The Root of All Evil

Today it is known by many, that throughout human history many inhumane and evil incidents or events have occurred. The events that I am referring to are the countless wars that have been fought over small matters, the murder of hundreds and thousands of innocent people, the use and abuse of nations and at times entire race of people and the list goes on. The reason for the occurrence of these wicked events could be many, yet to solve a problem the root cause must be identified and the root cause is clearly identified in the words of Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) who said, “the root cause of all evil is love of this world.” A look at history or the present day in the light of this quote can make one understand what drove people to commit such great wrongs. The destruction of the Earth’s atmosphere and our lack of response is rooted to our attachment of the materialistic world. The wars that have been fought throughout history and even in the present day have all been fought and continued to fought for worldly gains. Also the colonization of North America and the mass murder of the Native Indians that followed are clear examples of what the love of this world can lead to. The actions of human beings today and in the past are a testimony to the fact the roots of evil are embedded to the attachment of this world.

For billions of years now, human beings have called earth there home and the earth has not complained. Human beings have used the earth to make their food and create shelter, and the earth has not complained. Human beings have taken and continue to take the natural resources of the earth and the earth has not complained. The earth has done so much for us, yet today we are intentionally destroying its environment. The earth atmosphere and environment is gradually deteriorating as a result of human actions, but humans are doing very little in response to stop it. If we were to stop the process of global warming then consequently we would have to give up the usage of some commodities of life, such as driving, but no one is willing to do so. Taxes would have to be introduced to fund for programs that we slow the process of Global Warming, yet no one is willing to pay them. Also the major companies and corporations that contribute to the destruction of the earth would loose a lot of money. Therefore or lack of response to the earths destruction is not do to inabilities but due to our attachment to the materialistic world.

The majority of wars, if not all wars, fought by humans are in desire for worldly gains. I am sure no one would contradict this statement. For proof, one can merely flick on the TV to an un-bias news station and review the war in Iraq. At first it was a war waged by the US and its counterparts to eliminate terrorism but now it is known to all that the main objective were worldly gains, primarily wealth. The desire of a few individuals has led to a recently estimated 1.2 million civilian deaths and thousands of coalition deaths. The two world wars are also a perfect example of what greed for worldly gains can lead to. In total more than 60 million people lost their lives and in both wars Europe and other countries around the world were completely destroyed (White). The main objectives