Many people claim to live
without money. But let me tell you one thing. “You can’t!”
Like we need food to eat,
water to drink and air to breathe, we also need money to live. Money is one of
the basic necessities of life. It is used as a medium of exchange for goods or
services.
When we talk about wealth
or Rizq in Islam, we mostly refer to money related matters. For a teenager, one
might consider the matter to be reserved for adults. We might back off saying that,
we are too young; we don’t earn money so why should we care about it. But if
you take a look into the matter, you may come across many rulings on what Islam
says about money.
To start with let’s think
about Rizq. Most of us are familiar with the word Rizq. We hear it day in and
day out but never stop to ponder on its meaning. People mistake Rizq to be
wealth. But in reality it is more than that. In a simple sense, Rizq refers to sustenance.
Anything provided to us by Allah, whether it is in the form of money, good
food, a family or even blessings like particular talent or so, is Rizq.
One of the biggest
problems faced by man since centuries is the desire to earn money. And the
peculiar thing about it is, no matter how much you earn, you still aren’t
satisfied. The usual routine goes on like this,
Today he thinks of a
cycle. Tomorrow he thinks about a bike. The next day he wants a car.The day
after he desires a plane. And if it was possible he would even think about a rocket.
That’s how desires work. Though the heart might cease to stop beating, but
desires won’t.
Now we all know that
Zakah is a pillar of Islam. It is fardh to give a part of our savings to
charity. Zakah also has a ruling that it is obligatory for a person who earns
to give money. Now we as teens may think that we are exempted from this fardh
for the time being. But let me ask you one thing; is it necessary for a person
to be of an appropriate age to give? Why not start now so that it may become a
habit. There is a thing called sadaqah which you can do. It can be in the form
of anything, like helping your mom in household, showing gratitude to people,
obeying your parents, participating in social work, even a smile can be a form
of sadaqah.
Remember you are never
too young to give!
Niyyah or intention of
giving.
While you are spending in
the way of Allah do remember that, it for Allah’s sake. Some people spend money
to be looked upon by the people as a generous person. We see a lot of film
stars donating money to charities and foundations, the first thing that goes
into our mind when we see it ,
“ Oh he is such a kind person.”
The news flash worldwide,
people recognize him as a kind and great person.
But when the same kind of
charity is done by a beggar somewhere in the corner of a dump, He shares his
food with a dog, even though he hasn’t eaten for days. Does someone acknowledge
him? People won’t but Allah will. He is the All Knower, The All-seeing, and
whatever deed is done by the person will be accounted on the Day of Judgment,
no matter how small it is.
And the Quran says, No
small deed even the weight of an atom will go in waste.
If you take both of the
contributions of the film star and the bigger and compare them, you will find the
beggar’s contribution to be higher. How come so?
The beggar’s intention was pure and his act
was for Allah’s sake, while the film star’s intention was nothing but to earn
fame.
It is said that, give
charity in such a way that the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand
gives.
At the same time one must
not practice miserliness in giving.
Remember The more you
give the more you get.
Riba means an increase in
a particular item. The word is derived from a root meaning increase or growth. Riba
originated among the people of the Jaahiliyyah; if a debt became due, they
would say to him (the borrower, “ Give us one hundred (that is due, now), or increase
it to one hundred and fifty(and pay later).
Then when the one hundred and fifty became due, they would say, “Give us
one hundred and fifty (now) or increase it to two hundred and fifty (now), or
increase it to two hundred ( and pay later)”
Islam also forbade
another kind of Riba, namely Riba-Al-Fadl, which means adding to the amount
when exchanging one item for another of the same type. the items or goods
should of the same quality . You shouldn’t give inferior goods in exchange for
superior goods.
Debt repayment is VERY
important in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad (peace upon him)
said, “The best among you are those best in paying off debt” (reported
by Muslim) and “procrastination (delay) in repaying
debts by a wealthy person is injustice” (reported by
Bukhari).
Another hadith states “Whoever contracts a debt intending
to repay it, Allah will repay it on his behalf, and whoever contracts a debt
intending to waste it, Allah will bring him to ruin” (reported
by Bukhari).
This hadith emphasizes
that those contracting debt with the intention to repay will be granted the
means to do so. However, at the same time it warns against acquiring debt that
one does not have the means or intention to repay.
Greed
Saadaan says: I asked Imam Sadiq (a.s.): What
strengthens the Faith of man? He replied: Piety. And what drives man out of
religion? He said: Greed.
Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.)
has, reportedly, said: One who approached a wealthy man just for the sake of
his wealth and thereby, gives him respect loses two-third of his religion
Miserliness
and Extravagance
Allah has provided wealth
to spend . If a person stores it for a specific reason , then it is permissible
for him to do so, as long as he fulfills all the needs of his family. But if he
doesn’t fulfill the needs of his family and gathers more and spends less, then
it is not permissible.
The Prophet, peace upon him, mentioned, “When
Allah created the Garden of Eden He created in it what no eye has seen, what no
ear has heard, and when no heart has imagined.
Then he said to it,
‘Speak!’
It said, ‘The believers
will succeed [in attaining me].’
He said, ‘I swear by my
might, a miser will not experience nearness to Me in you.’”
Al-Tabarani, al-Kabir, 11,439
Another case of spending
money is when the person spends more than needed in other words extravagant spending.
Israaf means going too
far and exceeding the limit .Any action which an individual performs which
exceeds the limits is considered as being Israaf'. Based upon this, it is clear
that Israaf does not only relate to food and drink or even to financial matters
alone; it is much more comprehensive in meaning. It can also be stated that
israaf can relate to any excess in behavior, emotions, or spirit; it can also
relate to any excess in ethical, cultural, or social characteristics.
In the end the question
revolves and comes to us,
“Do you follow the rules?”
If yes, then
Alhamdulillah you are going in the right direction. If no, then start now. Beginnings
are always the hardest, but if you push yourself a little, make a good
intention, and set a goal, and then Inshallah you will surely achieve it. Sometimes
you think that trying is a waste if the goal is impossible to reach, but let me
tell you one thing , Allah blesses those who try the hardest even if they know
that it will take eternity for them to reach that goal.
And Also,
You Never Know Which Good
Deed Is Your Ticket To Jannah!
Done by
Samar Muskan
XI-B
Jazakallah for reading and do comment. We value your opinion.
July 9 (2013)
