Wealth and possessions are an important part of our lives. But the fundamental question is: how should we manage our wealth so that we achieve both mental peace and inner satisfaction? The answer can be found in three key principles: lawful earnings, contentment (qana’ah), and charity (infāq).

Wealth Management the Spiritual Way; From Lawful Earnings to Charity

The first step is lawful earning. Any income obtained through illegitimate means – usury, bribery, fraud in transactions, shortchanging, seizing others’ property, or any income associated with oppression and corruption – can disturb one’s mental peace. Lawful earning has a profound psychological impact: a sense of self‑worth (a person who earns through halal respects themselves), inner peace (no worry about the ethical and legal consequences of their income), and blessing in life (halal wealth, even if little, better fulfills one’s needs) [20].

The second principle is contentment (qana’ah). Contentment means sufficiency and being satisfied with what has been provided – not giving up effort, but freeing oneself from the shackles of greed and avarice. Contentment has several psychological benefits: freedom from social comparison (it removes a person from the vicious cycle of comparing with others), reduced anxiety (greed is always accompanied by fear of loss), and increased enjoyment of life (one who is satisfied with little also enjoys small blessings) [21].

The third principle is charity (infāq). Charity is the opposite of greed and miserliness, and a sign of a person’s mental and spiritual health. Charity has remarkable effects: psychological purification (it cleanses the soul from miserliness and selfishness), increased empathy (by giving, a person puts themselves in others’ place), creating a cycle of blessing [22], and increasing happiness. Psychological research shows that giving to others activates the brain regions associated with pleasure and reward [23].

To manage wealth according to spiritual values, one can apply the following principles: financial planning (know how much you earn, how much you spend, and how much you save), paying obligatory dues (which purify society and cleanse wealth), continuous charity (even with small amounts), avoiding extravagance and waste (extravagance destroys blessings and reduces barakah), and ethical investing (invest in businesses that are ethical and serve society). In this view, wealth is not the goal but a means; a means to provide for life’s needs, help others, and draw nearer to truth.

References

[20] Majlesi, Mohammad Baqer. Bihar al-Anwar. Volume 103, Tehran: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah, 2021, p. 9.

[21] Nahj al-Balaghah, Wisdom 45.

[22] The Holy Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 261.

[23] Zak, Paul. The Spirituality of Economics. Translated by Mohammadi, F. Tehran: Danjeh Publications, 2018, p. 92.

[24] Motahhari, Morteza. Divine Justice. Tehran: Sadra Publications, 2011, p. 112.