Analytical Examination of the Capacities of Islamic and Christian Texts in Recognizing and Curbing Greed

In the teachings of divine religions, there are abundant recommendations regarding the control of desires and behaviors, part of which aim to curb excess and greed in acquiring material wealth and pleasures. Greed—defined as inappropriate covetousness and expectation regarding the possessions of others—is one of the most significant moral vices that can be the source of numerous harms and problems for an individual and their surrounding community. Therefore, it is necessary to find appropriate and effective ways to curb extreme tendencies in the community of believers and to strengthen social justice and healthy coexistence. Examining the teachings of the two living and major religions of Islam and Christianity in this regard, and becoming familiar with their dimensions from the perspective of these two religions, in addition to revealing commonalities, can demonstrate the dimensions and subtleties related to this issue so that the possibility of greater utilization of the truth can be provided.
New Work The present article is a comparative study of this subject in Islam and Christianity in order to uncover the capacities of the sacred texts of these two religions in recognizing and curbing greed. In this research, which is of a library-based type with a descriptive-analytical method, the following question has been examined: By recognizing and analyzing the teachings of the sacred texts of Islam and Christianity regarding greed, what message and capacity are obtained for utilization in the educational and moral system? To find a precise answer to this question, the topic of "greed" was analyzed in the sacred texts of Islam (the Quran and traditions) and the Holy Bible (the Old and New Testaments). In this study, after conceptualization, greed was first examined and analyzed in the sacred texts of Islam and then in the Bible, addressing cases such as the condemnation of greed and the praise of self-sufficiency (istighna), the origin of greed, the effects of greed and the consequence of the greedy, and finally the status of greed in the law of actions and the law of religions. The purpose of this research is to employ the educational and moral capacities of these two traditions to curb this vice in the communities of believers and to provide the groundwork for strengthening social justice and healthy coexistence.
The results, based on a comparative study of Islamic and Christian teachings, show that greed—as one of the malignant vices and disapproved moralities whose reality is coveting the possessions of others (as opposed to self-sufficiency)—has been prohibited in the sacred texts of Islam and Christianity. According to Islamic and Christian teachings, greed in its various levels and manifestations, such as greed for people's wealth, greed for non-mahram women, greed for specific social statuses and rights, and the like, is negative and breeds misery in this world and the hereafter. The negative nature of greed in Islam has been explained from three aspects: the aspect of it being a vice and an anti-value; the aspect of it being a spiritual and psychological disease; and the aspect of its incompatibility with the spirit of Islam, which is submission and trust (tawakkul). This matter has been explained differently in Christianity: the aspect of it being a vice and an anti-value, and the aspect of it being contrary to the spirit of Christianity, namely love. Both religions have provided a good description of the nature of greed, and in Islam, attention has also been paid to the persuasive aspect of its reprehensibility.
Regarding the origin of greed, Islamic teachings point to cases such as worldly-mindedness (dunyakhwah-i), disregard for the dignity and grandeur of the soul, and weakness of knowledge and trust in God as the roots of greed. Christianity likewise introduces greed as the result of an individual's distrust in God and divine turning away and wrath. Therefore, in both religions, the element of lack of knowledge and proper attention to God is introduced as the root of greed, while Islam also highlights the lack of proper attention to the world and the grandeur of human the soul as roots of greed. Both religions have included notable warnings about the adverse effects of greed in their teachings, which fall into two categories: worldly effects and otherworldly effects. Matters such as the humiliation of the soul, self-alienation, degradation among people, self-selling, complacency in encounters, appeasement, compromising the rights of others, and the loss of wisdom are among the worldly effects of greed; and matters such as the increase of sin and error, the erasure of good deeds, selling religion, losing faith, and ultimately wretchedness are among its otherworldly effects.
Christianity also warns against the adverse effects of greed, all of which fall into two categories: effects related to the individual's worldly life, and effects related to their religion, faith, and ultimate destiny. The worldly effects mentioned in Christian sacred texts include the departure of blessing from a person's wealth, the failure of capital to accumulate, and the cessation of believers' socialization with them (as recommended by religion); and the effects related to religion and human destiny include becoming trapped in the snare of various lusts and sinking into corruption and ruin; incurring divine wrath, vengeance, and punishment; becoming subject to God's curse; and deprivation of true life at the end of the world and failing to inherit the Kingdom of God. It is also interesting that both religions have issued this important warning that greed can be the source of all evils.
Regarding the legal aspect of greed, attention must be paid to the law of actions and the law of faith. Islam possesses the law of actions, while Christianity possesses the law of faith (negation of the law of actions). However, since greed in itself is not a physical action (fi'l-i jawarihi) and belongs to inner and spiritual matters, some Islamic jurists consider it a sin, while according to others, such inner acts (af'al-i janwihi) do not possess religious prohibition in and of themselves; of course, their results, if defined as sins within the set of Islamic legal rulings regarding the rights of God (haqq Allah) or the rights of people (haqq al-nas), will be forbidden. In Christianity as well, although the law of actions has been transformed into the law of faith, at least in Catholic interpretation, action is a sign of faith and, alongside it, affects a person's destiny and reaching the Kingdom of God. Therefore, greed is generally forbidden in both religions, and in both religions, its vile nature and adverse effects are elucidated with strong expressions and serious warnings.
Consequently, the sacred texts of both religions possess significant capacities in explaining the foul nature of greed, analyzing and explaining its origin, its adverse effects and final outcome, and ultimately, strong and emphatic moral and religious prohibitions with the explanations provided. By being placed in the educational and moral system of these two religions, these teachings can have a profound impact on believers avoiding this moral vice and dangerous psychological state.