12. LOVE FOR ORNAMENT

Consequent on the murder of a local leader, the houses in a particular place in Kannur District in Kerala were attacked and houses set on fire. We visited the place. When the violent mob came with all types of arms, the women and children were running amuck. The houses abandoned were plundered by the violent mob - all furnishings, utensils, window, doors etc. were thrown into fire. 
All houses were extensively plundered, and mostly gold was looted. Even from the houses of very poor people 15 to 20 sovereigns were plundered. The ornaments were kept as usual in the boxes, shelves, tables etc. The owners had run away from the houses without taking their belongings with them.
In this context we could have asked a few questions ourselves and found out the answers. However, at present we wish to keep them untouched. An indirect problem evident in it, which is applicable to any person is, taken up for consideration here irrespective of the atmosphere he or she lives in, whether it is peaceful or disordered.
How much gold ornaments have you got? When do you wear them? We know that ornaments are used as an enhancer of beauty of the women.
Have you realized that ornaments are used to increase the beauty of women. If so, do you wear them with that objective? The only one person who has right to appreciate your beauty is your husband. You need wear ornaments only when you are with your husband. Is there any woman who wears the ornaments of 25 to 35 sovereigns when they go to bed? Why the ornaments of twenty five, fifty or one hundred sovereigns!
Does any woman use the gold ornaments when she is at home? She may use them when she goes out - ie. on the occasions of paying visit to the patients, attending a wedding or paying family visits. Are these visits for showing up one's beauty or adorning oneself? Or are they for satisfaction of one's ego which is a severe sin! Wearing ornaments all over one's body is self humiliation. One's wearing those ornaments all over the body while going out is just exhibitionism ie. to make others see that she has so many ornaments. Don't you know that it is devilish. Whatever we do to satisfy our ego, is a severe sin? It invites Allah's anger and punishment. It is always better to avoid all ornaments other than what you wear every day and ensure that one has got only what is essential.
Nobody eats up gold. It doesn't melt off itself, nor does it rust. Then, why do we have so many jewelleries? In some places the number of jewelleries is more than that of the rice-shops. Even though all other shops (such as of groceries, vegetables, fruits etc.) are run at a loss the jewellery shops make profits. It is the owners of the jewelleries that spend a lot of money for advertisements. Have you ever thought of those on whom its incidence falls? Or who is being exploited by these shops. Really, the incidence falls on the poor consumers of golds.
When you buy gold from a dealer you must be familier with two terms - loss at work and labour charge. These words are used just to exploit you. If one does not exploit you in terms of loss at work, or labour charge, there would be some sort of a artificiality.
If the gold ornaments are not changed in the name of changing fashion even One Fourth of the present jewelleries would not
exist. Many users don't use gold ornaments which are two or three years old and they sell them in exchange of the new ones. Do you exchange the old ornaments in exchange of the new ones? It is sheer waste of money. Hence severe offence also.
If you don't have irrational love for the gold ornaments, why can't you think in terms of disposing them of and investing the money in some productive business? Won't your husband be in favour of it? Perhaps you may be forced to give gold ornaments to your daughter when she is getting married? But when your son gets married why can't you insist that the bride should not bring gold ornaments with her? This would help avoid ornaments of gold worth lakhs. If you insists on using ordinary ornaments by your daughter in law the dead stock of gold can be dispensed with.
We have to remember that ornaments which are not used every day should not be kept in locker.
Allah says: “And those who hoard up gold and silver and spend them not in the way of Allah, announce unto them a painful torment on the day when that will be heated in the fire of Hell and with it will be branded their foreheads and then backs and it will be said unto them. ‘This is the treasure which you hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what you used to hoard.” (9: 34,35)
The gold ornaments of one hundred or one hundred and fifty sovereigns are not essential. They are unnecessary. Spending money for buying it is a grave sin. Allah says “And waste not by extravagance. Verily He likes not those who waste by extravagance.” (6: 141)
“And give the kinsman his due and to the miskin (poor) and to the way farer. But spend not wastefully in the manner of spend thrift. Verily spend thrifts are brothers of the devil and the devil is ever ungrateful to his Lord.” (17: 26,27)
Do you look at the poor people around you when you wear ornaments on almost all parts of your body. Don't you observe that their eyes are fixed on the ornaments you wear? It creates a host of emotions within them which gradually become envy and a kind of revenge. When Allah instructs us to pray always to save us from the harms of envy we must try to save ourselves from it. We must be careful to avoid everything that engenders envy in other people.
You ask yourself once more - why am I wearing ornaments? If it is for egoistic exhibition? If it is so you will have a place in the Hell. The prophet said ‘I shall talk you about the heirs of the Hell. They are disobedient, vainglorious exhibitionist.’ (Bhuhari, Muslim)