their belief becomes perfect with health. If I gave them illnesses, they would become unbelievers. There are also some people among my slaves; their belief becomes perfect with illnesses. If I made them healthy, they would act ungratefully."

"The first three people to enter Paradise are as follows: One of them is a martyr; the second one is a modest person who had children and who was poor but who protected his chastity and did not beg from people; the other one is a slave who worshipped his Lord and served his master properly. The first three people to enter Hell are as follows: One of them is a ruler who oppressed people, a rich person who did not pay the right of Allah and an arrogant poor man."

"May Allah damn the poor person who acts humbly in the presence of a rich person due to his wealth and loses two-thirds of his religion because of it!"

"On the Day of Judgment, everybody, whether rich or poor, will say, ‘We wish we had lived penuriously in the world." (Ramuz al-Ahadith)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "Do not wish to be like anyone except in two cases. The first is a person whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it righteously; the second is the one whom Allah has given wisdom and who acts according to it and teaches it to others." [Bukhari, Ilm 15, Zakah 5, Ahkam 3, I'tisam 13; Muslim, Salatul-Musafirin 268, (816)]

Questions on Islam