TIx Mmflge and A dvmi!J^49
powerless individual is worth a thousand times more in the sight of God
than the assiduously courted, self-interested heart of a rich one.
The Prophet constantly strove to be the example of and witness to this
message, but in the course of their history, ivluslims have often forgotten
and neglected this injunction to treat the needy \'ith respect and dignity.
Even while the Ptophet was still aljve, his Companion Abu Dharr al-
Ghifari, mentioned above, spoke out in a forceful and determined man-
ner against the failings of some Muslims increasingly attracted by power,
comfort, and riches. He saw in this the beginning of an inversion of the
spiritual order, evidence of deep alienation, and the first signs of foretold
disasters. History, with its many examples of how the thirst for power and
wealth has Jed individuals to compromise thcir principles, has since taught
us how true this intuition was. In this respect, another of the Prophet's
warnings echoes in our minds, addressing his spiritual community for the
centuries to come: "For every [spiritual1 community there is an object of
discord, tension, and disorder IfitfJah], and for my community, this object
is money."28