Fear of Poverty is a Sign

Peace, one and all…

In his account of the life of Dhu al-Nun al-Misr, Attar shares a particularly profound saying:

‘The servant’s fear of poverty is the sign that the mighty and glorious Lord is angry with him’.

Dhu al-Nun makes an important point with this statement, which is worth exploring a little more deeply. The central tenet of Islam is oneness, as expressed in the shahadah or testimony of faith: La ilaha illa Allah (‘there is no god but God’). Whilst this statement has numerous social, economic and legal aspects, its spiritual dimension is arguably the most important. La ilaha illa Allah underlines the notion that God alone is worthy of worship, and that neither wealth nor poverty, neither strength nor weakness, are important in themselves. Although we seek wealth and strength, and we seek to avoid poverty and weakness, none of these things should becomes as gods to us.

Although the Islamic tradition has a rich literature discussing spiritual poverty, on the face of it, here Dhu al-Nun seems to be addressing simple poverty. It is natural enough to fear lack of wealth: I want to have enough money to take care of my family, and to live well for example. And yet, worrying overmuch about becoming poor is unhealthy. It takes our focus away from God, and makes this world the limit of our consciousness. We see things through the lens of this world, and its concerns, and thus it becomes more difficult to see beyond the surface layer. Fear of poverty suggests that our focus is on this world, rather than on its Creator. Focus on other than God dissipates and disperses us. This dispersion brings with it a lack of clarity in both our perceptions and consequently, our intentions.

Beneath our worries about financial well being can be a lack of trust in God. Lack of trust can be a result of earlier trauma. It can also arise from lack of inward clarity, a failure to understand deeply that only God is the Truly Wealthy (al-Ghani), the Only Provider (al-Razzaq) and the Limitless Bestower (al-Wahhab). Fear can also be an inversion of desire. Anything we feel can benefit us or whose displeasure we fear can become a ‘god’. Fear of poverty here is thus also about desire for the things of this world, and often enough, power over others. Sometimes, fear of poverty can also be about fear of powerlessness. Dhu al-Nun’s statement here is instructive: the ‘servant’s fear of poverty’ is contrasted with God’s might and glory, suggesting that such a person is really afraid of losing ‘their’ influence and prestige. As we deepen, we begin to understand that ownership is, at best, a slippery concept. All that we have is held on trust, soon enough all things return to their real owner. Mevlana makes this clear when he asks us what a human being truly is:

O brother, what you really are is a notion;
The rest of you is bones and sinews
Masnavi 2.277

For all sorts of reasons, anger can be a difficult emotion for many of us, which is why references to God being angry with someone can be so very triggering. In his writings, Mevlana compares Divine anger to a whip, with which to threaten the unjust. God’s anger is thus a way of shocking us awake, of pulling us out of our harmful, habitual behaviours, almost as if Allah were saying: ‘Hey! Beware! Be aware of your fear, for beneath them lies hidden arrogance!’ We all need to be pulled up short from time to time. This feels like an ice cold glass of water thrown into my face. It challenges me to examine myself and my life. What am I afraid of right now? What lies beneath those fears? What hidden issues do these fears manifest? How might I return to God through them? In reality, therefore, Divine anger can be a hidden mercy, for it redirects us to the Source, and allows justice to flow. Justice is love in movement, restoring us to equilibrium.

Ultimately, the real meaning of poverty is neediness, and so fear of poverty is fear of being needy, of being vulnerable, of feeling exposed. Because our tradition teaches us that we live in a purposeful, ordered universe, it also means that our vulnerabilities are only exposed within the context of God’s overflowing love.

And praise be to God who maketh it so.