And prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions: He said -may Allah have mercy on him-
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
He said -may Allah have mercy on him-: "The chapter on the prohibition of wasting wealth in other than the ways in which the Shari'ah has permitted it:
From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Riyad as-Salihin 1781 Narrated by Muslim.
And from Warrad, the scribe of al-Mughirah, who said: Al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah dictated to me in a letter to Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him):Riyad as-Salihin 1782 Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim".
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author said -may Allah have mercy on him-: "The chapter on the prohibition of wasting wealth in other than what Allah has permitted":
Wealth, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) made it the foundation for people, upon which the interests of their religion and worldly affairs are established, as He the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:5]: For this reason, transgressing against it is forbidden.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Riyad as-Salihin 1524, and He the Exalted and Majestic established the distribution of wealth in many places by Himself (Exalted and Majestic is He), saying: [Al-Anfal 8:41], and He said: [At-Tawbah 9:60], and He the Exalted said: [An-Nisa 4:11] and other verses regarding inheritance. All of this indicates the Shari'ah's concern for wealth and that it is a matter of importance. For this reason, many of the countries today are strong only by their economy, the growth of their wealth, and their richness.
So wealth is a matter of importance, and it is not permissible for a person to waste it in other than what is beneficial. Wasting it in other than what is beneficial has multiple types:
Among them is extravagance in spending, for extravagance is forbidden, even in food, drink, clothing, vehicles, and marriage. Whenever a person exceeds the limit, he is sinful, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-A'raf 7:31]. Exceeding the limit is extravagance, and it is forbidden, and it is an exposure to Allah the Exalted disliking its doer.
And when we say that extravagance is exceeding the limit, it becomes clear to us that spending money differs. For example, a rich person may furnish his house or buy a car or wear clothes that are not considered extravagance in his case because he has not exceeded the limit of wealth with them. But if a poor person did what he did, we would say that this is extravagance and that it is forbidden.
For this reason, many people today, among the poor and those of moderate means, err in equating themselves with the rich. This is an error and a mistake. And a person, as the common people say: "He stretches his leg according to the length of his blanket". If the blanket is wide, stretch your legs out fully, and if it is narrow, hold back your legs. As for being poor and wanting to equal the rich in your food, drink, clothing, marriage, vehicle, and residence, this is foolishness and it is also forbidden; it is not lawful for a person.
And some people have erred even more than this, going to borrow and incurring debt in order to furnish their house as their rich neighbor furnished his, as their rich neighbor furnished his house. And this is also an error. This is from what Allah has forbidden, which is extravagance, and it is exceeding the limit, because Allah does not love those who are extravagant.
And Allah has praised His servants who, when they spend, neither are extravagant nor stingy, but are moderate between that.
And from extravagance is multiplying clothes without need. Many women today, whenever a style of clothing appears, go and buy it, until they fill their house with clothes without need. But when something appears that differs from the first by a small thing, they say: "That's it, I will not wear the first one, and I will wear new clothes."
Then some women play with the minds of some men, so you find the woman is the one who directs the man and says: "Buy this, buy that," so authority now belongs to women over men, except as Allah wills. And the man must be a man and must prevent his wife from extravagance, whether from her money or from his money.
And from extravagance also, and it is what is not permissible to spend money in, is spending it in what is forbidden, like those who buy tobacco, cigarettes with money. Then this is forbidden for them, and it is from what Allah has prohibited, because it is a clear wasting of wealth. A person spends his money on something that burns, because tobacco is not consumed unless it is burned, so it is as if the man burned the dirhams and destroyed them in a matter that also harms him. If only he would be safe from its harm. For this reason, doctors have now agreed that it is harmful and that a person must avoid it. Even in the advanced, understanding disbeliever countries today, you find they prohibit tobacco, and one cannot smoke tobacco. As for in public gatherings, it is absolutely prohibited, and as for in private gatherings, it is also prohibited unless the people of the gathering are asked for permission and they permit it, otherwise it is prohibited, because it is harmful to the smoker and to the one present. Even they prohibit smoking tobacco in the air, as the pilots told me: "That when they enter the borders of some disbeliever countries, they refrain from smoking". Everyone in the plane does not smoke, not because it is a religion, but because it is harmful and out of respect for their airspace. How regrettable that this is from the disbelievers, and as for the Muslims today, no.
You find the man does not care about people; he takes out the cigarette and smokes it and does not care about anyone. And this is forbidden for him first for himself, it is forbidden for him, and secondly: for the harm to the believers. People are harmed by this, and Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ahzab 33:58]: So he harms them, and the tobacco that is between them also enters their stomachs and they are harmed by it. This is also from what is forbidden. It is forbidden for a person to buy something to drink from tobacco, and by that he is sinful and persistent in disobedience, and his integrity is dropped by that, and his authority is lifted from those over whom he has authority. So much so that many scholars say: "That he does not marry off his daughter if he is smoking tobacco". He does not marry off his daughter, why? Because he has exited from integrity to open sinfulness, and the open sinner has no authority, so the matter is serious.
From wasting wealth also is that a person spends it on something that has no benefit, in games and the like, and from this are fireworks.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
He said -may Allah have mercy on him-: "The chapter on the prohibition of wasting wealth in other than the ways in which the Shari'ah has permitted it:
From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Verily, Allah likes three things for you and disapproves three things for you. He likes that you should worship Him Alone, not to associate anything with Him (in worship) and to hold fast to the Rope of Allah and not to be divided among yourselves; and He disapproves for you irrelevant talk, persistent questioning and the squandering of the wealth.
إن الله تعالى يرضى لكم ثلاثاً، ويكره لكم ثلاثاً: فيرضى لكم أن تعبدوه ولا تشركوا به شيئاً، وأن تعتصموا بحبل الله جميعاً ولا تفرقوا، ويكره لكم: قيل وقال، وكثرة السؤال، وإضاعة المالAnd from Warrad, the scribe of al-Mughirah, who said: Al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah dictated to me in a letter to Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him):
that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to supplicate at the end of each obligatory Salat (prescribed prayer): "La ilaha illallahu, wahadahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku, wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa 'ala kulli shai'in Qadir. Allahumma la mani'a lima a'taita, wa la mu'tiya lima mana'ta, wa la yanfa'u dhal-jaddi mink-al-jaddu. (There is no true god except Allah, the One, Who has no partner. His is the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is Able to do everything. O Allah! Nobody can withhold what You give; and nobody can give what You withhold; and the high status of a person is of no avail against Your Will)." He also wrote to him that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to forbid irrelevant talk, wasteful expenditure, persistent questioning, disobedience of parents (especially mothers), infanticide of daughters by burying them alive, depriving others of their rights and acquisition of property wrongfully.
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يقول في دبر كل صلاة مكتوبة : لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك وله الحمد وهو على كل شيء قدير، اللهم لا مانع لما أعطيت، ولا مُعطي لما منعت، ولا ينفع ذا الجَد منك الجَد، وكتب إليه أنه كان ينهى عن قيل وقال، وإضاعة المال، وكثرة السؤال، وكان ينهى عن عقوق الأمهات، ووأد البنات، ومنعٍ وهاتThe Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author said -may Allah have mercy on him-: "The chapter on the prohibition of wasting wealth in other than what Allah has permitted":
Wealth, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) made it the foundation for people, upon which the interests of their religion and worldly affairs are established, as He the Exalted said:
And do not give the weak-minded your property, which Allah has made a means of sustenance for you
وَلاَ تُؤْتُوا السُّفَهَاءَ أَمْوَالَكُمُ الَّتِي جَعَلَ اللهُ لَكُمْ قِيَامًاAnd the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Verily your blood, your property and your honour are as sacred and inviolable
إن دماءكم وأموالكم وأعراضكم حرام عليكمAnd know that anything you obtain of war booty - then indeed, for Allah is one fifth of it
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُم مِّن شَيْءٍ فَأَنَّ للهِ خُمُسَهُZakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah]
إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَاAllah instructs you concerning your children: for the male, what is equal to the share of two females
يُوصِيكُمُ اللهُ فِي أَوْلاَدِكُمْ لِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الأُنثَيَيْنِSo wealth is a matter of importance, and it is not permissible for a person to waste it in other than what is beneficial. Wasting it in other than what is beneficial has multiple types:
Among them is extravagance in spending, for extravagance is forbidden, even in food, drink, clothing, vehicles, and marriage. Whenever a person exceeds the limit, he is sinful, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.
كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلاَ تُسْرِفُوا إِنَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَAnd when we say that extravagance is exceeding the limit, it becomes clear to us that spending money differs. For example, a rich person may furnish his house or buy a car or wear clothes that are not considered extravagance in his case because he has not exceeded the limit of wealth with them. But if a poor person did what he did, we would say that this is extravagance and that it is forbidden.
For this reason, many people today, among the poor and those of moderate means, err in equating themselves with the rich. This is an error and a mistake. And a person, as the common people say: "He stretches his leg according to the length of his blanket". If the blanket is wide, stretch your legs out fully, and if it is narrow, hold back your legs. As for being poor and wanting to equal the rich in your food, drink, clothing, marriage, vehicle, and residence, this is foolishness and it is also forbidden; it is not lawful for a person.
And some people have erred even more than this, going to borrow and incurring debt in order to furnish their house as their rich neighbor furnished his, as their rich neighbor furnished his house. And this is also an error. This is from what Allah has forbidden, which is extravagance, and it is exceeding the limit, because Allah does not love those who are extravagant.
And Allah has praised His servants who, when they spend, neither are extravagant nor stingy, but are moderate between that.
And from extravagance is multiplying clothes without need. Many women today, whenever a style of clothing appears, go and buy it, until they fill their house with clothes without need. But when something appears that differs from the first by a small thing, they say: "That's it, I will not wear the first one, and I will wear new clothes."
Then some women play with the minds of some men, so you find the woman is the one who directs the man and says: "Buy this, buy that," so authority now belongs to women over men, except as Allah wills. And the man must be a man and must prevent his wife from extravagance, whether from her money or from his money.
And from extravagance also, and it is what is not permissible to spend money in, is spending it in what is forbidden, like those who buy tobacco, cigarettes with money. Then this is forbidden for them, and it is from what Allah has prohibited, because it is a clear wasting of wealth. A person spends his money on something that burns, because tobacco is not consumed unless it is burned, so it is as if the man burned the dirhams and destroyed them in a matter that also harms him. If only he would be safe from its harm. For this reason, doctors have now agreed that it is harmful and that a person must avoid it. Even in the advanced, understanding disbeliever countries today, you find they prohibit tobacco, and one cannot smoke tobacco. As for in public gatherings, it is absolutely prohibited, and as for in private gatherings, it is also prohibited unless the people of the gathering are asked for permission and they permit it, otherwise it is prohibited, because it is harmful to the smoker and to the one present. Even they prohibit smoking tobacco in the air, as the pilots told me: "That when they enter the borders of some disbeliever countries, they refrain from smoking". Everyone in the plane does not smoke, not because it is a religion, but because it is harmful and out of respect for their airspace. How regrettable that this is from the disbelievers, and as for the Muslims today, no.
You find the man does not care about people; he takes out the cigarette and smokes it and does not care about anyone. And this is forbidden for him first for himself, it is forbidden for him, and secondly: for the harm to the believers. People are harmed by this, and Allah the Exalted said:
And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned have certainly born upon themselves a slander and manifest sin.
وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ بِغَيْرِ مَا اكْتَسَبُوا فَقَدِ احْتَمَلُوا بُهْتَانًا وَإِثْمًا مُّبِينًاFrom wasting wealth also is that a person spends it on something that has no benefit, in games and the like, and from this are fireworks.