(Luke 18:18-29)
“Indeed it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
This is used because the front entrance to the Jerusalem market was known as the eye of the needle and wealthy people had heavy laden camels who could not fit through it. Rather than dismissing their important possessions they used the back entrance. This shows that possessions and money are more important than entering Gods Kingdom the right way you shall not enter at all. Acts 2:45 tells a story of the early Christians. It says “selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone in need”. This is an example of stewardship and a reinforcement that money should not be kept for luxury while people are suffering. Finally the Bible teaches that people should be happy to help other people for "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Not only does the Bible teach what is truly Christian but also it gives reason for people to live the Christian life, donating and helping where possible.
(I Corinthians 15:58)
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
I believe this is saying that for any work you do the Lord will remember and reward you.
Christians have strict beliefs about how and when they can use money such as the teachings on Usury, which is lending money and then earning a large profit of interest on it. They also believe some jobs are non-Christian, such as jobs in the arms trade, drug trafficking, gambling, prostitution and any other jobs that can physically or mentally harm someone.
Stewardship is another belief, it stems from the principle of the Genesis creation where God says to Adam and Eve use what I have provided to help others around you. Stewardship is now seen as using the resources you have such as wealth to help the less fortunate, sometimes it is described as “time, talent and treasure” as these are the main things that could help someone in need.
Need: Parable of Good Samaritan, Commandments
Muslims also have strong beliefs on what is right and wrong when concerning money. Muslims collectively give a lot of money to charity, as the Third Pillar of Islam is Zakat, sometimes spelt Zakah. This is when Muslims give 2.5% of their “spending money” (their income after all necessities have been paid for) to a charity. The money is collected at the Local mosque and sometimes the money is used to aid a local family who may have suffered trauma and the Mosque feels it is right for them to have the money. Nationally, then the money is sent to another mosque in the same country to help people or even a whole community. Thirdly the money can be sent Globally to help people in another country. For global Zakat the money is sometimes sent to Muslim Aid or other Muslim charities as it can be very hard to send the money themselves. The word Zakat means growth or purification, Zakat is said to purge the giver of greed and selfishness. If a muslim spends the Zakat on themselves this is seen as stealing from Allah.
At Eid-Ul-Fitr Muslims give a special Zakat to the poor. The money given then is called Zakat-Ul-Fitr. Normally it is the cost of a meal for each member of the family.
If Muslims have spare cash they can give voluntary payments called sadaqah. Sadaqah is not always in the form of cash. It is the equivalent of Christian stewardship and anything that helps other people is a form of it, even something simple like picking up litter.
Muslims are taught about the “Rashidin” otherwise known as “the rightly-guided” who had great amounts of success and wealth, instead of living like princes they lived a simple life, just like Allah had. They ate simple food and hand stitched clothing. They used money to help those who needed it instead of buying luxuries that they did not need.
Abu Bakr, one of the rightly guided (stewards), taught many lessons about wealth and how to use money to abide by with Allah’s word. One of the stories he told was about his wife who wanted to buy sugar to make him some sweets, she saved as much money as she could from their very meagre allowance, when she had finally made the sweets Abu Bakr demanded to know how she managed to make them, when she told him he said they had obviously been taking more than they needed and instantly reduced their wages.
These example of the lives of Muslim Caliphs may be slightly exaggerated as most things say Muslims are allowed to be wealthy, but they do show the strong sense of charity in the Muslim community and only taking what they need when others around them are suffering.
Muslims, like Christians, are also against loans and high interest profits, it is completely banned for Muslims and for occasions like taking out mortgages special Muslim companies have been set up to allow them to buy properties. Also if Muslims loan money to people in need and they cannot easily pay it back they are encouraged to give it as a gift as they could spare the money in the first place.
This is because in the Surah 2:280 of the Quran’, Muslims are taught
“If the debtor is in difficulty, grant him time to repay. But if ye remit it by way of charity, that is best for you if ye only knew.”
The Muslim way of life has a lot to do with helping those in need, Muslim based charities have been set up to provide support for those who need it. Muslim Aid sends supplies such as food, medicine and clothes to help victims of natural disaster and wars. They do not just help Muslims, they help those in need regardless of ethnicity, colour or religion.
Like Christianity, Muslims holy books have hints of reward for people who help those in need, and:
Surah 2:195 teaches
“But do good, for Allah loves those who do good.”
In conclusion both Muslims and Christians strongly support the idea of charity, both religions are given incentives for being generous and kind. Neither religion forbids riches either, but teaches of good hardworking people who share money freely.
