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Sustenance and its etiquette:
Dear brother, undoubtedly, man is naturally disposed to care for his existence, and his safety, perfection and continuation. However, his life will be miserable if he keeps oblivious of the purpose of his existence. The deadly mistake of the people of the Hell-fire is their ignorance about the purpose of their existence Allah the Almighty says:
"And they will say: "Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we would not have been among the dwellers of the blazing Fire!"
What is the next priority after man's care for his existence? It is his care for seeking sustenance. Man is concerned about his sustenance, about his existence and about matters which are closely related to his existence; the safety, the perfection and the continuation of his existence. Beside caring for his existence, man is very much concerned about his sustenance. There are many sayings, ideas and concepts about sustenance which have no base in Islam, but rather they are derived from everyday life. In fact, the issue of seeking sustenance is one of the major foundations of Islam. The subject of our lecture today is: how does sustenance increase? What are the basic Islamic principles regarding sustenance? What are the etiquettes of seeking sustenance?
The problem of unemployment:
Dear brother, perhaps the most serious worldwide problem in all societies is unemployment. According to contemporary standards, the nation's progress is measured by the ratio of the number of its unemployed people to its population.
In backwards countries, the unemployment rate rises dramatically. Furthermore, in such countries there is a new term which is called:"the disguised unemployment"; when the income is not enough for someone to fulfill his daily needs, so he is considered jobless in one way or another.
Dear brother, all of know you that unemployment is a serious problem, but to be satisfied with being unemployed is more serious one. When the problem of unemployment spreads between the youth, it weakens their vitality, alienates them from their religion and their Ummah, hinders them from being productive, makes them satisfied with laziness and gives them the false impression that they are the victims of the lack of job vacancies, so they have to surrender to this fate. Actually, this is dangerous misunderstanding.
I mentioned to you in previous sermons that there are three kinds of poverty; the poverty decreed upon someone, the poverty caused by laziness and the one caused by spending money in the Cause of Allah the Almighty.
Actually, the poverty caused by spending money in Allah's Cause is considered a badge of honor, and the one whose poverty is decreed upon him is pardoned while blameworthy poverty is the one caused by laziness. In some cases unemployment is spread among young people, while in other ones, you find that some people are lazy and are inclined to be jobless.
Solving the problem of unemployment:
Dear brother, the problem of unemployment affects most young people, so we should convince them of the following points:
1) The virtue of working:
Working is one of the deeds of the Noble Prophets, may Allah have peace and blessings upon them, and honorable men. All Prophets, may Allah have peace and blessings upon them, tended the sheep. Also, Prophet Dawood (David), may Allah have peace upon him, was an ironsmith, and Prophet Noah, may Allah have peace upon him, was a carpenter.
Dear brother, once the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, was asked: Which deed is the best? He, may Allah have peace and blessing upon him, said:
"The earning of a man with his own hand, and every honest transaction."
Our master Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I may admire someone at the first sight, but when I know that he is jobless, I despise him."
He also said, "None of you should leave out seeking sustenance, thinking that it is enough for him to ask Allah to provide sustenance for him."
In another saying, "None of you should say: 'O Allah provide provision for me', while he does not work hard. The sky does not throw down gold, nor silver."
On the next day of appointing him the caliph of the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, he(our master Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him) who was the second most important man after the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, was seen holding a heap of clothes on his shoulder, heading to the market in order to sell it. That was narrated in the biography of the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, and in the biography of his rightly guided Companions.
Dear brother, Ibrahim Ibn Al-Adham, may Allah be pleased with him, who was one of the pious scholars, used to water plants, tend the sheep and work for a fee. He used to work as an orchard keeper, so he reaped the harvest during the day and prayed at night. Thus, the honor of man is his job.
2) Piety brings sustenance:
Allah the Almighty says:"And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). * And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine."
You should always believe that obeying Allah the Almighty brings you the honorable provision which preserves your dignity. This is a key point with regards to the subject of seeking provision. Az-Zubair Ibn Al-Awwam, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:"It is far better for you to take your rope, go to the mountain, (cut some firewood) carry it on your back, and sell it and thereby save your face than begging from people whether they give you or refuse."
Also, dear brother, we should remember the Noble Hadith in which the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"If you all depend on Allah with due reliance, He would certainly give you provision as He gives it to birds who go forth hungry in the morning and return with full belly at dusk."
Never hesitate to accept any job which definitely pleases Allah the Almighty even if it is a low-paying job. The Halal (legal) provision is blessed by Allah the Almighty, while the Haram (illicit) one is deprived of Allah's blessing in this worldly life and in the Hereafter. I would like to address young people and tell them that they should not let sh3er' criticism and opinions influence them. For example, a highly educated young man who has a diploma may not accept a job that does not suits his educational level. I would like those people to bear in mind that the Halal provision is a noble deed no matter what kind of job brings it.3) Avoid begging or asking sh3er for money:
Dear brother: consider the following Noble Hadith:
"…that when a man (begs without dire need), Allah opens for him a door toward poverty."
It was said: "Seek (your) needs with self-respect, as things are run by Divine Decree."Our master Abdul Rahman Ibn Auf, may Allah be pleased with him, gave an excellent example of self-respect. He was penniless when he emigrated to Al-Madinah, so his brother in faith from Al-Anasr (the supporters) Saad Ibn Ar-Rabi asked him to take half of his wealth, but he refused that saying, "May Allah bless your wealth, but kindly show me the way to the market." The amazing fact about Al-Ansar and Al-Muhajirin is that when the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, established a bond of brotherhood between them, no one from Al-Muhajirin took anything from his brother in Islam from Al-Ansar, although everyone from Al-Ansar, may Allah be pleased with them, offered to his brother in Islam from Al-Muhajirin half of his wealth. Verily, Al-Ansar were really generous, and Al-Muhajirin were really temperate.
4) Be patient:
Dear brother, the young people should be patient, because the real success does not come overnight. You should keep patient until Allah the Almighty grants you sustenance.
The basic Islamic principles regarding sustenance:
Dear brother, the matter of seeking sustenance is closely related to the Islamic creed, and there are many fundamental Islamic principles regarding it. Some of which are:
1) Allah the Almighty Alone grants sustenance:
Allah the Almighty Alone is the Sustainer, the Owner of power and the Most Strong. Allah the Almighty says:
"Allah is He Who created you, then provided food for you, then will cause you to die, then (again) He will give you life (on the Day of Resurrection)."
According to Arabic language and rhetoric, the past tense in the following phrase then provided food for you has the meaning of assuring, i.e. your provision is definitely guaranteed by Allah. Almighty Allah does not say then He will provide food for you, but He says, then He provided food for you to assure you that so long as Allah the Almighty created you, He will definitely provide legal provision for you, provided that you abstain from seeking illicit provision.
Dear brother, Allah the Almighty says:
"And Allah has made for you wives of your own kind, and has made for you, from your wives, sons and grandsons, and has bestowed on you good provision. Do they then believe in false deities and deny the Favour of Allah (by not worshipping Allah Alone)."
The first point with regards to the relation between provision and the Islamic creed is that Allah the Almighty Alone is the Sustainer, the Owner of power and the Most Strong. You should deeply believe in this fact.
Actually, providing the creatures with sustenance is one of the qualities which indicates the perfection of Allah's Lordship and that Allah the Almighty is the Perfect Sustainer. In other words, one aspect of the perfection of Allah's Lordship towards His creatures is that He created them and He provides them with provision.
2) What Allah has decreed for someone will definitely happen to him:
Dear brother, one of the basic Islamic principles concerning the matter of sustenance is that every goodness and every provision which Allah has ordained for His slave will never miss him, and it will never happen to anyone other than him. Allah the Almighty says:
"And no (moving) living creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allah. And He knows its dwelling place and its deposit (in the uterous, grave, etc.). All is in a Clear Book (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz - the Book of Decrees with Allah)."
(its provision is due from Allah) means that Allah the Almighty has committed His Divine Essence to provide provision for His slaves. Allah the Almighty says:
"And no (moving) living creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allah."
This expression in the Arabic Language indicates the encompassment of all members of the species. To illustrate this point, consider the following example: if I enter the class and say to the students: I'll give a present for every one of you, the meaning is crystal clear (I am addressing only the students who are in class), but if I say: there is no student of you but will be given a present from me, this sentence structure means that all students even the absent ones will be given a present."And no (moving) living creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allah."
This Ayah encompasses all members of the species and it means that Allah the Almighty has committed Himself to provide provision for all His slaves.3) Decreasing one's sustenance is a matter of discipline:
Dear brother, one of the basic Islamic principles regarding the matter of sustenance is that the division of provision among people has nothing to do with the noble social background, ancestral line, reasoning, intelligence, high social position, prestige, obeying Allah or disobeying Him, but it has to do with Allah's Profound Wisdom which we may comprehend or may not. For example, He may grants provision to the fool and deprive the sane of it, and He may grant someone of humble ancestry and deprive the one of the noble ancestry. Our imperfect mind is sometimes incapable of comprehending Allah's Wisdom with regard to providing His servants with sustenance.
However, you should never say that Allah the Almighty should ordain the best thing for human being. These words are completely rejected because our imperfect mind fails in comprehending the best situation which Allah the Almighty chooses for people. Therefore, some scholars say, "When Allah the Almighty deprives you of something, this deprivation turns to be sometimes an act of granting, and when He grants you something, this granting sometimes could be an act of deprivation. If Allah the Almighty reveals to you the wisdom behind deprivation, you will realize that this deprivation is for your own interest, i.e it is granting." This is the meaning of the following Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
"And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you."
Allah the Almighty knows what happened in the past, what is happening now and what will happen in the future. As for the things which did not happen in the past, He knows how would they have been if they had happened. You may complain about the lack of provision, but you do not know that if Allah the Almighty were to increase your sustenance, you would disobey Him (you may be busy with accumulating your wealth at the expense of worshipping Him properly). Allah the Almighty says:"And if Allah were to enlarge the provision for His slaves, they would surely rebel in the earth,"
You should know for sure that when your provision is decreased, it is a matter of discipline, not out of deficiency because Allah the Almighty says:"And there is not a thing, but with Us are the stores thereof. And We send it not down except in a known measure."
Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said in a Qudsi Hadith that Allah the Almighty says:"O My servants, even if the first amongst you and the last amongst you and the whole human race of yours and that of jinns also all stand in one plain ground and you ask Me and I confer upon every person what he asks for, it would not in any way, cause any loss to Me (even less) than that which is caused to the ocean by dipping the needle in it. My servants, these for you I shall reward you for thern, so he who deeds of yours which I am recording finds good should praise Allah and he who does not find that should not blame anyone but his own self."
4) Investing sustenance in obeying Allah the Almighty:
Dear brother, one of the basic Islamic principles regarding sustenance is that Allah the Almighty provides His servants with provision mainly to help them obey Him. How dare a servant of Allah invests the sustenance, which Allah provides him with, in disobeying Him?
This is really a strange attitude; how dare you disobey him although you eat from His Provision? How dare you disobey Him although you live in His Land? How dare You disobey Him although He watches you? How dare you disobey Him and never fear His Punishment?
5) The connection between sustenance and spending money in Sadaqah:
Dear brother, also, one of the basic Islamic principles regarding sustenance is that in many Noble Ayat, Allah the Almighty mentioned providing His servants with sustenance along with demanding them to spend it in His Cause. Consider the following Noble Ayat:
"O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whosoever does that, then they are the losers.* And spend (in charity) of that with which We have provided you, before death comes to one of you and he says: "My Lord! If only You would give me respite for a little while (i.e. return to the worldly life), then I should give Sadaqah (i.e. Zakat) of my wealth, and be among the righteous [i.e. perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah)].* And Allah grants respite to none when his appointed time (death) comes. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do."
"Say (O Muhammad PBUH) to 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have believed, that they should perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and spend in charity out of the sustenance We have given them, secretly and openly,"
"Who perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and spend out of that We have provided them."
As if Allah the Almighty has provided you with sustenance in order to spend out of it with the aim of getting closer to Him. It was said, "When Allah the Almighty wants to show His Bounty on you, He creates kind acts then ascribes them to you.6) The wisdom of dividing sustenance:
One of the basic Islamic principles concerning sustenance is that Allah the Almighty has preferred some of people above sh3er in sustenance; He provides some people with abundant means of sustenance, He provides other people with less sustenance and He deprives some of them of it. Allah the Almighty says:
"And Allah has preferred some of you above sh3er in wealth and properties."
Thus, there is absolute and constant Divine Wisdom which fits every one of us, and which some people comprehend while sh3er do not. What is reported in the following relic confirms this fact:It was narrated that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessing upon him, said: "Jibreel came to me and said, 'O Muhammad, your Lord sends Salam (greeting) to you and says, 'Some servants of Mine will not have good faith in Me except when they are rich, so if I make them poor, they will become disbelievers, while sh3er will not have good faith in Me except when they are poor, so if I make them rich, they will become disbelievers. Also, some servants of Mine will not have good faith in Me except when they are sick, so if I grant them good health, they will become disbelievers, whereas, sh3er will not have good faith in Me except when they are healthy, so if I make them ill, they will become disbelievers."
7) Seeking sustenance from Allah the Almighty Alone:
One of the basic Islamic principles regarding sustenance is that one should not seek it except from Allah the Almighty Alone. The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"If you beg, beg of Him Alone; and if you need assistance, supplicate to Allah Alone for help."
Allah the Almighty condemns those who seek provision from other than Him. Allah the Almighty says:"And they worship sh3er besides Allah, such as do not and cannot own any provision for them from the heavens or the earth."
Thus, you should ask Allah alone and request no one but Him. Also, you should refrain from asking people to fulfill your needs unless you do that and you firmly believe that you are asking Allah the Almighty. It was said, "Whoever humbles himself in front of a rich man, because of his wealth and hangs his hope on him, will have lost two-thirds of his religion."8) The abundant sustenance is not a sign of Allah's Satisfaction:
The most important point with regards to sustenance is that when Allah the Almighty grants abundant sustenance to someone, it does not indicate that Allah the Almighty loves that person, nor does it indicate anything else. Allah the Almighty grants the abundant sustenance to those whom He loves and those whom He does not. Hence, as long as Allah the Almighty bestows wealth on those He loves and those whom He does not, it is not a sufficient proof of Allah's Love for those whom He grants wealth.
When Allah the Almighty grants abundant sustenance to one of His servants, it does not mean that He loves that person or He is pleased with him. Allah the Almighty says:
"He (Allah) answered: "As for him who disbelieves, I shall leave him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him to the torment of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination!"
If Allah the Almighty grants abundant sustenance to you, and if you start to make considerable profits, do not think that it is a sign of Allah's Love for you.Allah the Almighty granted fabulous wealth to Qarun although He did not love him, and He granted kingdom to Pharaoh although He did not love him either. On the other hand, those whom He loves, were granted wisdom, knowledge and other valuable things. Allah the Almighty says:
"and taught you that which you knew not. And Ever Great is the Grace of Allah unto you (O Muhammad PBUH)."
Dear brother, Uqbah Ibn Amer, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
(('When you see that Allah the Almighty is generous to someone although he insists on committing sins, it is an act of bringing him gradually to the Hell.'Then the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, reauthord the following Noble Ayah: "So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded, We opened to them the gates of every (pleasant) thing, until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We took them to punishment, and lo! They were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrows".))
The means of increasing sustenance:
Dear brother, we've discussed the value of seeking sustenance, and the basic Islamic principles regarding the matter of sustenance. Now, let's discuss the means by which our sustenance can be increased. Those means are the most important points in our lecture today.
1) Asking forgiveness from Allah:
Allah the Almighty says:
"I said (to them): 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord; Verily, He is Oft-Forgiving;* 'He will send rain to you in abundance;* 'And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers."
Al-Imam Al-Qurtubi said, "This Ayah is a sign which indicates that you can ask Allah the Almighty to send sustenance and rain to you by seeking His Forgiveness."A man came to Al-Hasan Al-Basri, may Allah be pleased with him, complaining to him about drought, and he advised him to ask forgiveness from Allah. Then another man came to him complaining about poverty, and he also advised him to ask forgiveness from Allah. Then another man came to him complaining about not having a child, and he also advised him to ask forgiveness from Allah. Al-Hassan's students, who were sitting beside him, asked him, "Why did you give them the same advice although they complained to you about different matters?" He, may Allah be pleased with him, answered, "This advice is not mine; Allah the Almighty says:
"I said (to them): 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord; Verily, He is Oft-Forgiving;* 'He will send rain to you in abundance;* 'And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers."
2) Reliance upon Allah:
Dear brother, At-Tirmidhi reported from Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"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."
Pay attention to the clue which is implied in the above-mentioned Noble Hadith; the verbs goes out and returns require action (there is an intention to seek provision). Provision cannot be granted if someone keeps staying at home, never goes out looking for a job, never asks people about job opportunities or never reads ads about job vacancies. Such person claims that there are no job opportunities. He cannot find a job because he is inactive, and he makes no efforts while seeking provision. Listen again to the verbs goes out and returns which indicate action, asking, demanding, and following the reasons."It goes out in the morning empty, and returns full."
Allah the Almighty says:
"And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things."
So, reliance upon Allah is the second means.
3) Performing the acts of worship properly:
One of the means of increasing sustenance is to worship Allah the Almighty, to devout yourself to the worship of Him and to perform the acts of worship in the best manner.
At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Ibn Hibban reported from Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"O son of Adam! Devote yourself to My worship, I will fill your chest with riches and alleviate your poverty. And if you do not do so, then I will fill your hands with problems and not alleviate your poverty."
Also, it was reported in the relic that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said: Allah the Almighty says:
"O Son of Adam, be to Me as I want, and I will Be to you as you want, be to Me as I want, and do not inform Me what pleases you, there is the thing that you want, and there is the thing that I want. If you entrust your affair to Me in what I want then I will provide you with what you want. If you do not do this then I will tire you out in your struggle but you will not get more than what I determined for you."
"Allah the Almighty inspired this worldly life saying: whoever serves Me, serve him; and whoever serves you, enslave him."
If desire this worldly life, it will tempt you, harm you and pass away. Beware, it is the abode of those who choose it to be their abode, and only the fools who run for it.
4) Performing Hajj and Umrah consecutively:
One of the ways to increase sustenance is to perform Hajj and Umrah consecutively. An-Nasa'i reported from Abdullah Ibn Masud, may Allah be pleased with them, that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"Perform Hajj and 'Umrah consecutively; for they remove poverty and sin as the bellows removes impurity from iron and gold and silver."
So, this is the fourth way.5) Keeping good relation with kith and kin:
You may have relatives, such as your sisters, your daughters, your paternal aunts or your maternal aunts who live in the outskirts of the city, so when you visit them, be generous to them, help them, manage their affairs, take care of them and guide them to Allah the Almighty, your sustenance will increase. Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
((He who likes that his sustenance should be expanded and his age may be lengthened should join the tie of kinship.))
Which means whoever is pleased that Allah the Almighty increases his sustenance and prolongs his life, should maintain good relation with his kith and kin.Maintaining the ties of kinship can be done by visiting them. You can call them first and talk to them on the phone. Then pay them visits, help them improve their living conditions and their religious, educational and social situation. After that, you can guide them to Allah the almighty. As a result, Almighty Allah will grant you what you want.
6) Spending money in the Way of Allah and giving charity:
Another way to increase sustenance is to spend money in Allah's Cause. Allah the Almighty says:
"And whatsoever you spend of anything (in Allah's Cause), He will replace it. And He is the Best of providers."
The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"O Bilal, spend whatever you wish, and do not fear any lessening from the Lord of the 'Arsh (Throne)."
Also, Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"O son of Adam, spend. I will spend on you. The Right Hand of Allah is full and overflowing and in nothing would diminish It, by overspending day and night."
Thus, one of the means to increase your sustenance is to spend a lot in the Way of Allah the Almighty.
7) Be humble while dealing with the poor:
Musab ibn Sa'd said: Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him, felt that he was superior to those of lower rank than his, so the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said to him:
"You gain no victory or livelihood except through (the blessings and invocations of) the poor amongst you."
Also, the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:"Seek your weak for me. For indeed your sustenance and aid is only by your weak."
8) Migration in the Cause of Allah:
Also, one of the ways to increase your sustenance is to migrate in the Sake of Allah. If your social environment makes it difficult for you to obey Allah, to worship Him or to raise your children or even your grandchildren according to the Islamic teachings, you should leave this country, because the purpose of your existence in this worldly life is to worship Allah. You should leave whatever prevents you from worshiping Allah, and this act of abandoning is one of the ways to increase sustenance.
However, when you migrate from your Islamic country where you can perform the acts of worship, and you can raise your children according to the Islamic teachings to a country where sins are committed publically, this migration is not in the Cause of Allah, but rather it is a migration in the cause of Satan.
Actually, the migration in the Cause of Allah is when you leave a non-Islamic developed country where whatever you wish is there to a developing country where difficulties are numerous in all aspects of life. You prefer pleasing Allah and protecting the religion of your children to enjoying worldly pleasures. Allah the Almighty says about this migrant:
"He who emigrates (from his home) in the Cause of Allah, will find on earth many dwelling places and plenty to live by."
He will find sustenance there in defiance of those who criticized him for this migration. Actually, when many people leave rich and developed non-Islamic countries and go back to their own Islamic countries, people around them accuse them of being crazy, and tell them they will become poor. However, Allah the Almighty brings them the glad tidings that He will grant them sustenance in defiance of those who criticize them for this migration. Thus, migration is one of the ways of increasing your sustenance.9) Implementing the Shar'e of Allah:
Dear brother, implementing the Shar'e of Allah increases sustenance, as it is deduced from the following Ayah:
"And if only they had acted according to the Taurat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel), and what has (now) been sent down to them from their Lord (the Quran), they would surely have gotten provision from above them and from underneath their feet. There are from among them people who are on the right course (i.e. they act on the revelation and believe in Prophet Muhammad PBUH like 'Abdullah bin Salam), but many of them do evil deeds."
Many provinces were affected by heavy frost, and the temperature went down to minus seven and even minus ten, so all the crops were destroyed."Then there passed by on the (garden) something (fire) from your Lord at night and burnt it while they were asleep."
There was no rain for five weeks, so all crops were damaged at that critical time. All matters are under the Control of Allah the Almighty, so seeking Allah's Satisfaction is not sought by being clever, but rather it is sought by being straight and firmly adherent to Allah's Orders.
10) Repentance:
Dear brother, one of the means to increase your sustenance is repentance:
"And (commanding you): "Seek the forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance, that He may grant you good enjoyment, for a term appointed, and bestow His abounding Grace to every owner of grace (i.e. the one who helps and serves needy and deserving, physically and with his wealth, and even with good words)."
So, the sincere repentance is one of the ways to have abundant sustenance.11) Making Du'a (supplication):
One of the means of increasing sustenance is Making Du'a. The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, used to say in his supplication:
"O Allah, I seek refuge in You from Kufr, poverty and the torment of the grave)'
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"Seek refuge with Allah from poverty, want and humiliation, and from wronging sh3er or being wronged."
12) Fearing Allah the Almighty:
One of the ways to increase sustenance is fearing Allah the Almighty. Allah the Almighty says:
"And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). * And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine."
"And if the people of the towns had believed and had the Taqwa (piety), certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth"
13) Remembering Allah the Almighty:
Allah the Almighty says:
"But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Quran nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship,"
Unlike the situation of the disbeliever, the believer will be granted provision, Allah the Almighty says:"And enjoin As-Salat (the prayer) on your family, and be patient in offering them [i.e. the Salat (prayers)]. We ask not of you a provision (i.e. to give Us something: money, etc.); We provide for you."
14) Seek sustenance early in the morning:
Dear brother, another means of increasing your sustenance is to seek sustenance early in the morning.
Actually, dear brother, the problem which we suffer in our country is that people never go to work before 11 O'clock in the morning. You can notice how before that time employees are asleep, shops are closed and even some administrators never go to work before that time.
Contrary to this situation, in non-Islamic countries, streets are extremely overcrowded at five O'clock in the morning. They do not believe in Allah, yet they go to their jobs early in the morning, whereas Muslims in our countries spend their evenings working instead of spending them at home with their families, and they miss the early mornings sleeping instead of spending them at work. A poet ironically referred to that saying:
O My people, sleep a lot and do not wake up; no one will win except those who sleep much.
And let aside understanding; it is much better for you not to understand anything.
Actually, this is a big problem.
Sakhr Al-Ghamdi, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings (i.e., what they do early in the morning)."
At the time from Al-Fajr prayer (the dawn prayer) till 2 O'clock in the afternoon, you can do many things which you cannot do during the whole day. A great scholar wrote two encyclopedias about Quran interpretation and Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and each one consists of ten volumes. He told me that he worked on those two encyclopedias at the time from Al-Fajr prayer to eight O'clock in the morning throughout four years. This particular period of time is really precious and blessed. The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"If they knew the reward for the 'Isha' and the Fajr prayers in congregation, they would join them even if they had to crawl."
15) Spend money on the seeker of Islamic knowledge:
You may be astonished if I tell you that spending money on the Islamic knowledge seeker increases your sustenance. A foreign student may come to your country seeking Islamic knowledge to get back to his homeland as an Imam, an Islamic missioner, a director of an Islamic institution or an Islamic jurisprudent, so if you treat him generously, spend money on him and make him feel that he lives in his own country and among his family, this will increase your sustenance. Listen to the proof in the following Noble Hadith: Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"There were two brother in the days of the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him. One of them used to attend the Prophet's circle (to acquire knowledge) and the other used to earn their living). Once the latter complained to the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessing upon him, against the former (for not earning his living). He, may Allah have peace and blessing upon him, replied, "Perhaps you are being granted sustenance because of him."
This is a conclusive evidence. Thus, you can be a caller to Allah, or serve a caller to Him; i.e. the seeker of Islamic knowledge who comes to your country.16) Giving thanks to Allah:
Dear brother, you should be grateful to Allah for all the innumerable blessings He granted you, the greatest one of which is that you enjoy good health. If one of your body systems stops working, your life will turn into unendurable hell.
For example, if your kidneys stop working, you should undergo hemodialysis treatment three times a week, each time lasts for four hours and each one costs three thousand Liras. It means that you should pay forty thousand liras monthly if one of the kidneys stops working.
One of the greatest blessings which Allah has granted you is the blessing of good health; Allah has granted you a healthy body, undamaged five senses and strong body, so that you can move without asking anyone for help.
Actually, when you give thanks to Allah for the blessings He has granted you, Allah will protect these blessings and will grant you more out of His Bounty. Allah the Almighty says:
"If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings),"
So, one of the ways to increase your sustenance is to give thanks to Allah for the blessings He has granted you. You have a house to live in, while many people do not, you have a wife, while many people do not and you enjoy good health, while many people suffer unbearable pains and do not have enough money for the medicine.17) Mastering your job:
Dear brother, the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"Allah loves that if one does a job he perfects it."
Let me tell you something: at times of recession, those who master their jobs go on working, while at the time of prosperity and affluence, all people work. This indicates that those who master their jobs will never be affected by unemployment.18) As-Salah (Prayer):
Allah the Almighty says:
"And enjoin As-Salat (the prayer) on your family, and be patient in offering them [i.e. the Salat (prayers)]. We ask not of you a provision (i.e. to give Us something: money, etc.);"
I've mentioned Salah when I talked about making Du'a, but in fact it can stand by its own as one means of increasing sustenance. So far I've mentioned eighteen ways for increasing the sustenance and they are all derived from the Words of Allah, the Creator of the universes, and the words of the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, the Master of mankind.
Verily, this is our Islamic religion, which is based on Allah's Words (the Noble Qur'an) and the Sunnah of His Messenger, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, and no other claimed bases are accepted.
Some illusions and misconceptions:
There are many misconceptions about the matter of sustenance which have no relation with our religion. For example, you may hear that a terrible famine will strike mankind, there will be scarcity of water and there will be water, wheat and oil crises. Our enemies are sending those messages in order to weaken our resistance.
Dear brother, the last point I'd like to discuss in our lecture today is that people mistakenly think that the believers are always poor, while the disbelievers are always wealthy. This is absolutely wrong. It was said, "How great it is to have money in order to preserve my honor and get closer to Allah the Almighty (by spending it in the Way of Allah).
Actually, when man seeks Halal gain and later on has abundant sustenance, he can find countless ways to perform righteous deeds. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"A believer who is strong (and healthy) is better and dearer to Allah than the weak believer, but there is goodness in both of them. Be keen on what benefits you and seek help from Allah, and do not give up. If anything afflicts you do not say, ‘If I had done such and such things, such and such would have happened.’ But say, ‘Allah decrees and what He wills He does,’ for (the utterance) ‘If I had’ provides an opening for the deeds of the devil."
When you seek Halal sustenance and you earn a lot of money, you can have power over your family by spending money on them, and accordingly keep them closer to you and guide them to the goodness.
In conclusion:
Dear brother, call yourselves to account before you are called to account weigh your deeds before they are weighed against you, and 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. It is the clever 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.
***
The second Khutbah:
Praise be to Allah, and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the Protector of righteous people; and I bear witness that Prophet Muhammad is His Servant and His Messenger, whose character is exalted. O Allah! Send Your Peace and Blessings on sayyidina Muhammad and his Family and his Companions.
I still have a few points to discuss with you which complement the subject of our lesson today.
Desirable matters with regards to seeking a living:
Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"O people, fear Allah and be moderate in seeking a living, for no soul will die until it has received all its provision, even if it is slow in coming. So fear Allah and be moderate in seeking provision; take that which is permissible and leave that which is forbidden."
To illustrate this point, consider the following example: let us say that Allah the Almighty has ordained for someone to eat a certain apple on the fifth branch of the fourth limb of the seventh tree in an apple tree orchard, but this man will either take it as a gift, buy it, beg for it or steal it. Your sustenance is ordained for you, but you choose the way to get it. So, keep away from ill-gotten gains, and you will be granted Halal ones. I repeat the following Noble Hadith again:
"O people, fear Allah and be moderate in seeking a living, for no soul will die until it has received all its provision, even if it is slow in coming. So fear Allah and be moderate in seeking provision; take that which is permissible and leave that which is forbidden. "
Dear brother: The above-mentioned Noble Hadith has a very precise meaning.
Let's mention some of the desirable matters with regard to seeking a living:
1) Being moderate in seeking sustenance:
Man should be moderate in seeking provision and making a living.
What does being moderate in this context mean? It means that you should seek the Halal gains and leave the Haram ones. Therefore, if a big gain is suspected to be Haram, you should abstain from taking it, forget about it and say that Allah is the All-Rich (that He will compensate you with something better). Also, you shouldn't do harm to yourself by exposing it to hardship and enormous difficulties while seeking your sustenance. Someone may think that he can make his living through illegal ways, but it makes him risk his life, lose all his money or go to prison. Allah the Almighty have not burdened you with things you have no ability to bear. Thus, being moderate in seeking your living means to avoid doing harm to yourself and exposing yourself to hardship and extreme difficulties while seeking sustenance.
Being moderate in seeking your sustenance also means that you should not neglect What is obliged or recommended. You should not neglect performing the acts of worship, righteous deeds or seeking the Islamic knowledge. Let me tell you something: whoever has a legal job, and he performs it in a legal way, aims at fulfilling his needs and the ones of his family and serving Muslims through it and he does not let it distract him from performing obligatory acts of worship, from seeking Islamic knowledge or from performing beneficent act, his job will turn into an act of worship. It was said, "The habits of the believer turn into acts of worship, while the acts of worship of the hypocrite turn into sins."
2) Agreeing with a Muslim to cancel a transaction:
Dear brother, one of etiquettes of seeking living is to agree with a Muslim to cancel a transaction. The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:
"Whoever agrees with a Muslim to cancel a transaction Allah will forgive his sins on the Day of Resurrection. "
If someone buys an object and pays you its price, but later on he regrets buying it, so he keeps it untouched and wrapped up by the cover of the manufacturing company in order to give it back to you, it is desirable according to the Shar'e to take this object back. The Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessing upon him, said:
"Whoever agrees with a Muslim to cancel a transaction Allah will forgive his sins on the Day of Resurrection. "
3) Do not make price discrimination:
You shouldn't sell the same object at different prices, as it is one of the etiquettes of buying and selling. So, the seller should adhere to one standard price while dealing with customers.
Dear brother, it is permissible to lower the price if the buyer is one of your relatives or someone who buys a large quantity of a certain commodity. However, changing price for the same object while dealing with customers raises doubts about the reliability of the Muslim seller.
Also, give full measure and weight when buying and selling, beware not to depreciate people their things, and beware not to be amongst those who give less in measure and weight.
4) Do not adhere strictly to the price:
You shouldn't adhere rigidly to the prices of the objects while selling. You may meet a seller who insists on making his customers pay him the small amounts even before the big ones (if an object cots 525 Liras, he asks the costumer to pay him the 25 Liras even before the 500 ones). This is really strict behavior. Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said:"Allah forgave a man who was before you: He was tolerant when selling, tolerant when purchasing, and tolerant when repaying."
So, do not be rigid while performing your duties in business, nor do you be strict while asking your debtor to pay his debt..5) Hastening to perform Salah:
Hasten to perform Salah at its proper time and do not use your trade or your job as a pretext for delaying it.
6) Remembering Allah the Almighty:
You should remember Allah in the markets, in shopping centers by making Du'a and repeating the invocations which were transmitted from the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him.
Invocation:
We beseech you Allah to show us the way of rightness, together with those to whom You have showed it; and give us good health, together with those whom You have healed; and be our Protector, together with those for whom You have become their Protector; and bless us in what You have bestowed on us and save us from the afflictions that You have decreed, for You rule with justice and You are never judged. He whom You protect shall never be humiliated, and he whom You make enemy shall never be exalted. Blessed and dignified are You, and we thank You for what You have decreed. We ask You for Forgiveness for our sins, and we repent to You.
O Allah, guide us to perform a good deed, as You are the One Who guides to the best of deeds. O Allah, make us do well in the Deen which is our dignity and make our lives good, for it is our living and make us safe on the Day of Judgment, for it is our Final Destination. O Allah, make life our supply for all good things and make death a rest from every evil, O our Master, Lord of the Worlds.
O Allah, make us prefer everything You have made lawful to everything You have made unlawful, let Your Mercy make us independent of all sh3er, make us obedient to You and turn us away from disobedience. O Allah, let us watch out of being secured of Your plans. Don’t unveil Your shield on us, or make us forget Your dhikr (remembrance of Allah).
O Allah, raise high the word of truth and this Deen, grant triumph to Islam, dignify Muslims and grant triumph to Muslims everywhere. O Allah humiliate polytheism and polytheists, destroy Your enemies; the enemies of Islam, disrupt them, make them scattered and afflict them, O Lord of the Worlds. O Allah, show us Your Omnipotence against Your enemies, as You have showed us their power in destroying us, You are the only One Who is capable over His decreed, and Who responds to our supplication.
