"The fundamental attitude of Islam toward man's position in the world is that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, has made the earth for the benefit of man, to whom He has given control over it. It is the duty of man to profit from this favor and to exert himself to seek Allah's bounties throughout the earth," said the Moon when mentioned a topic that related to the previous discussion [here and here], after saying Basmalah and greeting with Salaam.
"In an Islamic perspective, the foundations of earnings can be viewed broadly as follows: It is Allah that provides our provisions for us; therefore, it is from Him that we can seek for our provision. It is our duty to strive for that, which has been decreed for us. The fact that it is Allah that provides for us has not ruled out the fact that we have to seek the means of reaching, that which has been decreed for us. While it is decreed that we will be hungry, no one would sit in one place without making an effort to satisfy the hunger and depend only on the fact that Allah will feed him. He will seek means of satisfying the hunger.
So also with our livelihood, we would never get what has not been decreed for us, but we have to strive for that which has been decreed. Allah says,
فَاِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلٰوةُ فَانْتَشِرُوْا فِى الْاَرْضِ وَابْتَغُوْا مِنْ فَضْلِ اللّٰهِ وَاذْكُرُوا اللّٰهَ كَثِيْرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُوْنَ
'And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allāh, and remember Allāh often that you may succeed.' [QS. Al-Jumu'ah (62):10]
The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
لَوْ أَنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ تَوَكَّلُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ حَقَّ تَوَكُّلِهِ لَرُزِقْتُمْ كَمَا تُرْزَقُ الطَّيْرُ تَغْدُو خِمَاصًا وَتَرُوحُ بِطَانًا
'If you were to rely upon Allah with the required reliance, then He would provide for you just as a bird is provided for, it goes out in the morning empty, and returns full.' [Jami' at-Tirmidhi; Hasan Shahih according to Tirmidhi]
Some of us might misinterpret this saying of the Prophet (ﷺ) to mean that wherever we are, we will get our provision; but they should also read in the saying that the birds actually go out, they do not stay in their nest all day. The point in this Hadith is the idea of going out and coming back, striving and moving; certainly not the idea of sitting back, doing nothing and then claiming that we have put all trust in Allah.
Now, how do we get our earnings? And how do we spend it? Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying,
« أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ طَيِّبٌ لاَ يَقْبَلُ إِلاَّ طَيِّبًا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِمَا أَمَرَ بِهِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ فَقَالَ ( يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا إِنِّى بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ) وَقَالَ (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ) ». ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الرَّجُلَ يُطِيلُ السَّفَرَ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ يَمُدُّ يَدَيْهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ يَا رَبِّ يَا رَبِّ وَمَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ وَمَشْرَبُهُ حَرَامٌ وَمَلْبَسُهُ حَرَامٌ وَغُذِىَ بِالْحَرَامِ فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لِذَلِكَ ».
'O people, Allah is Good and He therefore, accepts only that which is good. And Allah commanded the believers as He commanded the Messengers by saying, 'O Messengers, eat of the good things, and do good deeds; verily I am aware of what you do [QS. Al Mu'minun (23:51)]." And He said, 'O those who believe, eat of the good things that We gave you. [QS.Al-Baqah (2):172]' He then made a mention of a person who travels widely, his hair disheveled and covered with dust. He lifts his hand towards the sky (and thus makes the supplication): "O Lord, O Lord," whereas his diet is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, and his clothes are unlawful and his nourishment is unlawful. How can then his supplication be accepted?' [Sahih Muslim]
So, we should seek our earnings in prescribed ways and this necessitates that we know the ways that are not permissible. It is only after we know that something is not permissible that we can stay away from it.
We should spend our earnings in prescribed ways; and to do this means that, we should also know how not spend our earnings. Allah says,
اِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِيْنَ كَانُوْٓا اِخْوَانَ الشَّيٰطِيْنِ ۗوَكَانَ الشَّيْطٰنُ لِرَبِّهٖ كَفُوْرًا وَاِمَّا تُعْرِضَنَّ عَنْهُمُ ابْتِغَاۤءَ رَحْمَةٍ مِّنْ رَّبِّكَ تَرْجُوْهَا فَقُلْ لَّهُمْ قَوْلًا مَّيْسُوْرًا
'And give the relative his right, and [also] the poor and the traveler, and do not spend wastefully [i.e., on that which is unlawful or in disobedience to Allah]. Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils, and ever has Satan been to his Lord ungrateful.' [QS. Al-Isra (17):26-27]
The basis of the Islamic economy are working and exerting oneself to make lawful earnings. Work is the main source of Halal income. Work is the prescribed means by which man can achieve the goal of populating the earth over which he has been given authority. Also, work is the means of making use of the things that Allah has subjugated for man, so that he can benefit himself and his fellow human beings by meeting and satisfying his needs. Islam urges us to strive and work through many ways. From among them are,
Taqwa. If you wish to increase your provision from Allah and live a comfortable life, then fear Allah and be pious in all your affairs: at home, at work and with your family. Protect yourself from sins, adhere to the commandments of your Lord, refrain from His prohibitions and protect your- self from whatever results in His punishment.
Repentance and seeking forgiveness. The type of supplication for forgiveness which brings provisions, increases it and blesses it is that which is made from the heart as well as the tongue, while he is not persistent in his sin. However, the one who seeks forgiveness verbally, whilst at the same time committing different types of sins, is not truthful in his supplications, and these supplications will be fruitless. If Allah has provided for you abundantly, then rush to repentance and follow your words with actions.
Tawakkul. He whose heart hopes in Allah alone in bringing benefit or preventing harm, and puts his trust fully in Him, He will suffice him, relieve him from all grief and provide him from sources which others are deprived of. Some of the Salaf have said, 'If you rely on Allah, provisions will come to you without any effort.' Tawakkul is to express ones inherent incapacity, complete and inclusive dependence on Allah alone, along with the certainty that Allaah alone has control over the universe and that the affairs of all of creation are under His Will. It is He alone Who provides, creates, grants and deprives from bounties, benefits, afflicts, gives wealth, causes poverty, health, sickness, life and death.
Tawakkul does not entail abandoning the utilisation of worldly means, because Allah has commanded us to utilise all possible means along with relying on Him. Physically striving to utilise all worldly means is in fact an act of obedience to Allah, and reliance on Him with ones heart reflects his belief in Him.
A Muslim is required to utilise all means, but without relying on them for the results. Instead, he should firmly believe that the matter is completely with Allah, and that He alone is The Provider.
Maintaining ties of kinship. The Prophet (ﷺ) clarified that good ties with kinship has many fruits and good outcomes; it increases ones provisions, prolongs life, protects against an evil death and brings love between relatives. The question therefore arises: who are kin and how does one maintain good ties with them?
Kin are any blood or marital relative, regardless of whether one can Islamically inherit from them or not. Ties may be maintained in many ways: visiting them, giving them gifts, enquiring about their condition, giving charity to the poor amongst them, being kind and respectful to the old amongst them, inviting them and being hospitable to them, joining them in their celebrations and joy, comforting them during adversities, supplicating for them, holding no grudges against them, accepting their invitations, visiting them when they are sick, advising them, enjoining them with good and forbidding them from evil, protecting them from evil and many others.
Spending for the sake of Allah. Ibn Katheer, rahimahullah, said that whatever you spend in the areas that Allah has commanded or allowed you to spend in, it will be replaced in this life and rewarded for in the Hereafter. Ibn ‘Abbas, rahiyallahu 'anhu, said, 'Two things are from Allah and two things are from Satan. Satan says, 'Do not spend your wealth, and hold on to it because you need it,' and then commands you to do evil. Allah promises you forgiveness for your sins and more blessing in your provisions. Allah conceals the sins of His slave in this life and the Hereafter, and increases his provisions in this life and bestows His bounties upon him in the Hereafter.'
Many hadith encourage spending and promise great rewards and bounties from Allah, plus raising the rank of the spender.
Repeatedly performing Hajj and ‘Umrah. It is because they get rid of poverty and sins just as fire gets rid of the impure particles in metal, gold and silver. A correctly performed Hajj will have no less a reward than Paradise.
Kindness to the weak. The Prophet (ﷺ) clarified that people receive provisions and victory by virtue of being kind to the weak among their ranks. The weak to whom the Prophet (ﷺ) referred to are of different types, such as the poor, the needy, orphans, the sick, strangers and women who have no guardians or slaves. The way to show kindness to them differs from one type to another: the poor by giving them money and gifts, the orphan and women with no guardians by checking on them and financially supporting them, the sick by visiting them and encouraging them to persevere and so on.
If you wish to increase you provisions, gain the support of Allah, be kind to the weak and refrain from harming them.
Devoting oneself to worship. Allah promises the one who devotes himself to the worship of Allaah two things: contentment and wealth, It is known that the one towhom Allaah gives a con- tented heart, poverty will never find a way to reach him.
Devoting oneself to worshipping Allaah does not mean that one stops seeking provisions, refrains from working and sits in the mosque day and night. Rather, what is meant is that the slave should always have his heart attentive during his worship to Allaah, humble himself to Him, be aware of His greatness and remember that he is invoking upon the Rabb of the Heavens and the earth.
There are other ways to increase ones provisions which we will mention in brief: Migrating for the sake of Allah; Jihaad for the sake of Allah; thankfulness to Allah; Marriage; Supplicating to Allah during times of need; Shunning sins and maintaining oneself upon the religion of Allah by performing acts of obedience.
The most important of all what has been mentioned, for provisions are gained by obedience and lost by disobedience, and a person gets deprived from provisions due to a sin he commits. Sins are the greatest cause for losing provisions, having a difficult life and losing blessings in life.
So, concretely, what jobs or professions are permissible in an Islamic perspective? We will discuss it in the next session, bi idhnillah."
