Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “By Allah, I am not afraid that you will be poor, but I fear that worldly wealth will be bestowed upon you as it was bestowed upon those who lived before you. So you will compete amongst yourselves for it, as they competed for it, and it will destroy you as it did them.” [Bukhari]

Wealth is like water and human beings are like ships. Ships reach their destinations by using water to cover distances. However, if water goes inside the ship, then it causes the ship to sink. Similarly, if we use wealth to earn Allah’s pleasure and bring us closer to Jannah, there is nothing like it. But if the love of wealth enters our hearts, then it destroys us.

After we begin to love wealth then we compete with each other for it. Jealousy and ill-will enter our lives. After that it ceases to matter to the person how they earn wealth, by halal means or haram, and they forget about preparing for the Hereafter. They do not use their wealth to earn Jannat. Thus, the person is destroyed.