By
Bilal Naeem – Hiba magazine Team writer – Lahore
The Messenger of Allah (SA) said: “Whoever is focused only on this world, Allah will confound his affairs and make him fear poverty constantly, and he will not get anything of this world except that which has been decreed for him. Whoever is focused on the Hereafter, Allah will settle his affairs for him and make him feel content with his lot, and his provision and worldly gains will undoubtedly come to him.” (Ibn Majah)
Everyday we see this in the world around us, in the people around us and often, if we look closely enough, in ourselves: a preoccupation with the world and a fear of poverty. This is not to deny that this is something of concern as the Messenger of Allah (SA) said: ‘Seek refuge with Allah from poverty, want, humiliation and wronging others or being wronged.’ (an-Nasa’i)
So, what are the ways in which we can play our role in society for a better distribution of wealth?
Financial Assistance in the short term
The last few years have seen a sudden spike in inflation, and we have all firsthand witnessed life style changes in the people around us. For those, who were already struggling, this has resulted in anything from pulling kids out of school to getting evicted from their home to getting stuck in high inflation debt traps. In such times, sometimes all that is needed is some short-term support till we can get back on track.
Allah (swt) says: “Who is it that would loan Allah a goodly loan so He may multiply it for him many times over? And it is Allah who withholds and grants abundance, and to Him you will be returned” (Al Baqarah 2: 245).
Some ways in which we can extend our support is through:
- Qarz-e-Hasna, a soft interest free loan, Allah (swt) says in the Quran: “Who is it that will give Allah a beautiful loan? A loan that Allah will repay after increasing it many times and grant him a generous reward.” (Al Hadid 57:11)
- Sadaqah, the voluntary charity, for which our Prophet (SA) said: “Sadaqa is due on every joint of a person, every day the sun rises. Administering of justice between two men is also a Sadaqa. And assisting a man to ride upon his beast, or helping him load his luggage upon it, is a Sadaqa; and a good word is a Sadaqa; and every step that you take towards prayer is a Sadaqa, and removing of harmful things from the pathway is a Sadaqa.” (Muslim)
- Combined efforts, where the support needed is greater or beyond our own resources, then using our contacts and resources to pool money together for such help is an equally noble effort and one should not shy away from it.
Why should we assist the economically strained relatives, employees or strangers? This is our test as much as it is theirs. It is a great opportunity for us to receive from Allah (swt) in return:
Forgiveness in the hereafter,
More bounties in the world,
Sound Iman,
Good health,
Obedient children,
Content homes,
Happier lives and much more…
Financial Assistance in the long term
We may meet people who are not aware of the opportunities that are available to them, or could be available to them if they undertook certain efforts. This is very much the case where due mentoring or encouragement regarding education can be a life altering support. This may take financial form as well, but in many cases this may just be the right direction and encouragement.
Similarly, using one’s connections to support competent and hard-working people get the exposure and opportunities they may not otherwise receive is a work of great importance and reward, connecting the right employee with the right employer is no doubt an act of virtue.
Giving people their due
An evil that seems to be only too prevalent, causing great worry and disturbance in our society is simply not giving people what is already rightfully theirs. The ones with authority or power would rather hold the money or use it for their own gain without considering the broad impact of such actions. The following areas are some examples of where such actions can have far reaching consequences:
a. Inheritance and Wasiyah; such importance was given to this area that our beloved Prophet (SA) said: “It is the duty of a Muslim who has something which is to be given as a bequest not to have it for two nights without having his will written down regarding it.” (Muslim). It is our duty to not only pay everyone their due, despite what authority or power they hold, but also to pay without delays. Also encourage others to do the same, otherwise retaining other’s wealth will become Rizq e Haraam for the one who does so.
b. Paying people on time for their work; our beloved Prophet (SA) said: “Give the worker his wages before his sweat dries” (Ibn Majah). It should be our utmost effort to make payments to our employees as soon as their work is complete. While we may have the opportunity to delay this payment, we should understand that we are only harming ourselves in the long run for some minor profit.
c. Paying people on time in business transactions; similar to paying employees, we should be very mindful of our business transactions. Unfortunately, holding people’s money, trying to push and pull maximum credit out of people is something considered as a part of business however this mentality is not that of a righteous Muslim. This is why the Prophet (SA) said: “Delay (in the payment of debt) on the part of a rich man is injustice, and when one of you is retired to a rich man, he should follow him.” (Muslim)
Spiritual assistance from Allah (swt)
Faith (Iman) isn’t always the same and often, hardships can cause the best of us to stray. While it remains important for us to consider it a personal responsibility to help those in need, at the same time emphasizing that the true help lies with Allah (SWT) is very important.
Strong faith in the help of Allah (swt) from his infinite resources and unending Rehmat is the true source of comfort and often we can get so lost in trying to get out of our problems that this connection gets overlooked.
When we pledge to help Allah’s (swt) needy slaves, Allah (swt) takes upon Himself to provide for us from the most unexpected means.
While studying carefully at college or working hard at our job or spending time running our business, may be an important aspect of our lives, they should not become a goal within themselves but simply a means to fulfil our necessities.
We cannot let the love of wealth or the fear of poverty overtake us. After all, the Prophet (SA) said that he looked into Paradise and found that the majority of its dwellers were the poor people (Bukhari)
That doesn’t sound like very bad company to end up with.
And Allah (swt) knows best.
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