Why you should be rich?

I was reading Virtues of Trade by Shekh Zakariyya (Rahimahullah) and came across the well know hadith that to earn is fardh (i.e compulsory) after all the other fardh obligations (salaat etc.), with the further explanation that it is no longer fardh once a person has an income by which he can pay his/her expenses, through rental property or inheritance for example. On first reading this one would think that the encouragement is towards not becoming wealthy but when you examine it closely and think about the definition of wealthy then you realise it is exactly the definition of wealthy and the acquirement of it that is being encouraged.

One of the greatest benefits of having a passive income that comfortably exceeds ones expenses (i.e being wealthy as per my definition) is that one is able to devote oneself to islamic devotions and actions including such varied things as prayer and other ibaadaat, spending time with family, visiting ones relatives, travelling in the earth and admiring Allahs creation, spending on ones relatives, the needy and on other good causes , taking time to learn deen etc. To do this in any considerable way means one of two things, either that a person has so little expenses that it does not require much time to acquire the necessary income or that a person has enough income to cover his/her average or above average expenses.

Now taking either scenario into account it is important to consider that the income being achieved is not really passive income and the person is working for money instead of having money work fo the individual. We work for money either by having a job or being a solo act, money works for us when we have a business that runs itself and/or we receive income from investments, i.e for example shares, rental properties etc.

So if one were to in addition to working, put aside money to buy/build a business, buy income generating shares and/or purchase other assets that produce passive income a time would come when working/earning would no longer be fardh and you could spend your entire time in ibaadaat or coninue working if you like as it would be your choice and you would have the freedom to do so.

I see so many people around me who are good muslims, working hard day in and day out and the fact is that they cannot continue until death in this manner and sooner or later they or those they leave behind will face difficulties or relying on someone else to pay their expenses. Remember that in Islam we are encouraged to be independant and as much as there is encouragement towards austerity the warnings regarding leaving enough inheritance for ones family and being independant are too often neglected.