The Obligation to Seek Lawful Earnings and the Prohibition of Consuming Illicit Earnings

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He says: I strive to earn a lawful livelihood so that I can ensure the acceptance of my supplication and my worship of Allah , since Allah is Good and accepts nothing but what is good. What is the ruling on eating food from people whom I know eat what is forbidden and do not pay the zakah of their wealth, even if they are among the closest of relatives?
Answer: It is obligatory for every Muslim to seek lawful earnings and to beware of illicit earnings. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says:

O you who have believed, spend from the good things which you have earned and from that which We have produced for you from the earth. And do not aim toward the defective therefrom, spending [from that] while you would not take it [yourself] except with closed eyes. And know that Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنفِقُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّا أَخْرَجْنَا لَكُمْ مِنَ الأَرْضِ وَلا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنفِقُونَ وَلَسْتُمْ بِآخِذِيهِ إِلَّا أَنْ تُغْمِضُوا فِيهِ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ

[Surat al-Baqarah: 267]. Just as the believer seeks out good earnings in his spending, which benefit the recipient and the one to whom it is given, and benefit the poor, and does not aim for the bad—meaning he intends the bad, inferior stuff—to spend from it; if this is prohibited while the earnings are lawful, how much more so when the earnings are haram (forbidden)? The matter is more severe. A Muslim must not earn through theft, betrayal, riba (usury or interest), or other prohibited means of earning.
In the authentic hadith, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Indeed Allah is Tayyib (good) and he does not accept but what is good

إن الله تعالى طيب ولا يقبل إلا طيباً

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2989Sahih (Darussalam)

And he said:

No servant gives charity with a date from lawful earnings, and Allah does not accept anything but what is good, except that Allah accepts it with His Right Hand, meaning: He grows it for its owner as one of you grows his foal or its young, until it becomes like a mountain.

ما تصدق عبد بعدل تمرة من كسب طيب، ولا يقبل الله إلا الطيب إلا تقبلها الله بيمينه، أي: يربيها لصاحبها كما يربي أحدكم فلوه أو فصيله حتى تكون مثل الجبل

.
It is authentic from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:

Nobody has ever eaten a better meal than that which one has earned by working with one's own hands. The Prophet (ﷺ) of Allah, David used to eat from the earnings of his manual labor.

ما أكل أحد طعاماً خيراً من أن يأكل من عمل يده، وإنَّ نبي الله داود -عليه الصلاة والسلام- كان يأكل من عمل يده

Sahih al-Bukhari 2072

And when he (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked:

what type of earning was best and replied, “A man’s work with his hand and every business transaction which is approved.”

أي الكسب أطيب قال: عمل الرجل بيده وكل بيع مبرور

Mishkat al-Masabih 2783

You have done well in seeking lawful earnings and striving for them. As for one who is known to have haram (forbidden) earnings, he should not eat his food or respond to his invitation. If it is known that his earnings are bad, from riba (usury or interest), theft, usurpation, or other types of haram (forbidden) earnings such as selling khamr (intoxicants) and the like, he should be advised and directed to good, and warned of the consequences of his work, for religion is sincere advice, and a Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he advises him and gives him counsel. If he does not accept the advice and does not abandon these earnings, he deserves to be boycotted until he repents, and he deserves that his invitation not be accepted until he repents.
This is part of cooperating in righteousness and piety, and part of giving sincere advice to Allah and His servants. We ask Allah to rectify the conditions of the Muslims, to grant them understanding in the religion, to provide them with lawful earnings, and to help them cooperate in righteousness and piety and give one another sincere advice, for He is the best of those asked. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.

Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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