Losing My Wealth Was a Blessing, Alhamdulillah

Assalamu alaikum. This is a personal story that reminded me not to judge events as good or bad myself - that’s for Allah to decide. I’m a Moroccan man living in the Netherlands. Growing up, it was common in my family to put kids in Qur’an classes so they might become a hafiz or hafiza one day. I started with Arabic and, after a few years, began memorizing the Qur’an. At some point I let go of that path because I chased the dunya. I wanted big money and didn’t care what I sacrificed. I stopped attending lessons, drifted away from learning about Islam, and became lax with my five daily prayers. From an outsider’s perspective things seemed to be going well: I earned more, invested aggressively, and over time I built up more than 100k euros. That success made me arrogant. I began judging people by their wealth and status instead of by their akhlaq. I invested everything hoping to become a millionaire. Then it all collapsed - I lost every euro in crypto. I was crushed. I couldn’t sleep and felt like I had nothing. In my despair I turned back to Islam. If money could vanish so quickly, how could it have been everything? I returned to learning, started praying properly and on time, did more dhikr, and worked on my trust (tawakkul) in Allah. Alhamdulillah, I’ve found a peace I never knew before. Allah has been giving me things I didn’t expect. My business is slowly doing better, my physical and mental health have improved, and I’ve gone back to memorizing the Qur’an. I’m still on the path toward becoming a hafiz, insha’Allah. The lesson I learned is to avoid labeling events as simply good or bad. What we want might be harmful, and what we lose might be a mercy. If Allah had kept that wealth with me while I was arrogant, it could have hardened my heart. As the Qur’an says, “And it may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing while it is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know.” (2:216) May Allah guide us and grant us contentment.