Class 1
WEALTH IN ISLAM
THE WORLDLY LIFE
Allah has made this world a means of reaching the Hereafter, and a means by which a person may prepare himself for the Hereafter. Hence Allah has stated in His Book that He has subjugated the earth and everything in it to people. Allah, may He be Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth” (Al-Baqarah 2:29)
“It is He who made the earth tame for you - so walk among its slopes and eat of His provision - and to Him is the resurrection” (Al-Mulk 67:15)
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “That is: so travel around in it wherever you wish, from one country to another, for the purpose of seeking different kinds of earning and trade." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 8/179)
WHAT ISLAM TEACHES ABOUT WEALTH
Wealth can be a blessing or a fitnah. It may be a blessing if it is used for purposes that please to Allah. Or it may be a fitnah/calamity if the wealth leads to evil deeds or it is used for evil purposes, or if it makes one proud and arrogant, or it distracts him from obeying and remembering Allah.
Hence there are verses and ahadeeth stating the importance of wealth and also warning against its temptations. So what can be a blessing for some can be a test for others.
Allah, may He be Exalted, says, explaining that tests may come in the form of good things and blessings, just as they may come in the form of bad things and calamities (interpretation of the meaning): “and We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good, and to Us you will be returned” (Al-Anbiya’ 21:35)
The Prophet ﷺ said: “By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you, rather what I fear for you is that worldly riches may be given to you as it was given to those who came before you, and you will compete to attain (more of) it with one another as those before competed with one another, and you will be destroyed as they were destroyed.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
But is money seen as evil in Islam?
Islam does not prevent one from seeking a high-status occupation and a good job. Rather Islam encourages that and urges the individual to seek a better level and better situation; in fact, one should seek what is best and strive to attain it, on condition that he does not give precedence to that over his faith and pursuit of righteousness.
Hence the Prophet ﷺ said: “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, although both are good.” (Sahih Muslim) The word “good” (Khayr) is indefinite and includes what is good in this world and the hereafter.
Importance of Wealth in Islam
Whoever, Allah, may He be Exalted, enables to earn wealth from permissible sources, and spends it in appropriate ways, and strives to use it in doing acts of obedience and acts that bring one closer to Allah, then in his case wealth is a blessing, and he deserves to be envied for it (in a good way), as the Prophet ﷺ said:
“How good lawful wealth is for a righteous man.” (Ahmad; classed as sahih by Al-Albani)
“There is no cause for envy except in two cases: a man to whom Allah gives wealth and enables him to spend it in support of the truth, and a man to whom Allah gives knowledge and he rules based on it and teaches it.” (Bukhaari & Muslim)
Many verses and Hadiths urge the Muslim to seek a livelihood and travel about in the earth, all for the purpose of acquiring wealth , not merely for the sake of accumulation, but so that he will not have to ask of others, and so that he may uphold ties of kinship with it and use it to do righteous deeds and obey his Lord.
Sa‘id ibn Al-Musayyab (may Allah have mercy on him) said: There is nothing good in one who does not want to acquire wealth by lawful means, so that he will not have to ask of people, and he can uphold ties of kinship with it and give what is due on it. Abu Ishaq As-Subay‘i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: They used to regard wealth as a help in fulfilling religious duties.
Muhammad ibn Al-Munkadir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: What a good help in maintaining piety wealth is!
Sufyan Ath-Thawri (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Wealth in our time is the weapon of the believer. Yusuf ibn Subat (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Wealth has never been at any time since the world was created more beneficial than it is in this time.
Allah, may He be Glorified, has made wealth a means of maintaining physical wellbeing, and taking care of it is a means of maintaining spiritual wellbeing, so that one will be able to learn about Allah, believe in Him, believe in His Messengers, love Him, and turn to Him. Thus wealth is the means of prosperity in this world and the hereafter.
BUT IS WEALTH = SUCCESS?
How do we measure if we are successful?
The ultimate goal, or true success in Islam is to bring humans to a close personal relationship in this life with their creator. Allah has created each and every one of us to live our lives on this earth for a time, but after that, it has been ordained by Allah that we return to Him. And Allah (swt) says (interpretation of the meaning is): –
“….Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden, will have indeed have been successful]” (Aale-Imran 3:185)
The Ultimate Result is The Criterion
Not alike are the inmates of the fire and the dwellers of the garden (jannah): the dwellers of the garden (jannah) are they that are the achievers. (Surah Al Hadeed 59:20)
So, success and failure is based on the ‘ultimate’ result. If we are a millionaire or a king in this finite world but end up in hell-fire in the infinite life, then we are a looser. Also, the finite success here as compared to the infinite failure in the next world is negligible. This is similar to division by infinity in mathematics.
And so just amassing wealth, going on fancy holidays, extrravagant wedding parties or the likes are NOT a sign of success. Earning wealth is something good, many of the Sahaba were very rich but key is that they would spend generously in the way of Allah and not just the left overs.
HOW THE PROPHET ﷺ DEALT WITH WEALTH?
He ﷺ was the Most Generous of them all
The Prophet ﷺ was the most generous of all the people, and he used to become more generous in Ramadan when Gabriel met him.
All who knew him ﷺ would describe as exceedingly generous. Anas R.A. said, “The Prophet ﷺ was the best, the bravest and the most generous of all the people”. (Bukhari)
One great aspect of the Prophet’s صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّمgenerosity was him being free of want. He ﷺ would not store wealth, he wouldn’t keep anything for the next day.
Allah's Messenger ﷺ said, "If I had gold equal to the mountain of Uhud, it would not please me that it should remain with me for more than three days, except an amount which I would keep for repaying debts." (Sahih Bukhari)
Also on one occasion, the Prophet ﷺ led ‘Asr Salah, and as soon as he performed salaam, he went home and then returned quickly. The companions رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ were surprised at this, and so the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘During the prayer, I remembered some gold for charity lying in my home, and I dislike for night to come whilst it remains in the home. Therefore, I have ordered for it to be distributed.’ (Sahih Bukhari)
The Prophet ﷺ even took loans to help others
Bilal R.A., the Mu'adhdhin of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) shared the financial position of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
He said: He ﷺ had nothing. It was I who managed it on his behalf since the day Allah made him Prophet of Allah ﷺ until he died. When a Muslim man came to him and he found him naked, he ﷺ ordered me (to clothe him). I would go, borrow (some money), and purchase a cloak for him. I would then clothe him and feed him….” (Abu Dawood; classed as sahih by Albani)
BEING GENEROUS
Generosity is one of the attributes that people like and it pleases Allaah.
Islam urges its followers to be generous and spend their money in the way of Allaah because this leads to fostering feelings of love and solidarity within the society and eliminating envy from people's hearts. Thus, feelings such as cooperation, love, and forgiveness prevail among Muslims whether they are rich or poor. At the same time, the relations between Muslims are strengthened and they become just like one body or a well-structured building.
Allaah, Glorified be He, likes the generous people and dislikes those who are miserly. Allaah also blesses the money of the generous and increases His Bounties for them whether in this world or in the Hereafter. Allaah says (what means): "The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed [of grain] which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies [His reward] for whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing." [Quran 2:261]
Ibn al-Qayyim said, "Generosity is one of the attributes of the Lord, for He gives and does not take, He feeds and is not fed, He is the most generous of those who are generous. The most beloved of His creation to Him are those who seek to acquire the characteristics implied by His attributes. For He is Generous and loves those among His slaves who are generous; He is All-Knowing and loves those who have knowledge; He is All-Powerful and loves those who are courageous; He is Beautiful and loves beauty.”
A generous man will share what he has with others, thinking about other people as he thinks of himself. He benefits by helping others and solving their problems. He makes people happy and prevents them from doing wrong, which is often a direct result of poverty. This is a great service to society, and there are some people who spend their life in this service, establishing valuable foundations which remain after them such as hospitals, libraries etc.
Whatever is given for Allaah’s Sake will never decrease one’s wealth in the slightest; rather, it will bless, purify and increase it, as the Prophet, ﷺ, said: “Charity does not decrease wealth.” (Muslim)
Since noble characteristics are acquired in different ways, the Muslim works to develop virtuous traits according to Islamic guidelines. Allaah Says (what means): “And spend [in the way of Allaah] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, ‘My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous.’” (Quran 63: 10)
Generosity is not expressed exclusively with wealth and money, but also with our time, good deeds, actions and kindness to all people. Allaah Says (what means): "Never will you attain the good [reward] until you spend [in the way of Allaah] from that which you love..." (Quran 3: 92)
The Prophet ﷺ said : "None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself." (Bukhari & Muslim)
We can show generosity by:
Spending time.
Helping the ones in need of physical help
Helping by counseling one who is distressed
Being nice and greeting with a smile
Helping with home chores
Praying for others
Educating people
Teaching someone a skill they can earn from
Giving Gifts
Assisting a coworker
There are many other ways to be generous in life (we will study about the types of Charity in the upcoming classes InShaAllah), one should have a positive mindset and a will to be of help to others in this world and more so in the hereafter so help people and pray for the Ummah, the minimum we can do for them is to pray.
Islam teaches the Muslims to be constructive, beneficial members of their societies; always helping those who are deprived and destitute to the best of their abilities. Every good deed is described as an act of charity, as the Prophet, ﷺ, said: “Every Muslim must give charity.” They said, “O Messenger of Allaah, what if he cannot do that?” He, ﷺ, said, “Then let him help one who is in desperate need.” He, ﷺ, said, “Then let him do good, and refrain from doing evil, and that will be an act of charity on his part.” (Bukhaari & Muslim)
In the upcoming classes we will learn about
Virtues of Charity
Being Charitable with out money, Types of Charity
Between Miserliness & Extravagance
Inspiring Stories from the Sunnah and of the Salaf.
FAQs.
TIPS FOR THE TEST
Do not have to memorise the ayahs or hadeeths word for word and their references, but remember their meanings and the msg being given.
Remember the 5 before 5 hadeeth.
ASSIGNMENT
There will be an Assignment Question asked in the Test. Marks will be given based on the following: -
I. Invite atleast 10 people to the course (can invite via WhatsApp, Facebook, Email, telegram or word of mouth) 4 Marks. (check the note below for exceptions)
Note:
Those who have already invited whether on Whatsapp, Email or FB, do not need to invite again.
It does not matter, whether people join or not, our job is to invite.
II. Talk to 5 people (friends or family) about any three topics from the course - (5 Marks)
III. Pray for the Ummah, pray for the ease of all the poor & oppressed Muslims and Maghfirah of the Muslims who passed away. Pray that Allah make us all strong in imaan and give us the hidayah to work for the aakhirah and to help each other. - 1 Mark
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