She had received a tempting job offer. A company whose source of income wasn’t really clear, but promised high profits. Her colleagues said, “Investors only think about profit, not about people’s hardship.” Katayoun researched for a week. She found out that part of the company’s income came from usury and part from money laundering. She didn’t sign the contract. Her friend told her, “You’re being foolish. Who else is going to give you this much money?” Katayoun replied, “Someone who gives me peace.” Two years later, that company went bankrupt and many of its investors lost their money. But Katayoun, with a clear conscience, was singing lullabies for her family. That night, she said in her heart, “Thank God I didn’t sign that contract. This lullaby isn’t mixed with forbidden money.”
Wealth and possessions are an important part of our lives. The fundamental question is: How should we behave with our wealth so that we achieve both mental peace and inner satisfaction?
**The first step is pure and lawful earning.** Anything obtained through illegitimate means—usury, bribery, fraud in transactions, underweighting, money laundering—can disturb mental peace. Lawful earning has a deep impact on the psyche: **a sense of self-worth** (because you know you haven’t wronged anyone), **inner peace** (you don’t worry about the ethical consequences of your income, you sleep easily at night), and **blessing in life** (lawful wealth, even if little, seems to work more than its measure) [19].
**Second: Qana’ah (contentment)** , meaning sufficiency and satisfaction with what has been provided as sustenance. Contentment does not mean giving up effort, but rather being freed from the captivity of greed and avarice. Contentment has several psychological benefits: **freedom from social comparison** (it takes you out of the faulty cycle of “why does he have more?”), **reduced anxiety** (greed is accompanied by fear of loss, contentment has no such fear), and **increased enjoyment of life** [20].
**Third: Giving (charity)** , the opposite of greed and miserliness, and a sign of mental and spiritual health. Neuroscience research results show that giving to others activates brain regions associated with happiness and reward [21]. Paul Zak, a neuroeconomist, calls this phenomenon the “giving hormone” and shows that the act of giving increases the level of oxytocin (the hormone of love and trust) in the body.
To manage wealth based on spiritual values, you can apply the following principles:
**Conscious financial planning:** Know how much you earn, how much you spend, and how much you save. But do this planning with the intention of “worship” and “service,” not merely “accumulation.”
**Paying obligatory rights:** This duty both purifies society and purifies wealth. When you give others their rights, you are essentially telling yourself, “This wealth is not just for me.”
**Continuous charity, even with small amounts:** A small but continuous act of charity instills a spirit of giving within you [22].
**Avoiding extravagance and waste:** Extravagance destroys blessings and reduces barakah (divine blessing). Conscious consumption helps you both use resources properly and be grateful for blessings [23].
**Ethical investing:** Invest in businesses that are ethical and serve society. Avoid investing in businesses based on usury, underweighting, or oppression of workers. In this view, wealth is not the goal; it is a means.
**Core Exercise for this Section: “List of Contradictions” (Wealth Version)**
Instead of writing “What should I do with my money,” prepare a list of “Five things I absolutely will not do with my money, even if they are very profitable.” For example:
1. I will not invest in a business that harms the environment.
2. I will not take a loan from someone whose money comes from illegitimate means (usury).
3. I will not sell a product to a customer whose quality I do not know myself.
4. I will not reduce a worker’s rights to save more money.
5. I will not buy something just to show off to others, with no benefit for me or anyone else.
Now look at these five “should nots.” Can you find your “shoulds” about money behind them?
Sensory Exercise: Touching Money with Closed Eyes
Take the banknotes out of your wallet. Close your eyes. Touch each banknote separately. Pay attention to its texture, size, and weight. Then ask yourself, “If this money could speak, what question would it ask me?” Write down one question and answer it. For example: “Where did you come from?” Answer: “From a month of hard work.” Or “Who did you serve?” Answer: “My family and a charity.” This exercise helps you see money from the perspective of “relationship,” not just “number.”
For Those in a Hurry:
Three quick principles for spiritual wealth management:
1. Set aside a percentage of every income (even 1%) immediately to help others.
2. Before any unnecessary purchase, wait 24 hours and then see if you still want it.
3. Once a month, look at your bank account and be grateful, not for the number, but for the service you can do with it.
For Those Who Want to Go Deeper:
– Majlesi, M. B. (1400 AH). *Bihar al-Anwar*. Vol. 103. Tehran: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah. (The Book of Trade, Chapter on Lawful and Forbidden)
– Zak, P. (2018). *The Moral Molecule: The Source of Love and Prosperity*. (Persian translation available: زاک، پل. (۱۳۹۷). اقتصاد معنویت: علم اعتماد و بخشش. فصل ۴ و ۵)
– Nahj al-Balaghah, translated by Shahidi. (Wisdom sayings related to contentment and economy)
Open-Ended Question for this Section:
Now tell me: if you lost all your money, but one thing from that money remained for you (a skill, a relationship, an experience, peace, a life lesson), what would you want that one thing to be? And if you knew now that you would lose all your money in ten years, what would you do differently with your money today?
