 May the peace and blessings of the Almighty be on one and all. Today we will be discussing another very very important topic and that is what we see around us. What do we see? We see a lot of things. One of them is everybody is running, everybody is racing, racing to do what? Trying to get more, to have more, to have the latest, to have everything the others have and even more and better and to see who has the best and so on. This is more like a rat race, the race behind materialism. If we are to run behind materialism, materialism has no end. A lot of the times the example that people give is that of the mobile phone. We always want the latest. Even if the phone we have does our job and it is good and it has been faithful to us, we still want to change it, we want to update it. Sometimes when we cannot even afford to have a mobile phone and we would have it, we would borrow, we would live on that which is credit in the sense that we owe people and we don't even have the means to own something and we want it. The same applies to a motor vehicle where you have a person who has a car, they've barely afforded it but they want another one, they want to update it and they keep on updating it and they look at the other one and they want that one as well and then they are never happy with what they have because they see what others have. We are taught as Muslims, be happy with what you have. Look at what you have, concentrate on it and thank the Almighty for what He has given you and for where He has placed you and this is the contentment of the heart that is required by a believer and we need to know yes, if you can afford it very comfortably then go to it and maybe perhaps you are allowed to have it but what you do need to understand and I do need to understand as well is that I need to tailor make my life according to my budget. What I have is the budget, what I own is the amount that I have. I need to make sure that I buy that which I can afford. Why should I buy something I cannot afford? It is a burden on the shoulders. It is something that will bog me down. It is always a worry in the mind. Some people have and we have seen this happening even in advanced countries. Some people have lived on credit all their lives so they have a job. The job pays them a good salary. Their car is on higher purchase. The furniture is on higher purchase. The television is on higher purchase. The computer is on higher purchase. The phone is on higher purchase. The furniture everything on higher purchase so much so that even their holidays are not yet paid for and they have just swiped a card and it keeps on adding. They did not calculate that one day we might lose the job then how are we going to pay for it and this has happened. It has happened in the most advanced in the most advanced of countries and we need to know that it can happen anywhere and for this reason Islam teaches us don't live on credit. Live your life according to your means. If you cannot afford a holiday don't go on it or go on a more basic holiday. If you cannot afford a mobile phone don't have one. If you cannot afford a vehicle go with public transport it might be better for you and so on. Yes we should aim right at the skies no harm in that but do not pretend like you're living on a cloud when you have not yet moved above the ground because that will probably bring you crashing to the ground and this is why we say the race towards materialism does not stop it continues. The more we run the faster it runs so we continue running behind it and there is no stopping sometimes it even gets to our marriages and this is a point that might be a red button being pressed but we need to say it. When a person is used to changing everything every time a new model is out they want a new car a new phone a new watch a new this a new house a new some people who are weak it might even seep into their marriages where they no longer are interested in their own wives why there is a new model out so to speak what does that mean there is someone who wears a different type of clothing who has a different cut different likes and everything is totally different much younger and so on we need to be careful we should never allow this to seep into that department of our lives and for this reason we say harness it from the very beginning and you will be calm you will lead a relaxed life how many poor people do we have who sleep very well and on the other hand how many rich do we have who cannot sleep without a sleeping pill how ironic it should have been the other way around but the reason is sometimes the more we get the more we want and for this reason the Almighty keeps us sometimes slightly backward so that we can enjoy our sleep we can have a happy home so many people that when they've got enough money enough time enough good health so to speak they tend to think of sin and they'd like to go and spend it in the casinos you know on people whom they are not supposed to be spending it upon spending nights out engaging in adulterous affairs and so on because they've got the time to do that the wealth to do that the health to do that so as a gift of the Almighty he sometimes keeps us less wealthy so that we don't even go there he sometimes keeps us less healthy so that we don't have the health to do that and sometimes he keeps us occupied so we don't have the time to do that and we lead a happier home a happier life a happier family our children are always with us on our laps you know having the meals with us and so on whereas you have sometimes those who have been given a lot they don't have a meal with their children their children are distant they have a relation with them which is very plastic or should I say very cosmetic we ask the Almighty not to make us from those yes there is an exception there are those who are wealthy and they use their wealth in the right direction and they do not allow that wealth to develop or should I say to change in a negative way their character and conduct because sometimes what wealth does it messes a person up or to word it more correctly as we've always said wealth does not spoil you but it gives you the opportunity to show who you always were inside and I think we've explained this in the past like someone working for a boss and his boss tells him something he doesn't like he might be very upset he wants to show it but because he's not as wealthy he cannot show it so he says yes sir thank you sir okay sir but his heart is bubbling and bursting with all this you know want to actually clarify and to answer back he hasn't done it because of his standing the minute he gets wealth the wealth did not spoil him but it gives him a chance to answer back and say who do you think you are if you have we have as well and for this reason we say we need to have the best character and conduct prior to when we've had wealth whilst we have the wealth and even after it's gone and when we remain humble we won't suffer depression if we suffer a loss the minute we live a haughty high life one thing goes wrong and we're depressed why are we depressed because we were running behind materialistic items and we wanted to live a life that was compared to those higher than us rather than those lower than us and for this reason we say it is best for us to look at those lower than us so that we can appreciate the gifts of the Almighty upon us like we always say if you don't have shoes look at those without feet and you will realize at least I've got my feet I might not have shoes and this is just one example in this way there are so many examples the youth out there definitely the media plays a big role a very big role in convincing people to want things that they don't actually need and this is why we need to distinguish between the wants and the needs you need something that is different but when you want something can you afford it is it necessary even if you can't afford it is it going to result in the destruction of your marriage in the pushing away of your own children or in the loss of respect or in the changing of your habits in a negative way if it is leave it out it's only something you want you don't actually need it you'd rather remain with that which you need and have an intact family with positive you know relatives and family members and a good work environment and so on that is much much better than being a person who has everything no friends no family nothing good in life and this is why I repeat and I'd like to end with this there are many people who have really prayed for lots of wealth and when that wealth came to them it actually came to them with more negativity than anything else they lost their family members they lost their relatives they lost their children and they lost their sleep as well sometimes they lose their health as well do you know when you can afford food and you eat a lot of junk food and you eat a very very unhealthy solely because you can afford it sometimes the Almighty does you a favor you simply cannot afford it and you don't know that the gift or should I say you know the side kick of that was that you would remain much healthier than those who could have afforded everything and did have it so sometimes it's a gift of the Almighty let's become happy with the condition we are on and let us learn to budget very carefully before we spend spend very carefully don't waste that money and remember the needs come before the once until we meet again