The Poor Man Seeking Sustenance from the Ruler
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
If a poor person seeks sustenance from the ruler or the judge, does he thereby fall into shirk (associating partners with Allah)?
The Shaykh:
If you ask a created being, such as a ruler or someone else, for something they are capable of providing, there is no harm in it. There is nothing wrong with asking the ruler or the one in authority; it is not disliked, because this is your right. You are asking for a right that belongs to you in the public treasury. This is not disliked, and it is not supplication to other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic). There is no harm in asking someone to give you, lend you money, or give you charity; there is no prohibition in this. This is not supplication to other than Allah, nor is it calling for aid from other than Allah. These are matters well known among people. Allah commanded cooperation in righteousness and piety, and commanded charity and kindness to people. Yes.
The presenter:
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar, Allah, Allahu Akbar. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.Sahih Muslim 379. May you be guided, O rescuer. Come, let us live, O God. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, there is no god but Allah.
The Shaykh:
Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
If a poor person seeks sustenance from the ruler or the judge, does he thereby fall into shirk (associating partners with Allah)?
The Shaykh:
If you ask a created being, such as a ruler or someone else, for something they are capable of providing, there is no harm in it. There is nothing wrong with asking the ruler or the one in authority; it is not disliked, because this is your right. You are asking for a right that belongs to you in the public treasury. This is not disliked, and it is not supplication to other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic). There is no harm in asking someone to give you, lend you money, or give you charity; there is no prohibition in this. This is not supplication to other than Allah, nor is it calling for aid from other than Allah. These are matters well known among people. Allah commanded cooperation in righteousness and piety, and commanded charity and kindness to people. Yes.
The presenter:
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar, Allah, Allahu Akbar. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.
I testify that Muhammad Is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to the prayer
اشهد ان محمدا رسول الله. اشهد ان محمدا رسول الله. حي على الصلاهThe Shaykh:
Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 31/10 شرح كتاب التوحيد / الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com (59:20)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.