Prestige Over Purpose, A Society Losing Its Soul

✒️ :. Zahoor Ahmad
Have we quietly turned every aspect of life into a matter of prestige? Have we traded sincerity for show, integrity for image, and conscience for comparison? And above all, have we forgotten the very purpose of our existence: وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
(I did not create jinn and mankind except to worship Me.)
Today, in Kashmir, ONCE known for simplicity, dignity, and spiritual depth, we are witnessing a troubling shift.
The Rise of a Hollow Culture:
Lavish weddings, extravagant houses, designer lifestyles… these are no longer luxuries of the elite. They have become expectations for the middle class.
But here lies the uncomfortable truth: there is a huge disparity between what is actually attainable and what is being flaunted.
Families with modest incomes are trying to imitate lifestyles far beyond their means. Weddings are staged like grand productions, with multiple functions, costly decor, and unnecessary rituals. Houses are built not as homes of comfort, but as symbols of comparison, often stretching finances to the breaking point.
This is not aspiration anymore: it is social compulsion disguised as prestige. People are taking heavy bank loans, drowning in EMIs, and exhausting lifelong savings, not out of need, but out of fear: لوگ کیا کہیں گے؟
The Hidden Cost:
Behind the glitter lies a harsh reality:
Crushing Debt: Families burdened for years just to maintain appearances.
Delayed Marriages: Youth hesitant to marry because they cannot meet unrealistic expectations.
Mental Stress: Anxiety, depression, and strained relationships under financial pressure.
The Corruption It Breeds : Perhaps the most dangerous consequence is subtle but widespread: when lifestyles exceed legitimate income, a gap is created and that gap often gets filled through unethical means. Small compromises become adjustments. Bribes begin to look like necessities, positions are misused to recover social expenses honesty is sacrificed at the altar of societal pressure. What begins as a wedding loan or a house loan slowly turns into a mindset where ends justify means. This is how social pressure quietly feeds systemic corruption, not always out of greed, but out of desperation to sustain an artificial standard.
In a region already struggling with high unemployment and inflation , this trend is not just unhealthy; it is deeply damaging to the moral fabric of society.
A Moral and Spiritual Crisis :
This is not merely an economic issue. It is a crisis of values.
We have normalized extravagance and sidelined simplicity. We have prioritized people’s opinions over Allah’s pleasure. We have forgotten that true honor lies in taqwa, not in display.
What Needs to Be Done? This trend will not correct itself. It demands collective, sincere, and concrete action :
1) Religious Leadership Must Lead from the Front : Promote simple, Sunnah-based marriages and openly discourage wasteful customs.
2) Social Organizations Must Act : Build community consensus to limit expenses and celebrate simplicity, not show.
3) Government Support : Encourage financial responsibility and discourage extravagant public spending practices.
4) Families Must Break the Cycle : Have the courage to say: “Enough is enough.” Normalize dignity in simplicity.
A Moment of Reflection :
Are we building lives… or just maintaining illusions? Are we preparing for the Hereafter… or competing for temporary applause? Because real change will not come from words, but from choices. Let us choose: simplicity over show, truth over trend and above all Allah over People; Before this silent crisis consumes another generation.