The Categories of the Worship of Materialism

Question:
Many people worship materialism. Is this associating partners with Allah, and negligence regarding His oneness and His worship, where He the Exalted said: [Surah al-Hajj:99]?

Answer:
The worship of materialism falls into categories. If one worships it in the sense that he abandons the religion entirely, leaving off the worship of Allah, such as prayer, fasting, and other things, and turns away from Allah, from His oneness, and from sincerity to Him, this is of the same kind as the other disbelievers. This is abandoning his religion and turning away from his religion entirely.
As for the one who may be pleased for its sake, become angry for its sake, and be lenient in matters of his religion for its sake, while he worships Allah alone and is a Muslim, but is like what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He may lie in an oath, and he may neglect some of the obligatory duties for its sake. This person has committed disobedience, erred, and his faith has decreased. He is called a slave of it from this perspective, because he is pleased for its sake and becomes angry for its sake, so he is a slave of it from this perspective. But he is not like the one who worshipped the idols. No, this is one type, and that is another type.