Is buying and renewing medium-priced household furniture and electrical appliances considered extravagance, given that the person who will buy them is in need of them, and
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The questioner : Is buying and renewing medium-priced household furniture and electrical appliances considered extravagance, given that the person who will buy them is in need of them? And what are examples of extravagance and what are its limits?
The Shaykh : Renewal is of two types:
Renewing what has become defective is something that is necessary. If a light bulb burns out, I will bring a replacement; if a switch breaks, I will bring a replacement. This is certainly not extravagance, unless one brings something that is not of the same kind as what he owns. For example, if he brings a door handle from the luxurious handles that only the wealthy use, while he is a person of the middle class, then he is being extravagant.
The criterion for extravagance is exceeding the limit. This is the criterion: a person of the middle class does not buy what a very wealthy person buys, or something similar to that; and a poor person does not buy even what a person of the middle class buys. If you take this criterion—that extravagance is exceeding the limit in food, drink, clothing, housing, and vehicles—you will understand.
For example, if we suppose a woman wants to put more than one bracelet on her arm, while women of her status wear only one bracelet, then if she exceeds one, we say she is being extravagant. But if another woman, who is wealthy, wears two or three bracelets of the kind that women of her status wear, we say this is not extravagance.
Look at what some poor young men do. I do not say they are of the middle class; rather, they are weak and have no money. Yet they go and buy one of the most luxurious cars and make its price a debt upon themselves, which must be more than double what it would cost if bought for cash. Thus, they are being extravagant and are wronging themselves by imposing a debt upon themselves. Anything that leads to debt should not be done except out of dire necessity.
Look at the story of the man mentioned by Sahl ibn Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him), which al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih and others: A woman came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have offered myself to you." This is permissible for a woman to offer herself to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). It was as if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was not interested in her, so she sat down. Then a man stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah, if you have no need of her, marry me to her." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him what he would give her as a bridal gift. He said: "I will give her my waistcloth," and he had no cloak, only a waistcloth. The Prophet said: "How will you give her your waistcloth? If you give it to her, you will be left without a waistcloth, and if it remains on you, she will be left without a bridal gift." This is what he meant. "Go and see if you can find a bridal gift for her." He said: "I have nothing." He said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 3359Sahih (Darussalam). The man found nothing, so he said: ? He said: "Yes." He said: Sunan Abi Dawud 2111Sahih (Al-Albani).
This means he taught her what he had of the Qur'an. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say, "Borrow from your companions" or "Ask for zakah." He did not say this. This indicates that it is not befitting for a person to borrow, even in a matter like this, even for marriage. How much more so for these poor people who borrow just to get a car more luxurious than the car that people of their status are accustomed to.
So my advice to these people, whether they are young men or older than young men, is that they should not be lax regarding debt and that they should know the danger of debt. The danger of debt is great, to the extent that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about martyrdom: does it expiate sins? He said:. When the man turned away, he called him back and said to him, meaning the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): .
So reflect on the fact that martyrdom, where a person is killed in the path of Allah, does not expiate debt. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to ask, when a man was brought to him to pray over him, "Does he have any debt or not?" If they said: "He has no debt," he would step forward and pray over him. If they said: "He has a debt," he would not pray over him. A man from the Ansar was brought to him, and when he took a few steps to pray over him, he said:? They said: "Yes, he has two dinars." He said: . The faces of the people changed, and a man stood up, and it was Abu Qatadah, who said: "O Messenger of Allah, the two dinars are on me." He said: . He said: "Yes." So he stepped forward and prayed. When Allah opened the matter to him (peace and blessings be upon him), he used to take on the debt of those who died with a debt upon them and pray over them.
My intention with this is for people to know the weight of debt and that it is not a light matter. So a person should not incur debt except out of dire necessity. Even if he borrows a loan from a person, it is a debt, so he should not borrow except when there is a pressing need. But if there is a pressing need, there is no harm in borrowing, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to borrow, and he also used to buy without paying the price immediately, but only for a pressing need.
The Shaykh : Renewal is of two types:
Renewing what has become defective is something that is necessary. If a light bulb burns out, I will bring a replacement; if a switch breaks, I will bring a replacement. This is certainly not extravagance, unless one brings something that is not of the same kind as what he owns. For example, if he brings a door handle from the luxurious handles that only the wealthy use, while he is a person of the middle class, then he is being extravagant.
The criterion for extravagance is exceeding the limit. This is the criterion: a person of the middle class does not buy what a very wealthy person buys, or something similar to that; and a poor person does not buy even what a person of the middle class buys. If you take this criterion—that extravagance is exceeding the limit in food, drink, clothing, housing, and vehicles—you will understand.
For example, if we suppose a woman wants to put more than one bracelet on her arm, while women of her status wear only one bracelet, then if she exceeds one, we say she is being extravagant. But if another woman, who is wealthy, wears two or three bracelets of the kind that women of her status wear, we say this is not extravagance.
Look at what some poor young men do. I do not say they are of the middle class; rather, they are weak and have no money. Yet they go and buy one of the most luxurious cars and make its price a debt upon themselves, which must be more than double what it would cost if bought for cash. Thus, they are being extravagant and are wronging themselves by imposing a debt upon themselves. Anything that leads to debt should not be done except out of dire necessity.
Look at the story of the man mentioned by Sahl ibn Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him), which al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih and others: A woman came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have offered myself to you." This is permissible for a woman to offer herself to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). It was as if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was not interested in her, so she sat down. Then a man stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah, if you have no need of her, marry me to her." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him what he would give her as a bridal gift. He said: "I will give her my waistcloth," and he had no cloak, only a waistcloth. The Prophet said: "How will you give her your waistcloth? If you give it to her, you will be left without a waistcloth, and if it remains on you, she will be left without a bridal gift." This is what he meant. "Go and see if you can find a bridal gift for her." He said: "I have nothing." He said:
Look (for something), even if it is only an iron ring
التمس ولو خاتماا من حديدDo you have anything of the Qur'an
هل معك شيء من القرآنI have given you her in marriage for the part of the Qur'an which you know.
زوجتكها بما معك من القرآنThis means he taught her what he had of the Qur'an. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say, "Borrow from your companions" or "Ask for zakah." He did not say this. This indicates that it is not befitting for a person to borrow, even in a matter like this, even for marriage. How much more so for these poor people who borrow just to get a car more luxurious than the car that people of their status are accustomed to.
So my advice to these people, whether they are young men or older than young men, is that they should not be lax regarding debt and that they should know the danger of debt. The danger of debt is great, to the extent that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about martyrdom: does it expiate sins? He said:
Yes
نعمExcept for debt—meaning, it does not expiate it—Gabriel informed me of this just now
إلا الدين _ يعني فإنها لا تكفره _ أخبرني جبريل بذلك آنفاًSo reflect on the fact that martyrdom, where a person is killed in the path of Allah, does not expiate debt. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to ask, when a man was brought to him to pray over him, "Does he have any debt or not?" If they said: "He has no debt," he would step forward and pray over him. If they said: "He has a debt," he would not pray over him. A man from the Ansar was brought to him, and when he took a few steps to pray over him, he said:
Does he have any debt
هل عليه دينPray over your companion
صلوا على صاحبكمThe right of the creditor and the deceased is absolved from it
حق الغريم وبرء منهما الميتMy intention with this is for people to know the weight of debt and that it is not a light matter. So a person should not incur debt except out of dire necessity. Even if he borrows a loan from a person, it is a debt, so he should not borrow except when there is a pressing need. But if there is a pressing need, there is no harm in borrowing, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to borrow, and he also used to buy without paying the price immediately, but only for a pressing need.