Money Isn’t Everything?

I once shared this phrase at a welcome party for new Master’s students:

Money isn’t everything – but everything needs money unknown

During that event, the lecturers were asked to introduce themselves, and I used my turn to talk about this line.

What made it interesting was that the moderator, who was also the new head of the Master’s program, added:“Life isn’t just about chasing money, it’s also about worship.”

There’s nothing wrong with any of these statements:

• “Life isn’t just about making money, but also about worship.”
• “Money isn’t everything.”
• Or, “Money isn’t everything, but everything needs money.”

What is wrong, in my view, is the idea that money or wealth has no connection at all to the sincerity or depth of our worship, which is meant to be our provision for the afterlife.

It’s also misguided when someone talks about money a lot and we immediately label them as greedy or “all about the money.” At least look at the context first.

IMHO, money is a tool. A tool for us to act, interact, enjoy life, and yes, prepare for the life after death.

So the phrase “Money isn’t everything – but everything needs money” shouldn’t just be a catchy slogan. It works better as a principle or mindset—something we apply differently depending on the situation.

The 1% vs 99% Moments

When should we think “Money isn’t everything”? That mindset applies in the rare 1% moments. A small example is a situation like this [0].

Events like that, in my opinion, don’t happen often. They happen, but not all the time. When your integrity is being tested, that’s when “money isn’t everything” is the right mindset to hold on to.

So when does “Everything needs money” apply?

Basically, all the time—the 99% moments of daily life, from the moment we wake up until we go to sleep.

People often interpret “everything needs money” as bills, deadlines, and financial obligations. Especially for men who are already heads of households, this mindset is what pushes them to fight laziness and go out to earn a living for their families.

Why do I put “everything needs money” in the 99% category?

Because this mindset is very close to the idea of securing our provisions for both this world (temporary life) and the Hereafter (eternal life).

How we live out this mindset—through hard work or smart work—is our choice. For example:

• A: Inviting people to pray at the mosque.
• B: Building the mosque.

Do both get rewarded? InshaAllah, yes.
But which one looks more like hard work, and which one looks more like smart work?

And once again, to build a mosque… doesn’t everything need money?

#happyweekend

[0]: This video shows a Gojek driver accepting an order from a customer whose profile appears to be female. When he arrives, the actual customer is a man, who is portrayed as gay. The passenger sits very close to the driver on the motorcycle, which makes the driver uncomfortable, so he decides to cancel the order. As a consequence, he loses some income.