How can it be said that what matters is the state of the heart and not the state of the person, while the Prophetic hadiths emphasize minimizing worldly possessions and asceticism, and warn against an abundance of wealth and preoccupation with it, as in his (peace be upon him) saying: "Be in this world as if you are a stranger or a traveler," and his saying: "Indeed, the world is cursed, and cursed is what is in it, except for the remembrance of Allah Almighty and what follows it, and a scholar and a student"? And does "abandoning the superfluous from what is permissible" mean abandoning excessive wealth beyond what is needed?

Wealth tempts most people and diverts them from the remembrance of Allah, causing them to neglect their interests in the hereafter, thus becoming a harm to them. As for him who holds wealth in his hand but not in his heart, of him it is said: "How excellent is righteous wealth for the righteous servant." He uses his wealth to fear his Lord and maintain ties of kinship. This does not contradict his being a stranger in this world, because he is not attached to it; rather, his heart is attached to Allah. This was the state of Prophet Solomon and a number of companions, such as Uthman ibn Affan and Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, over whose hearts the world held no sway despite their blessings. For this reason, some believe that the grateful rich person is of a higher rank than the patient poor person, and the best of them both is the one who is most pious towards Allah.

Desire for this world is the root of the heart's sins, such as discontent, envy, arrogance, and pride. All of this stems from the heart being filled with it, not from its mere possession. The heart being filled with this world contradicts gratitude, and the essence of gratitude is to empty the heart of it. So, the best of those whose wealth has expanded are those whose good has increased through it.

The path of poverty and austerity is a path of safety with patience, whereas the path of wealth and abundance is usually a dangerous path. However, if the rich person fears his Lord in his wealth, uses it to maintain ties of kinship, and pays Allah's due from it, then that is a path of gain for him. The poor person is like the sick person who is rewarded for his patience, and the rich person faces a great danger, but if he is safe and earns and spends his wealth rightfully, it will be more beneficial for him.

The righteous predecessors differed regarding the preference of wealth or poverty. Some chose wealth for jihad and spending in acts of righteousness, like Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf. Others chose poverty and austerity for fear of temptation, like Abu Dharr. And there was a third group who chose nothing, but rather chose what Allah chose for them.