—in one of two ways: either it perishes or you do. What you send forward, however, is what truly lasts. We ask Allah to aid us and all Muslims against our own selves, and to safeguard us from niggardliness and avarice.

In reality, your only genuine wealth is what you advance for the Hereafter. The Prophet’s family once slaughtered a sheep and gave all of it away in charity except its shoulder. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came in he asked, “What remains of it?” ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) replied, “Nothing remains but its shoulder.” He said, “All of it remains except its shoulder,” meaning: whatever you have eaten is gone, whereas whatever you gave in charity is what endures for you.

To conclude, the Companions and all people of high aspiration understood the worth of this world and of wealth: what they send ahead is what abides, and what they keep back is what perishes. We ask Allah to protect us and all Muslims from greed, miserliness, cowardice, and sloth. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds.