Narrated Anas Ibn Malik:

((A man of the Ansar came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and begged from him. He (the Prophet) asked: "Have you nothing in your house?" He replied, "Yes, a piece of cloth, a part of which we wear and a part of which we spread (on the ground), and a wooden bowl from which we drink water." He said, "Bring them to me." He then brought these articles to him and he (the Prophet) took them in his hands and asked, "Who will buy these?" A man said, "I shall buy them for one dirham." He said twice or thrice, "Who will offer more than one dirham?" A man said, "I shall buy them for two dirhams." He gave these to him and took the two dirhams. The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, gave them to the Ansari and said, "Buy food with one of them and hand it to your family, and buy an axe and bring it to me." He then brought it to him. The apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) fixed a handle on it with his own hands and said, "Go, gather firewood and sell it, and do not let me see you for a fortnight." The man went away and gathered firewood and sold it. When he had earned ten dirhams, he came to him and bought a garment with some of them and food with the sh3er. The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) then said, "This is better for you than that begging should come as a spot on your face on the Day of Judgment. Begging is right only for three people: one who is in grinding poverty, one who is seriously in debt or one who is responsible for compensation and finds it difficult to pay." ))

(Abu Dawud, Book 9, Hadith 1637)

7- Allah Praises Those Who Abstain From Begging:

 Dear brother, Allah praises whoever abstains from begging, saying:

"They do not beg of people at all."

(Al-Baqarah, 273)

 Narrated Abi Hurairah saying: The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:

((A Miskin is not the one who goes round begging from people and who can be turned away with a morsel or two, or a date-fruit or two. A true Miskin is he who does not find enough to suffice him, does not disclose his poverty so that he might be given alms, and does not stand up to beg.)) 

(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

 Allah the Almighty says: 

"The one who knows them not, thinks that they are rich because of their modesty." 

(Al-Baqarah, 273)

 The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, praised those who abstain from begging; that's why it was mentioned in some narrations that the Miskin "The needy" is whoever doesn't have enough money to satisfy his needs nor does he ask people to give him charity. People do not notice that this man is in desperate need, so they do not give him charity. That is the needy whom we are recommended to look for and help.
Imam An-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, tackled this issue saying that whoever has enough money to fulfill his needs, is not allowed to beg. Thus, whatever he begs is Haram, and if he eats from it is Haram. Unlike this man, it is not prohibited for the needy to beg people, it is even not Makrooh (detested.) However, if he begs he should not humiliate himself, do harm to the one whom he beg nor should he insist on begging him.
 This issue is very crucial, and we are in dire need of comprehending it. The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said: 

((Three things that I swear to be true are that a man's property does not become less on account of (giving) charity; that when a man is wronged and bears it patiently, God will give him greater honor on that account; and that when a man (begs without dire need), Allah opens for him a door toward poverty.)) 

(At-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1397)

 The believer keeps a sense of honor, so he never begs people. Yet, once he takes a decision to start begging, Allah will open for him a door toward poverty. This point is very crucial in the above mentioned Hadith.
Abdullah bin Mas'ud narrated that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said: 

((Whoever suffers from destitution and he beseeches the people for it, his destitution shall not end. And whoever suffers from destitution and he beseeches Allah for it, Allah will send provisions to him, sooner or later.)) 

(Ahmad, 4219)

 What a shame to complains about the Merciful (Almighty Allah) to man who is merciless. If you are afflicted by poverty, then wake up before it is time for al-Fajr (Dawn Prayer) and pray two Raka'at (units of prayer,) because we were informed by the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, that Almighty Allah comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us:
 Narrated Abu Hurairah: Allah's Apostle, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:

((Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains, saying: "Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?))

(Book #21, Hadith #246)

 Whoever is afflicted by a hardship, let him seek help from Allah not from man.
 Abdullah Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, reported: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said: 

((The man who always begs will meet Allah in the judgment day with no flesh left on his face.))

 Notice how the flesh of his face fell off due to begging people too much. Narrated Az-Zubair bin Al-Awwam: The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:  

((It is better for anyone of you to take a rope (and cut) and bring a bundle of wood (from the forest) over his back and sell it and Allah will save his face (from the Hell-Fire) because of that, rather than to ask the people who may give him or not.)) 

8- Working for One's Children is an Act of Worship:

 Dear brother, one of the top priorities of working is to work for providing sustenance for your children. As a father you are responsible for providing your children with food, drink, clothes and education. When you work in order to sustain your family, you are performing an act of worship. Listen to the proof: Kab Ibn Ujrah narrated:

((A man passed by the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) and the Companions were amazed at his eagerness and vigor (for seeking his means of livelihood). They said, 'O Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam)! Might that this vitality be spend in Allah's Cause.' The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said, 'If he went out to earn what he supports his young children with, then he is in the Cause of Allah. If he went out to support two elderly parents, then he is in the Cause of Allah. If he went out to support himself and preserve his honor (refrain from begging people, etc.), then he is in the Cause of Allah. If he went out for the purpose of showing-off and pride, then he is in the cause of Shaytaan.' ))

[At-Tabarani]

 Pay attention to this, when you perform a job which is hard, lasts for many hours, requires your submission to the boss and has to be performed honestly and skillfully, and you get back home exhausted, you are in the cause of Allah; you are performing an act of worship.
 When the father satisfies the needs of his family, he wins their hearts and guides them. On the other hand, the lazy father who does not work, and who keeps saying that he has no money whenever his children asks him for it, will make his family turn away from him to bad company. When you earn Halal money moderately and spend it on your family, your children, your parents without wasting it or boasting about that, whatever you work is in the Cause of Allah.
 Dear brother, Umar bin Al-Khattab said, "None should stay jobless and say, 'O Allah, provide me with provision.' " If you are unemployed, look for job vacancies in the newspaper, choose what you find convenient and ask people to help you find a job if what in the newspaper is not good for you. Just move!! I repeat the saying of our Master Umar bin Al-Khattab, "None should stay jobless and say, 'O Allah, provide me with provision.' " You know very sure that the sky rains neither gold nor silver." Umar bin Al Khattab also said, "When I admire a man, I ask, 'Does he have a job (through which he earns money)?' If they say, 'No,' he falls from my eyes ( I do not respect him.)"
 Here is another similar saying of Abdullah bin Masud "I dislike a man who is jobless; he neither works for the Dunya (the worldly life) nor for the Akhirah (the hereafter)." 

((The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, held the hand of Abdullah bin Mas'ud and it was rough due to hard work, then he (the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him,) lifted it up high in front of his Companions and said, "This is a hand that Allah and his Messenger love."))

 Be careful, the provision that Allah has guaranteed for you in the following Ayah, 

"And no (moving) living creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allah." 

(Hud: 6)

 can never be acquired without hard work. If you are jobless, and unable to master your job, develop it or be committed to it, your poverty will be out of your laziness not out of decree. 

9- Working is an Obligation in Islam:

 Dear brother, we can conclude from the above mentioned points that working is an obligation in Islam. Umar bin Al-Khattab asked one of his subordinate governors, "What do you do when people bring forward to you a thief?" The governor replied, "I chop off his hand." Umar said to him, "Then if someone of your people whom you govern comes to me hungry or jobless I will chop off your hand. Allah has made us successors for his creations so that we fulfill their hunger, provide them with clothes and make jobs available for them. If we make these available for them, we will be appreciated for that. These hands were created to work, so if they are not used for obedience and good deeds, they will find a variety of jobs that make them disobedient. Thus, get them busy with obedience and good deeds before they get you busy with sins and disobedience."
 When we boycotted the Danish products, because some of the Danish painters disrespected the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, I read some of the economic studies which drew my attention. This country (Denmark) whose population does not exceed 5 million people, feeds 50 million people all over the world. Another interesting information I read was that the number of the employees in a Japanese automative company was about 40,000 employees, and its revenues exceed the GNP (Gross National Product) of an Arab country whose population is 70,000,000 people. Do you believe that there are crucial working standards? The employee's duty hours in some of the developing countries does not exceed 17 minutes. It may reache 27 minutes in other countries, while in the powerful and developed countries which are leading the world the employee's duty hours is 8 full hours!! Think about this: how could a country whose employees work for 17 minutes be victorious over the country whose employees work for 8 hours? You may find this an irritating scientific fact, but such bitter reality is better a thousand times than the comforting illusion. Dear brother, be active; this life is meant for you to be outstanding. Look for a job, develop it if you have a one and be creative.
 Dear brother, this explains why working is an obligation upon every Muslim. The same goes with seeking Halal earning. Giving charity to the strong person and to whoever has enough money to fulfill his needs is Haram. The most impressive incident I have ever read in the Prophetic Sunnah is the following:
 The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, saw a young man reciting Quran during duty hours, so the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, asked him

"Who feeds you?" He replied "My brother." To which the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said, "Your brother is more worshiper than you."

(Reported in the relic)

 Allah the Almighty likes the upper hand, but He dislikes the lower one. Also, Allah does not like to see you humiliate yourself before the rich. Thus, look for a job, work, earn halal and spend money in charity.

10- The Importance of Business and Agriculture:

 I will keep repeating it time and time again that provision is guaranteed providing that you seek it. That's why the trustworthy and honest businessman is in the company of the Prophets, may Allah have peace and blessings upon them, the truthful and the martyrs. Do you believe that 9 businessmen were the reason behind spreading Islam in the biggest Islamic country right now (Indonesia) whose population is 250 million people? The truthful and honest businessman is with the Prophets, may Allah have peace and blessing upon them, and he is considered an Islamic missioner; He offers you an excellent commodity sells it at a reasonable price and treats you kindly. As a result, you love him, love his religion (Islam) and eventually embrace Islam because of him.
 The truthful and honest Muslim businessman is gathered with the martyrs on, and he is given shade under the Throne of Allah on the Day of Judgment. The best earning is the earning of the businessmen; when they talk, they don't lie, when they promise sh3er, they never break their promises, when they are entrusted, they never betray who entrust them, when they buy goods, they never despise them, when they sell goods, they do not exaggerate in praising them, when they lend sh3er money, they do not make it difficult for those who are in debt and when they borrow money, they never delay the payment. Unlike those, there are businessmen who when they talk, they lie, when they promise sh3er, they break their promises, when they are entrusted, they betray who entrust them, when they buy goods, they despise them, when they sell goods, they exaggerate in praising them, when they lend sh3er money, they make it difficult for those who are in debt and when they borrow money, they delay the payment. Those businessmen are immoral.
As for working in the field of agriculture, listen to the following Hadith:

((There is no Muslim who plants a tree or cultivates land, then there eat of it birds or a man or an animal but it is a charity for him.))

[Al-Bukhari]

 The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessing upon him, praised business and agriculture. Narrated Abu Hurairah that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessing upon him, said:

(('Allah never sent any Prophet but he was a shepherd.' His Companions said to him, 'Even you, O' Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'Even me. I tended the sheep of the people of Makkah in return for a few pennies.'))

(Bukhari)

11- Working is an Honor no Matter how it Might Appear:

 An Egyptian scholar told me that once he passed by a young man, whom he knew, and found him selling cups of tea and coffee to people who walk on that street although that man had a Bachelor degree. He said to the scholar, "I have been jobless for six years, so I have decided to sell cups of tea and coffee and earn Hala money. I am happy with my job." The scholar thanked that young man, praised him and invited him to his house. It is not a shameful act to work, on the contrary, it is a shame to steal, to lie and to cheat. That young man has a license degree, but this does not prevent him from selling tea on the roads. Definitely, working is thousand times more honorable than humiliating yourself by begging.
 I swear to Allah twice that digging a well with a needle, sweeping the land of Hijaz with a piece of feather, transferring two huge seas from one place to another with a little spoon and giving two black servants a bath until they become white is easier for me than begging from a mean person in order to repay a debt I might have.
Dear brother, once while I was in a mechanic shop, the owner of the shop wanted to belittle one of his workers, so he told me, "You see that worker, he has a university degree, and he works in here." I immediately mentioned to him the following Hadith:
 The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:

((No one has ever eaten any food that is better than eating what his hands have earned. And indeed the Prophet of Allah, Dawud, used to eat from the earnings of his hands.))

(Al-Bukhari)

 A great Prophet used to eat from what his hands had earned. The mechanic wanted to underestimate his worker, because he did not realize that working is a badge of honor for that young man. A time may come when seeking education becomes just for the sake of being well-educated. Thus, earning one's living requires working and having a craft. You may not find a job vacancy, so you can master a craft and earn money from it.

((The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, was asked what type of earning was best, and he replied: "A man's work with his hands and every (lawful) business transaction." )) 

(Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 846)

 Those who just relax and wait for job vacancies to come to them, the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, referred to them saying,

((The craft was destroyed by saying: tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.)) 

(Reported in the relic)

 It means procrastination.
 Upon being asked about the best type of earning, he, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him said: 

((A man's work with his hands and every (lawful) business transaction.))

 In another Hadith, the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said: 

((A man's work with his hands if he never cheats.)) 

12- Halal Money is the Cause of Accepted Supplication and Welfare:

 Dear brother, Sa'ad Ibn Abi Waqqas was asked, "Out of the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, your supplications are accepted, why?"He replied "I have never put a bite in my mouth before making sure where it comes from and where it goes to." S'ad, may Allah be pleased with him, related: Allah's Messenger, may Allah have peace and blessing upon him, said:

((O S'ad purify your food (and as a result) you will become one who's supplications are accepted…))

(Tabarani)

 Some people said, "If you spend the whole night praying, it will not benefit you until you know whether the food you eat comes from Halal or Haram earning." Does whatever you eat come from Haram earning or Halal one? Once, I visited a friend of mine and his father welcomed me. He said to me, "I am 96, and yesterday I had all blood tests and the results were normal." This is strange, but he went on saying, "I swear to Allah that I have never eaten a Qirsh (smallest amount of currency) which is Haram in my life, I have never committed something prohibited (in relation with women) either." Whoever lives pious lives strong.
 One of the scholars say: "Avoiding a Dirham (currency) which is doubtful (he does not know whether it is Haram or Halal) is better for me than giving 100,000 Dirhams in charity. Also, leaving a Daniq (a type of currency) from Haram is better than 80 Hijah (performing Hajj for 80 times) after embracing Islam."
 The prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:

((The flesh and body that is raised on unlawful sustenance shall not enter Paradise. Hell is more deserving to the flesh that grows on one's body out of unlawful sustenance. ))

(Ahmad)

 Whoever collects Haram money, and then gives from it in charity, Allah will not accept it and his sins will be held against him. The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said: 

((That which is Halaal is clear and that which is Haraam is clear, and between the two of them are ambiguous matters (mutashabihat) about which many people do not know. Thus he who avoids ambiguous matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honour, but he who falls into ambiguous matters (eventually) falls into that which is Haraam, like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Truly every king has a sanctuary, and truly Allaah's sanctuary is His prohibitions. Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh, which, if it be whole, all the body is whole, and which, if it is diseased, all of (the body) is diseased. Truly, it is the heart.)) 

(Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

 Dear brother, call yourselves to account before you are called to account, and weigh your deeds before they are weighed against you. Know that the Angel of Death has passed over us to reach sh3er, and will pass over sh3er to reach us, so let us be cautious. The smartest is the one who condemns himself and works towards what is after death; and the incapable is the one who follows his desires, and then expects to be rewarded by Allah.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds
*** 

The second Khutbah:

 Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah; the Protector of the righteous. And I bear witness that our Master Muhammad, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, is His Servant and Messenger the one with noble morals. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, his Folks and Companions.  

A Great Ayah in the Quran is the Key to Provision