Inheritance ‎

The definition of the word “Inheritance“, according to Merriam Webster’s ‎Dictionary, under the main entry “quantitative inheritance, noun” is: ‎
Genetic inheritance of a character (as human skin color) controlled by polygenes ‎with each allelic pair of genes at a given locus having a specific quantitative effect ‎‎– ‎
and under the main entry “blending inheritance, noun” is:‎
The expression in offspring of phenotypic characters (as pink flower color from ‎red and white parental plants) intermediate between those of the parents.‎
Also means: the act of having or taking into control, or occupancy of property ‎without regard to ownership -- something owned or possessed; specifically : a ‎piece of real estate b: the exclusive right to possess, enjoy, and dispose of a thing. ‎
Once, there was a man in his fifties who had four children, two boys and two girls. ‎He was a self-made billionaire who had to struggle all his life to build a huge ‎empire only for strangers to inherit. His eldest son had a baby boy but died ‎shortly after in an accident. The man had to mourn his second son too because he ‎was not able to have children of his own, who would carry his NAME! The man’s ‎two daughters would have children but would carry their fathers’ names. ‎
Why do people put such great efforts in their lives striving to build empires that ‎would eventually vanish no matter how long their heirs even live? ‎What would their wealth, children, family and friends do for them after they die ‎and become replaced by other generations who would in the best of scenarios ‎follow their ancestors’ footsteps only to meet the same destiny!‎
Have such people ever paused to think about what “Inheritance” really means ‎and how to make it eternal?‎
Let us look at a different version of inheritance and try to understand what it ‎really means; an inheritance that never vanishes, an inheritance that our children ‎and we could reap even after we die.‎
‎“Who inherits what” is one important question; other questions are what do we ‎inherit? Who has the most to give? Does it ever decrease? Is it exclusive? Can one ‎control its amount or quantity? Etc...‎
If we would rephrase those questions into only one, we would ask, where are our ‎priorities? ‎
Everyone likes to have a small fortune because it makes life much easier, ensures ‎good education and a nice life for our children and makes us look good in our ‎community; it makes us feel superior too. Can we guarantee a good fortune in ‎life? What kinds of fortunes are there to endeavour? Can we obtain an assurance ‎and from whom?‎
Ultimately, God inherits heavens and earth and the believers inherit the fruits of ‎their deeds. (“... when unto Allah belongeth the inheritance of the heavens and ‎the earth?...”, Al-Hadid (The Iron): 10) ‎

Who are the losers of wealth? They are those who lost their true goal in life and ‎those who forgot why they were there in the first place. They are those who ‎concentrated only on themselves and lived only to realize a selfish dream of ‎building an empire that would remain eternal – in their own limited mind's eye – ‎forgetting the needy and neglecting their role and duty toward humanity, they ‎forgot why God created them in the first place! (“Blessed is He in Whose hand is ‎the kingdom, and He has power over all things; Who created death and life ‎that He may try you-- which of you is best in deeds; and He is the Mighty, the ‎Forgiving”, al-Mulk (The Sovereignty): 1-2)‎
How can a businessperson be shortsighted and successful at the same time? ‎Would he not be shortsighted if he did not include the future of his fortune? ‎
This is precisely what he would be doing, if he only thinks of himself, his family ‎and heirs. The truth is that: (“And unto Allah belongeth the Sovereignty of the ‎heavens and the earth; and on the day when the Hour riseth, on that day those ‎who follow falsehood will be lost; And thou will see each nation crouching, ‎each nation summoned to its record. (And it will be said unto them): This day ‎ye are requited what ye used to do.”, al-Jaatheyah (Crouching): 27-28)‎

What happens to such losers, like Moses’ Pharaoh for instance? The Pharaoh and ‎his followers were ruined and “other” people inherited their homes and land ‎‎(“How many were the gardens and the water springs that they left behind; ‎And the cornfields and the noble places; And pleasant things wherein they ‎took delight!; Even so (it was), and We made it an inheritance for other folk”, ‎ad-Dukhan (The Smoke)25-28)‎

On the other hand, what happens when one has the balanced mind of working in ‎the path of God as well as to ensure his future? (“We are your protecting friends ‎in the life of the world and in the Hereafter. There ye will have (all) that your ‎souls desire, and there ye will have (all) for which ye pray; A gift of welcome ‎from the Forgiving, the Merciful; And who is better in speech than him who ‎prayeth unto his Lord and doeth right, and saith: Lo! I am of those who ‎surrender (unto Him).”, Fussial 31-33)‎

Some of the concepts that ruin a good fortune are the desire for possessions, ‎frivolous greed, one’s id ‎, eternal existence, strengthening one’s ego ... etc. ‎If we could understand the bad concepts in the culture of businessmen that ‎deprive them and their families from enjoying life along with the fortunes they ‎build, we would do them and us a great favour by protecting them from going ‎astray when they forget the best part of their life, their true religion. We could ‎achieve that gradually by making of ourselves a role model for them. Consider ‎these verses, (“And when Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who ‎believe not in the Hereafter are repelled, and when those (whom they ‎worship) beside Him are mentioned, behold! they are glad (45); ... Now when ‎hurt touches a man he cries unto Us, and afterward when We have granted ‎him a boon from Us, he saith: Only by force of knowledge I obtained it. Nay, ‎but it is a test. But most of them know not (49) Those before them said it, yet ‎‎(all) that they had earned availed them not (50); But the evils that they earned ‎smote them; and such of these as do wrong, the evils that they earn will smite ‎them; they cannot escape. (51); ... Say: My slaves who have been prodigal to ‎their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgiveth all sins. Lo! ‎He is the Forgiving, the Merciful (53); Turn unto Him repentant, and surrender ‎unto Him, before there come unto you the doom, when ye cannot be helped ‎‎(54); And follow the better (guidance) of that which is revealed unto you from ‎your Lord, before the doom cometh on you suddenly when ye know not (55); ‎Lest any soul should say Alas, my grief that I was unmindful of Allah, and I was ‎indeed among the scoffers! (56); Or should say: if Allah had but guided me I ‎should have been among the dutiful! (57) Or should say, when it seeth the ‎doom: Oh, that I had but a second chance that I might be among the righteous! ‎‎(58), al-Zomar (The Groups): 45, 49-51, 53-58). ‎

The main problem is that great percentage turn into fortune worshippers; they ‎should rather elect a balanced mind of worshipping God and follow His rules in ‎building an “uncontaminated” fortune. (“Who so doeth right it is for his soul, ‎and who so doeth wrong it is against it. And thy Lord is not at all a tyrant to His
slaves.”, Fussilat (Explained in Detail): 46)‎
‎ ‎
The renowned Mr. Amr khaled, said about having God’s bounty at a later phase in ‎life: if a father was a righteous person then he should not worry about the future ‎of his offspring because God will guarantee it. He further added that behind such ‎lateness there is a mercy but a human being is so in a hurry. In explaining this, he ‎narrated the story of Moses (pbuh ‎): ‎
Prophet Moses (pbuh) once met a wise man and asked to learn some of his ‎wisdom. The wise man asked the prophet to follow him and observe without ‎asking questions or interrupting him. At one time, the wise man and the prophet ‎passed through a small village where their people refused to welcome them. The ‎wise man found a building that was about to collapse so he fixed it. Prophet ‎Moses (pbuh) found this puzzling! When the time came for the wise man to clarify ‎what did seem insensible, he explained that the building had a treasure buried ‎underneath that belonged to a fine man who died and left two orphans. God ‎Almighty did not want them to suffer; therefore, He ordered the wise man to ‎preserve the building so that when the boys become old enough they would find ‎the treasure, which would then well sustain them.‎
Thus, the important matter is to believe in God’s judgement and His destiny. He ‎who accepts God and depends on Him would never be let down. Why would we ‎worry when God promised us his bounty! (“... We give them sustenance and ‎yourselves (too)...”, al-Israa’ (The Night Journey): 31). There is no repelling of ‎the bounty if God is the Giver and there is no bestowal if He did not provide it. ‎Therefore, all what we have to do is to work toward our goals in a manner that ‎pleases Him, we should not worry and dedicate all our lives searching or stacking ‎treasures ruining our chance to enjoy life along with our duty of worshipping ‎God, thus losing both our life and the hereafter too. ‎
If we looked at businessmen we would see constant anxiety and worry about ‎losing their fortune. God said, (“... and My mercy encompasses all things; ...” al-‎A’raaf (The Heights): 156) and he wrote under His Throne “My mercy preceded ‎my wrath”. This should be our true goal, let’s confront ourselves for the true ‎contentment is God’s superior door, the shelter of worshippers and life’s ‎paradise; God’s destiny is above everything and “...and whomsoever Allah ‎makes err, there is no guide for him (36); and whomsoever Allah makes err, ‎there is no guide for him”, al-Zumar:36-37)‎
Therefore, God the Omnipotent is the One and Only Who will inherit heavens an ‎earth, not any of us. That said I would like to clarify that that does not mean in ‎any way that we should not work to build a fortune for our families and ‎ourselves. That means, however, that it should not become our first priority. In ‎addition, we should not be thinking of this money as “our own” fortune and no ‎one else has the right to it. “Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and spend out ‎of what He has made you to be successors of; for those of you who believe and ‎spend shall have a great reward” (al-Hadid: 7); it is God’s money because He is ‎the One Who created it. ‎
We need to be thinking how to use some of this fortune in projects that would ‎help others and use it in social interdependence and solidarity, which in the end ‎would please God and serve Him, not to mention the many rewards in life as well ‎as in the hereafter. This would be our first priority.‎
Hence, why do we not spend our money in God’s path when we are certain that ‎we will die and leave our fortunes anyway to God? ‎‎“Who is there that will offer to Allah a good gift so He will double it for him, ‎and he shall have an excellent reward (11); On that day you will see the ‎faithful men and the faithful women-- their light running before them and on ‎their right hand-- good news for you today: gardens beneath which rivers flow, ‎to abide therein, that is the grand achievement. (12)” and “Know that this ‎world's life is only sport and play and gaiety and boasting among yourselves, ‎and a vying in the multiplication of wealth and children, like the rain, whose ‎causing the vegetation to grow, pleases the husbandmen, then it withers away ‎so that you will see it become yellow, then it becomes dried up and broken ‎down; and in the hereafter is a severe chastisement and (also) forgiveness ‎from Allah and (His) pleasure; and this world's life is naught but means of ‎deception.”, (al-Hadid: 11-12, 20). ‎
Wouldn’t that be the greatest success of all?‎

Ressources:‎
The Holy Qur’an
Psychology- definitions.‎
From Mr. Amr khaled’s lectures

Footnotes:‎
‎1- Id = in Psychoanalytical theory, the part of the personality which contains our primitive impulses ‎such as sex, anger, and hunger. (http://allpsych.com/dictionary/i.html)‎
‎2- Pbuh = peace be upon him