How do I explain that wealth is not proof of Allah Almighty’s favour? 

Parenting Perspective 

It is a confusing moment for a child when they see someone who is unkind, dishonest, or openly irreligious enjoying a life of luxury. They look at the expensive cars, the holidays, and the vast houses, and then they look at their own family,or perhaps a pious relative,struggling to pay the bills. The internal logic of a child suggests that ‘good people get treats’ and ‘bad people get time-outs’. When the real world contradicts this, they might quietly wonder: ‘Does Allah Almighty love them more than us?’ or ‘Does being good actually matter?’

 

As a parent, you must help them decouple material success from divine love. You need to break the link between ‘stuff’ and ‘status’. If we do not address this, our children might grow up thinking that money is the ultimate scorecard of their worth in the eyes of God. 

The ‘Free Sample’ Analogy 

A simple way to explain this is to look at how things are distributed in our daily life. You can explain that some things are given to everyone, while special things are kept for special people. 

You might say to your child: ‘Imagine we go to a supermarket. There is a table at the front giving away free samples of biscuits. The lady gives a biscuit to everyone who walks past,the polite people, the rude people, the people who steal, and the people who are honest. She gives it to them because the biscuit is just a small, temporary thing. It does not mean she loves them or knows them. But, would she give the keys to her house to everyone? No. She would only give her house keys to someone she trusts and loves deeply.’ 

Then, connect this to Allah Almighty. Explain that money, toys, and big houses are like the free biscuits. Allah Almighty gives them to everyone,to those who love Him and those who ignore Him,because in His eyes, these things are not the ultimate prize. But He only gives the ‘keys’ to His special friendship (Iman, peace, and prayer) to the people He truly loves. If someone has the money but not the prayer, they have the biscuit but they are locked out of the house. 

The Problem of the ‘Unmarked Homework’ 

Another powerful way to reframe this is through the concept of supervision. Children know that a teacher pays the most attention to the students they are trying to help. If a teacher lets a student run around, scream, and throw things without stopping them, it looks like ‘freedom’, but it is actually a sign that the student is in trouble. 

You can tell your child: ‘Sometimes, when a person is doing wrong and they still get more and more money, it looks like they are winning. But imagine a teacher who stops correcting a student’s mistakes. The student thinks, ‘Great, I can write whatever I want!’ But really, they are failing. When Allah Almighty gives a person everything they want even though they are behaving badly, it is not a gift. It is a very difficult test. It is like letting them climb higher and higher up a ladder that is wobbling. The higher they go without fixing the ladder, the harder they will fall. We do not want that kind of success.’ 

Checking Our Own Reactions 

It is also vital to check how you, as a parent, react to wealth. Children are excellent observers. If you tell them ‘wealth does not mean Allah Almighty loves you’, but then you act overly impressed by a rich relative, or you speak with hushed reverence about a billionaire, your actions will drown out your words. 

To protect their understanding, try to praise character over cash in your daily life. When you see a wealthy person, do not comment on their car. Comment on their manners. If they lack manners, you can say: ‘It is sad that they have so much money but have not learned how to be kind. I would rather have a kind heart than a fast car.’ This consistently signals to your child that you are measuring people by a different ruler,the ruler of the Quran, not the ruler of the bank. 

Spiritual Insight 

The parenting advice above is built on the Islamic understanding that the Dunya (worldly life) is insignificant in value compared to the Akhirah (Hereafter). If the material world were the standard of honour, the Prophets of Allah Almighty would have been the wealthiest men in history. Yet, we know that Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ often did not have smoke rising from his chimney (cooking food) for months at a time. We must teach our children that if wealth was a sign of Allah Almighty’s love, Pharaoh would have been the most beloved, and Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would have been neglected. Since the opposite is true, wealth cannot be the metric of favour. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Tawbah (9), Verse 55: 

‘So let not their wealth or their children impress you. Allah Almighty only intends to punish them through them in this worldly life and that their souls should depart [at death] while they are disbelievers.’ 

This Ayah is incredibly potent. It directly commands us not to be ‘impressed’ or dazzled by the assets of those who do not believe. It completely flips the narrative. We usually see wealth as a blessing, but Allah Almighty describes it here as a potential mechanism for punishment. He explains that for some, their wealth is a source of stress, anxiety, distraction, and ultimately, a cause for them to leave this world without faith. It is a burden disguised as a blessing. Explaining this verse to your child (in simple terms) helps them see that the shiny exterior of a wealthy, irreligious life often hides a chaotic and spiritually empty interior. 

To further illustrate the worthlessness of material wealth as a measure of status, we can look to a profound analogy given by Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. 

It is recorded in Jami Tirmidhi, Hadith 2320, that holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘If the world was worth a gnat’s wing to Allah Almighty, He would not have given a disbeliever even a sip of water from it.’ 

This Hadith provides a stark and memorable image for a child. You can ask them to think of a tiny mosquito or a fly. The wing of that tiny fly is worthless; nobody would pay money for it. Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is teaching us that this entire world, all its gold, skyscrapers, cars, and billions of pounds, is worth less to Allah Almighty than that wing. Because it is so cheap and insignificant, He gives it to everyone, even His enemies. If it had any real value, like the ‘keys’ mentioned earlier, He would never have shared it with those who deny Him. 

This teaches your child that when they see a person with immense wealth who does not worship Allah Almighty, they are not seeing a person who is honoured. They are seeing a person who has been given a lot of something that has no value in the Heavens. 

By combining the ‘Free Sample’ analogy with the wisdom of this Hadith, you give your child a shield against envy. They will learn that true favour is not found in what is in their hand, but what is in their heart. They will understand that Allah Almighty gives money to those He tests, but He gives guidance and tranquillity only to those He loves.