31. Also, they say: "Why is not this Qur'an sent down to some leading man in either of the two (chief) cities?"

32. Is it they who would portion out the Mercy of thy Lord? It is We Who portion out between them their livelihood in the life of this world: and We raise some of them above others in ranks, so that some may command work from others. But the Mercy of thy Lord is better than the (wealth) which they amass.

33. And were it not that (all) men might become of one (evil) way of life, We would provide, for everyone that blasphemes against (Allah) Most Gracious, silver roofs for their houses and (silver) stair-ways on which to go up,

34. And (silver) doors to their houses, and thrones (of silver) on which they could recline,

35. And also adornments of gold. But all this were nothing but conveniences of the present life: The Hereafter, in the sight of thy Lord is for the Righteous.

(Holy Qur'an, 43:31-35, Yusuf Ali translation)

It's nothing new when luxury has become a gauge in measuring success in this world. Since the beginning of humankind, the scale of luxury has always been the indication of where someone would be in the community.

So it was obvious when the Prophet (S.A.W.) was sent to the Arabs, bringing with him (S.A.W) the holy message of submission to the One God, the people of Makkah started to question his (S.A.W.) authority. Why didn't God send a high ranked man from two cities (Makkah and Thaif)? Why an orphan with no wordly luxury?

Verily, everything that we owned in this life is a gift from Allah. dirt-cheap or ridiculously expensive, tiny little things or larger than life, what we gained or what we were born with... everything! So who are we to question HIS way of choosing HIS messengers? How many times do we need to hear "The hereafter, in the sight of thy Lord is the righteous" before we would learn?

If the story of the Prophet (S.A.W.) didn't strike our heart yet, let us wind that clock in our mind, fast forward the time to the present. Look at our current world. Isn't it the same old story? While we're bashing the jahiliyyahs for their ignorance, aren't we practicing the same thing? The same script, just different actor. Unfortunately, the Prophet (S.A.W.) is not here anymore. But the message that he (S.A.W.) brought is still kept intact, ripe for us to take lessons from.

The best way is to stop here, and leave the rest for us to ponder ourselves... think about it, a reminder for you, and me. Wallahu'alam.

-Ariff Abdullah