Ḥubb al-Māl
Definition
Hubb al-mal — love of wealth — is the root disease that produces miserliness as its primary symptom. Al-Ghazali distinguishes between the permissible regard for wealth as a tool and the diseased love of wealth as an end: the person who loves money for what it can do (provide for family, enable worship, serve the community) is relating to it correctly; the person who loves money for itself — who feels genuine satisfaction at its accumulation and genuine pain at its expenditure — has assigned to it an emotional significance that only belongs to Allah. This assignment of ultimate value to a created thing is a subtle form of shirk.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Ḥubb al-Māl.
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"Lord becomes the one who does for you what you are unable to choose for yourself. EXPLANATION OF THE TREATMENT OF MISERLINESS Know that the cause of miserliness is the love of wealth. The love of wealth has two causes. One is the love of desires which cannot be attained except with wealth, along with long hopes. For if a person knew he would die the next day, he might not be stingy with his wealth, since what he needs for a day, month, or year is minor. Even if his hopes are short, but he has children, he places his children in the position of long hope, imagining their survival as his own survival, so he saves for them. Thus the Prophet, peace be upon him,"
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 27: Condemnation of Miserliness and Love of Wealth
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"The Prophet said, Send it ahead for the hereafter, for the heart of a believer is with his wealth if he sends it ahead. The hadith about the love of wealth and honor, planting hypocrisy in the heart like water grows plants, is not found with this wording, but mentioned afterwards with the word fame instead of honor. The hadith, Two ravenous wolves, unleashed in a sheep pen, are not more destructive than the love of wealth and fame in a man's religion, was reported by al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasai in al-Kubra from the narration of Ka'b ibn Malik with some variations in wording."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 27: Condemnation of Miserliness and Love of Wealth
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"So there is no power and no strength except through Allah the Most High, the Most Great. And He said, The competition for more wealth diverts you. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, The love of wealth and honor breeds hypocrisy in the heart as water causes plants to grow. He also said, Two hungry wolves let loose among the sheep are not more destructive to the flock than the love of wealth and honor is to a man's religion."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 27: Condemnation of Miserliness and Love of Wealth
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