His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, stated that afflictions differ according to perspective. If the afflicted person is practicing, the wisdom of afflicting them is to raise their ranks, and if they are nonpracticing, their affliction is an atonement for their sins. The Grand Imam emphasized that all affliction is good, whether it is for the sinful person or the obedient; it is good in all cases so long as one does not despair of Allah’s mercy under such afflictions. His Eminence the Grand Imam indicated, during his weekly program, “Grand Imam’s Talk", which is broadcast on the Egyptian satellite channel, that there is another form of affliction that relates to financial status. If a person is afflicted with poverty, then they are required to be patient. If the person afflicted is wealthy, they are required to be thankful. HE clarified that thankfulness is not just uttering the words “Praise be to Allah” or “Thanks to Allah” while wallowing in luxury. Thankfulness here is to give away some of that which Allah has bestowed upon you. Therefore, if Allah has blessed one with money, one should give out of this money the amount specified in the Islamic Sharia, while verbally expressing thankfulness: “Praise be to Allah, Who has enabled me to overcome my own temptations and to give away this amount of what He has bestowed upon me.” His Eminence the Grand Imam warned of the dangers of reckless extravagance and foolishness, in all their forms in our Arab societies. He also indicated the necessity of adopting international programs and artistic works that reflect to people the gravity of this matter. He thus noted, "I lived among foreign families, and I noticed that those who had money did not spend it in this (reckless) way, nor did they have much pleasure. They rather focused on teaching [their youngsters] how to shoulder responsibility, knowing that life is lived through bearing responsibilities. Yet, here in the Arab world, we do not focus on raising our children to bear responsibility. As a proof of this, our youngsters of different classes would wallow in luxury and, having no restrictions, would sometimes commit suicide. This happens because they are used to getting whatever they ask for without objection.” The Grand Imam emphasized that this type of education is corrupt, and that the first victim of this corrupt education is our sons or daughters.

     The Grand Imam then explained that Islam intervenes to prevent unnecessary forms of extravagance, waste, and foolishness. He stressed that money can never replace a sound education, and that the reason behind Sharia and Qur’anic intervention regarding the money of the wealthy is to organize the path for their benefit and for the interest of the children. As regards an individual’s property, the Islamic financial system takes into account the rights of the society as well as the rights of the individual’s family. He cautioned that failure to observe any of these rights is a violation of global order, which is what we are experiencing now.