The Outset of Dissension in Islam — Page 15
15 of the lustrous law. They abhorred materialism. If it were up to them they would have abandoned the world and sat in places of seclusion, and eased their hearts with the remembrance of God. However, they were compelled by the responsibility which had been laid upon their shoulders by God and His Messenger sa. 13 Therefore, whatever they did was not on account of their own desires; rather, it was in accordance with the command of God the Exalted and as per the guidance of His Messenger sa. Hence, it was a terrible mistake to be jealous and think ill of them. Now remains the objection that the companions were given special sums of wealth. This was also a form of mischief because whatever the companions received was in accordance to their rights. They did not usurp the rights of others in order to accumulate their own wealth. In fact, every single individual, even if he had become a Muslim one day before, received his right in the same way as pioneer believers. Of course, the efforts of the companions and their labour and sacrifice exceeded that of others. Moreover, their age-old services were in addition to all this. Hence, they deserved a greater right over others out of justice, not injustice. For this reason, they received greater remuneration in comparison to others. They had not fixed their own shares themselves; on the contrary, Allah and His Messenger had fixed their shares. If these people had not been 13. Later events of Islamic history evidently prove how beneficial and blessed the intervention of the companions truly was; by removing their intervention for a period in time, God the Exalted demonstrated the detrimental results of moving them aside. The manner in which Islam became the target of mockery at the hands of so-called Muslims is such that when a person reads these accounts, the heart trembles and the body shivers.