The Calf Has Changed, the Gods Have Not: Money, Career, and Facing Death

15 October 2021

Question: Today we do not worship a calf made of gold; but do we have other “calves” governing our lives?

From verse 92 of Surah Al-Baqarah onward, we are reminded of Prophet Moses coming with clear proofs, the subsequent taking of the calf as a god, and the covenant taken.

In the recording, this account is not left as the story of an idol confined to the past.

Through money, work, career, spouse, children, fears, and desires, it questions what people today consider indispensable.

The issue is not a statue.

The issue is what the heart submits to.

What Does Loving the Calf Mean?

The Qur’an speaks of love of the calf settling in hearts.

In the recording, this expression is connected with the question “How do people make something the center of their lives?”

Question: What am I most afraid of losing in my life?

It may be money.

It may be work.

It may be a career.

It may be a person.

It may be health or reputation in society.

Valuing these is not wrong.

But when one of them takes precedence over Allah’s measure, we need to question its place in our heart.

If we remain silent despite knowing something is wrong because “My career will suffer,” we may have magnified our work.

When a debt relationship draws us toward a wrong path, we may rename reality by saying, “I have no other choice.”

We may completely abandon our own values to avoid losing someone.

This is where we should reconsider to whom our heart belongs.

Is “The Big Fish Eats the Small Fish” Always True?

The recording criticizes some common sentences people use to defend their decisions.

“That is how the world is.”

“The big fish eats the small fish.”

“The economy is bad; there is no other way.”

These sentences may sometimes contain a correct observation.

But sometimes they may become excuses we use to avoid seeing our own mistakes.

Question: When explaining my failure, am I leaving my own part entirely out of the picture?

The market may be bad.

A government decision may affect us.

A partner may do something wrong.

But if people achieve different outcomes under the same conditions, there may also be an area we can evaluate.

This does not mean placing responsibility for all hardship on the individual.

People sometimes truly suffer injustice.

However, we should not disregard the area in which we can make our own choices either.

The question “What did I do before this happened to me?” particularly stands out in the recording.

This question is not for blaming ourselves.

It is for finding what we can change.

The Heart’s Direction When Adversity Comes

The recording also gives an example through the pandemic period and fear of death.

When danger approaches, people may turn more toward worship and prayer.

They pray when a plane shakes.

When illness comes to the door, they remember the reality of death.

But when the danger passes, they may return to their old life.

Question: Do I remember Allah only when I am afraid?

We cannot always know with certainty why a hardship has come.

It would not be right to readily say, “This calamity is the punishment for that sin.”

But hardship can become an occasion for people to see the attachments in their hearts.

When the possibility of death draws near, we notice that some things we previously considered very great become smaller.

Money, cars, positions, and arguments may suddenly lose their importance.

This awareness should not remain confined to the day of crisis.

We should remember that life is temporary in ordinary times too.

Does the Hereafter Belong Only to Us?

Verse 94 of Surah Al-Baqarah directs a striking question at those who claim that the abode of the Hereafter belongs exclusively to them.

They are told to wish for death if they are sincere in their claim.

In the recording, this verse is addressed as a confrontation between a person’s declared belief and their attitude toward death.

Question: If I say I believe in eternal life, why do I place all my trust solely in worldly things?

This question does not mean “Let us wish for death.”

Nor does it mean belittling life.

It means questioning the sincerity of our belief.

There may be tension between living as though the world were eternal and saying that we believe in the Hereafter.

The attitude toward death of someone who believes and does righteous deeds is connected with trust in Allah.

In the recording, “not fearing death” is described in very strong language.

Instead of understanding this as meaning that people should never experience fear, let us consider it as not allowing fear to govern all our decisions.

Faith Becomes Apparent in Behavior

The recording frequently emphasizes that faith is not merely mental acceptance.

What we believe affects our behavior.

If people truly believe that fire will burn, they do not put their hand into it.

If they believe a decision will cause harm, they act accordingly.

Question: In which matter where I say “I believe” do I demonstrate the exact opposite through my behavior?

We may say we believe Allah provides sustenance.

But if we remove all boundaries when earnings decline, we should question how that belief is reflected in our lives.

We may say we believe Allah knows everything.

But if we behave as though we can hide from Allah what we hide from people, there is a contradiction.

The expression “Allah knows the wrongdoers” is also recalled in this context in the recording.

It is easy to see others’ oppression.

It is harder to see the small injustice we commit ourselves.

That is why we should first look at our own calf.

What are we placing before Allah’s measure today?

Money?

Career?

Fear?

Someone’s approval?

Where There Is Knowledge, There Is Also Responsibility

At one point, the recording explains that knowledgeable people can give quicker and more solid answers when confronted with a question.

This applies not only to religious knowledge, but to every area of life.

If we know a task, we panic less.

If we understand a contract, we know what we are signing.

Question: Am I truly knowledgeable about what I fear, or is my mind filling the gaps with the worst-case scenario?

Ignorance may make people dependent on someone else’s words.

But knowledge should not produce arrogance either.

The recording distinguishes between “a person who knows Allah’s verses” and “a person who acts without thinking.”

The purpose of knowledge is to take greater responsibility.

If we know a verse, we should first measure our own behavior rather than make it a weapon against someone else.

If we know the rules of a task, we should use that knowledge to produce the right outcome, not to crush someone else.

We Cannot Break Someone Else’s Calf Without Recognizing Our Own

It is easy to read about the calf of the Children of Israel.

We may say, “How could they do such a thing?”

The recording objects to precisely this ease.

The calf of people today may not be a statue made of metal.

Question: Which fear governs my decisions?

Fear of losing my job?

My child failing?

My spouse leaving me?

People thinking badly of me?

Fear can also become a god.

For we may change all our standards for its sake.

That is why we should look not only at what we love, but also at what we fear.

What the heart submits to is sometimes desire, sometimes fear.

Trusting Allah puts both in their proper place.

We work.

We take precautions.

But we do not make the outcome absolute.

The calf’s form may change, but the heart’s submission to something other than Allah brings the same test before us again.

Thinking About Death Does Not Devalue Life

The recording addresses death forcefully.

But remembering the reality of death should not mean escaping life.

Question: Does knowing that I will die help me live better today?

If we know we will part one day, carrying resentment for years may seem more meaningless.

Sacrificing every relationship for money may become more questionable.

We know our work matters, but we also remember that it is not eternal.

Awareness of death does not diminish today.

It makes today more valuable.

For it teaches us not to continually postpone the kind word we can say, the mistake we can correct, and the good we can do.

The recording also discusses harming others without realizing it through the example of cigarette smoke.

People may consider themselves good, yet a behavior of theirs may damage someone else’s health or peace.

Question: Is having good intentions enough to excuse me from considering the consequences of my behavior?

Intention matters.

But we also need to see the consequences.

On the road, at work, and at home, before saying, “I do not harm anyone,” let us look at how we affect those around us.

Oppression may sometimes begin not as a great event, but as continually disregarding someone else’s rights.

The emphasis on “righteous deeds” also appears repeatedly in the recording. The behavior of someone who declares faith is expected to be consistent with that belief. Question: Which behavior of mine did what I believe change today? If there is no answer, our knowledge may not yet have entered our lives. A small act of truthfulness, restoring someone’s right, or giving up wrongful earnings despite a fear can build the bridge between faith and behavior.