Wealth and poverty are both fitna for human beings. Generally, fitna is translated as trial or test. There is a famous hadith which says “Lord, I take refuge in You from the fitna of wealth and from the fitna of poverty.” We also see this concept in the well-known Qur’anic verse about Solomon, who is famous for his wealth. In the verse, Solomon says, “This is from the bounty of my Lord to test me whether I will be thanking Him or denying Him” (27:40). I do not want to suggest that either wealth or poverty is inherently evil. They are not. In fact there is a hadith that suggests that those who have been given wealth should not hide it and live a poor life: “Surely God loves to see the traces of His bounties on His servants when He bestows His bounties upon them.” What these narratives suggest is that when wealth is misused it becomes evil. As a principle in the Qur’an, the owner of wealth is God and He gives it to whomever He wishes and withholds it from whom He wishes.