[The Sufi] is, of course, judged by the world at large only in the light of what he says and does. Supposing that he has become a millionaire. The outside observer, realizing that this man has become a millionaire since he embarked upon a way of life called Sufism, may look upon the phenomenon as a millionaire-producing process. To the Sufi in question, however, it is the inner realization and evolution which has given him his inner attainment. The money may be an outward reflection of it, but this is of far less account than the Sufic experiences. This does not mean, as many people would assume, that he has become a millionaire obsessed by mysticism, and that mony has no meaning for him. Such a development would not be possible for a Sufi, because the material and the metaphysical are linked in a form best regarded as a continuum. He would be the kind of millionaire who is not only rich, but also completely psychologically integrated. It is difficult for many people to absorb this fundamental fact sufficiently well for it to be of any use to them.

In the popular practice, current from Calcutta to California, the ordinary person will rise to the philosophical heights of repeating sagely to himself or anyone who will listen that "money is not everything;" or that "money does not bring happiness." The very fact that such an idea can be voiced shows that it is rooted in a previous assumption that money can be considered to be in some way of transcendental importance. Practice shows that it is not. But the homespun philosopher cannot grasp why this might be. The penniless man's most pressing problems seen soluble by money. The priest tells him that money is not a good thing. When he gets money he may not as a result feel fulfilled. And these three factors he is incapable of integrating.

Modern psychology has done some good, where, for instance, it has pointed out that the urge to make money may be a symptom of insecurity. But it has not yet integrated itself; historically it is still struggling sometimes against the tide. The Sufi attitude starts to operate on a different basis. All life is struggle, says the Sufi, but the struggle must be a coherent one. The average man is struggling against too many things all at once. If a confused and incomplete person makes money, or becomes a professional success, he still remains a confused and incomplete person.

Shah, Idries, "The Sufis" pp. 57-8.