Clarifying the error in the common saying: "Lawful wealth does not sink or burn."

The Shaykh : On this occasion, I say: Since it is mentioned in this hadith that one may be afflicted in his wealth, you should know that what is said—that lawful wealth does not sink or burn—is not correct in light of the Shari'ah. The loss of wealth, its sinking, or its being stolen, all of this is a type of trial that a Muslim may face, and he is written reward and compensation for it. Therefore, we should not say that lawful wealth does not sink or get stolen; this is the talk of the ignorant, naturally. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says in the well-known verse: . So the patient ones are also afflicted in their wealth. It does not mean that if they are afflicted in their wealth, their wealth is forbidden, acquired through unlawful means. No, there is absolutely no necessary connection between the two matters. Lawful wealth may burn, and forbidden wealth may be preserved. All of this is a trial from Allah (Mighty and Majestic), as He said: , meaning: a test from Allah, which may be through good or through evil. If we suppose, for example—and this is something by which many people are actually tested, and then they do not succeed in their testing and trial—a fire may break out, for instance, and one shop burns down while the one next to it does not, and then the one next to that one burns down. Some people may think that the one whose wealth was saved has lawful wealth, and the one that burned down on both sides has forbidden wealth. This is not correct at all. It may be exactly the opposite. The shop that burned down may have had lawful wealth, and this is a trial from Allah. And the shop that did not burn down may have had wealth that was one hundred percent forbidden, yet it did not burn down. This is part of the trial through good and evil. Therefore, let no one among you think that the burning of wealth is proof that it was acquired through a forbidden path, or that its not burning is proof that it was acquired through a lawful path. None of this is consistent; it may be one way or the other.