In Times of Economic Hardship - Shaykh Muhammad Ali

In Times of Economic Hardship

All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, we ask His help, and we ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. And whosoever He misguides, none can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger — peace be upon him and upon his family and his companions, and whosoever follows them in goodness until the Day of Recompense.

Indeed, the truest speech is the Word of Allah. And the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And the worst of things are its innovations. And every innovation is a misguidance. May Allah protect us from it.

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims. O you people, fear your Lord, Who created you from one soul, and He created from it its wife, and He spread from it many men and women. And fear Allah, whom you ask about, and His mercy. Indeed, Allah is ever watching over you. O you who have believed, fear Allah and say the right words. He will amend for you your deeds, and He will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has won a great victory. O Allah, make us of the winners in this world and the Hereafter.

Sleepless Nights and the Reality of Human Anxiety

O Allah's servants, fear Allah and obey Him.

How many members of our community and our society have recently had sleepless nights? And what is it that is keeping them awake? What is it that has caused them to lose their peaceful sleep? Maybe each and every one of us sometimes wakes up at 3 o'clock in the morning. Do we wake up for Salat al-Tahajjud? Maybe some of us do. But maybe many of us wake up at 3 o'clock because of worries, because of anxiety. Different things cause us to wake up.

As human beings, we are born with anxieties. Allah, who has created us, who knows us better than anyone else, has said:

Allah is the one who has created us. He is the one who has nurtured us. Does He not have the knowledge and the expertise when it comes to what is good for us and what is bad for us?

Allah told us in the Qur'an:

Allah told us: "Indeed, mankind was created anxious." إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا — When misfortune touches him, he is very irritable. وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا — And when good fortune comes his way, how does he react? He becomes tight-fisted, stingy, and doesn't want to give.

But Allah told us there are certain people who are able to escape from this situation and this state of being. Who are those people? إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ — They are the ones who pray the salah. الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ — They are the ones who are constant in their prayer. They don't pray some days and then leave the salah during other times or other days. They constantly pray the five daily prayers; they don't miss their salah.

وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَّعْلُومٌ — They also give something from what Allah has given to them. And among their other characteristics, Allah mentioned:

وَالَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ — They believe in the next life. Do you want to overcome this anxiety? They also believe in the next life. وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ مِنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِمْ مُشْفِقُونَ — They have fear when it comes to the punishment of Allah. إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍ — They don't feel safe from the punishment of Allah. وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ — And those who guard their chastity.

I would like you to go back to those ayat, the sequence of ayat that Allah has mentioned in Surah al-Ma'arij — سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ.

The Financial Crisis and Its Impact on Our Community

Dear brothers, as I have said at the beginning, many people are having sleepless nights, and the causes of those sleepless nights are so many. Among them right now is definitely the financial crisis that we are living through right now. As we all know, the Chancellor has made the autumn statement yesterday. Probably the night before that, many people had sleepless nights — they were worried about what the Chancellor was about to say. Some people did not have a good night's sleep last night because of the things that the Chancellor said in the autumn statement.

So as Muslims right now, yes, we have worries and anxieties. We are anxious about the situation. Some of us right now are not having good sleep at night because we are worried about our jobs. We are thinking: Am I going to continue to have this work? Am I going to be let go? Am I going to lose my job? Am I going to have enough income to take care of my family? Am I going to be able to pay the debts that I owe other people? We are worried about so many things, and especially when it comes to the economy and finances right now, we are very worried.

But as Muslims, alhamdulillah, we are blessed. Allah gave us a beautiful book, a book of guidance. Allah told us:

Allah has said: indeed this Qur'an, it guides people to what is best. It helps you to make the right decisions in life. It helps you to have a peace of mind.

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, yes, we are human beings. We feel anxiety sometimes. We suffer from anxiety due to different causes — and among them right now, the greatest one is the economy. Whenever you turn on the news, the radio, go to any news channel, or read the newspaper, one of the main things they talk about is the economy, the finances, the quality of life, living standards going down, your money not being worth as much as it was a year or two years ago. You are not able to buy with the money you have what you were able to buy with that same money in the past. The value of money is going down, subhanAllah. So these are real worries.

The question now is: how are we able to survive through these turmoils or these difficult times? Has Allah given us guidance when it comes to this? Yes. Allah gave us the Qur'an, and not only that, also the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. As I mentioned in the ayah, the Qur'an guides us to what is best.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has said:

(Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir of al-Tabarani; also referenced in Sahih Ibn Hibban)

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "There is nothing that will bring you closer to Jannah except I have commanded you to do it, and there is nothing that will bring you closer to the Hellfire except I have forbidden you from doing it." SubhanAllah. That is why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was sent as it was said:

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was sent as a mercy.

How to Cope: Setting Our Mindset Right

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, we have to set our heads right. Our mindset is very important. How are we going to cope with this?

1. Our Provisions Are Preordained

First of all, we need to remember that all of our provision — whatever Allah has written for us — we will be able to get it. Remember this. Our provisions are preordained. Allah has written it down a very long time ago. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, told us in a hadith:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 46, Hadith 2653)

Allah has written down and ordained the measures of provision and all matters of the creation 50,000 years before Allah created the heavens and the earth.

If you believe that in your heart, you will have, inshallah, a peace of mind. That is number one. Remember: regardless of how difficult the situation gets financially, Allah has written your provision. It was written down a long, long time ago. You are not going to get one penny extra and you are not going to get one penny less. Whatever was written for you, that is what you are going to get.

Remember also, when it comes to our provision, matters pertaining to our sustenance are controlled in the heaven. How do we know that? Allah told us in the Qur'an:

"And in heaven is your provision and also what you are being promised." All of these issues are decided in the heaven by Allah. It's in the hands of Allah.

What does that mean though? Does that mean that as a Muslim you stop doing anything? That you say, "I am just going to sleep at home and rely on Allah because Allah has written everything down, so I am not going to go and look for work, I am not going to improve my CV, I am not going to better myself, I am not going to become more employable than I was a year ago"? No. Our religion is balanced — very balanced. So we have to go out. We have to do what we have to do to earn halal income.

I also want to bring to your attention this powerful hadith where the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has said:

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 3054; also in Mustadrak al-Hakim. The narration of the Holy Spirit inspiring the Prophet is found in similar wording in Ibn Majah, Hadith 2144)

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has said in this hadith: Jibreel has inspired to me that no soul is going to die until it has completed its appointed provision. Each one of us will not die until Allah gives us all the provision that was written for us.

Also, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision, and no one of you should be tempted to seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him. For that which is with Allah can only be attained by obeying Him, not by disobeying Him."

So none of us as Muslims should be planning and saying: "How am I going to make money right now? Things are becoming tight and tough — maybe I'm not going to find a job. How am I going to make money? Am I going to go and look for haram ways of making money?" No. Whatever was written for you is going to come to you — you will be able to get it. The decision you have to make is: am I going to acquire it in a halal way or in a haram way? And that decision lies with you, brother.

2. Reconnect with Allah's Names and Attributes

We need to reconnect with Allah's names and attributes — very, very important, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam. How do we know Allah? How can we love Allah? How can we trust Him? By knowing who Allah is. And we come to know Him in an in-depth way through knowing His names and attributes.

Among the names of Allah is Ar-Razzaq — He is the one who provides. He is the Provider.

When you know that, when you truly believe that Allah is Ar-Razzaq — the Provider — then it is not your boss, not your line manager who might let you go tomorrow and say, "I don't need you anymore." Who provides for you? Allah. Who used to provide for you when you were in the womb of your mother? Who maintained you at that time? Allah. And remember, that connection, that relationship has not disappeared. Yes, now you are out in this world, you are an adult, you are working 9 to 5, you have your own income — but that does not mean Allah is not the Provider. He is the one who is providing for you.

If you are a business person and alhamdulillah your business is doing well — or maybe your business is not doing as well as it should — remember: your provider is Allah. Think about that. SubhanAllah. As a believer, alhamdulillah, that is what is going to give you peace of mind and allow you to sleep at night. SubhanAllah. When non-Muslims are struggling — absolutely struggling — because they do not have this iman and faith. But Allah has blessed us with this.

3. Have Patience in Times of Hardship

Also, brothers, remember — if things become difficult for you, what do you need to have? Patience. Patience is very important. Remember, Allah has said:

Yes, some of us will probably lose their jobs. Some of us will lose their income. Some of us will lose their savings. Some of us — their businesses will go bust; they will have no business tomorrow. That can happen to any one of us. But when that happens, what do you need to do? Are you going to panic and lose yourself? Remember, Allah is the one who is testing you right now. So you have to have patience.

4. Take Care of Allah's Commands and He Will Take Care of Your Affairs

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, and finally, just before I conclude the first part of our khutbah, bi-idhnillahi ta'ala — remember: take care of the commands of Allah, and Allah will take care of your affairs in this life and the next. SubhanAllah. Take care of the commands of Allah, and Allah will take care of your affairs in this life and also the next life. Remember that.

Allah has said:

No one feeds Allah. Allah is the one who feeds people. When you have Allah on your side, subhanAllah — when you take care of what Allah commanded you to do — Allah will take care of your affairs.

I say this and I ask Allah's forgiveness for myself and for you — seek His forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Second Part: Practical Guidance for Muslims in Hard Times

All praise is due to Allah for His benevolence, and thanks are due to Him for His grace and favor. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger — peace and blessings be upon him and upon his family and companions, and whoever follows them in goodness until the Day of Recompense.

Dear brothers, yes — remember, in these difficult times where the economy is not doing very well, where we have a financial crisis, we have to be very smart. As Muslims, we have to be very smart. We have to think about how we spend our money. What are the needs? What are the wants? We have to be able to differentiate. How can we save money? We have to think. If we used to spend a lot of money needlessly in the past, now you have to be very clever with your money. You have to budget yourself well. It is very important.

The energy crisis that we have right now — think about it. How can I make savings? For example, if the lights are on all the time, sometimes our children don't turn off the lights — educate the kids and tell them: when there is no one in the room, make sure the lights are off. Think about it. If you are in the shower for a long time, spending less time in the shower — saving. So be very smart.

I am sure we have, among this amazing congregation of Green Lane Masjid, experts — economic experts, people who know very well a lot about the economy, people who know how to manage finances, people who know exactly how to save money and so forth. We can actually invite those brothers or sisters who are experts in these fields. The masjid can actually invite people like them, and inshallah they can share with the community how to do savings during these difficult times. It is very important to know how to budget yourself and so forth. I am not an expert in that field, but alhamdulillah I am sure among the congregation in this amazing masjid, we have experts.

Remember Zakah

Also, dear brothers, remember the zakah — the concept of zakah. Some of us have zakatable wealth and maybe we have not paid our zakah, maybe for the last couple of years. That 2.5% of the wealth that is sitting in your account — maybe that money does not belong to you. Remember that. That money belongs to the poor people, the poor Muslims. Yes — that 2.5% does not belong to you. You need to take that out and give it to the needy people. Remember that.

Our Responsibilities Toward the Wider Community

Also, dear brothers, we have to remember that as Muslims, we have responsibilities when it comes to our community — our Muslim community — and also the wider community. We are members of this society. We are individuals from this community. We should not only be thinking about our Muslim community members; we should also be thinking about other people. Look at what Allah said in the Qur'an: do good to your parents, to near of kin, to orphans, to the needy, to the neighbor who is of kin, and also to the neighbor who is a stranger.

And look at what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has said in a hadith narrated by Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her:

(Reported by al-Bazzar; also in Mustadrak al-Hakim. Narrated by Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her)

"He is not a believer who spends the night satiated — meaning his stomach is full of food — while the neighbor at his side is hungry."

How many of us have non-Muslim neighbors who may be going to bed at night with empty bellies, who haven't had anything to eat? Do you know that many non-Muslims right now are having to decide: do I turn the heating on, or do I feed the kids? And we, alhamdulillah — some of us in our Muslim community have wealth and are able to support other people. As a Muslim neighbor, think about your non-Muslim neighbors. Alhamdulillah, take care of them. This is going to be an amazing act of da'wah, subhanAllah, because our aim is to save people from the Hellfire, and this is one of the ways we can do this — by supporting the needy people during these difficult times. Very, very important.

Support Your Masjid and Give Sadaqah

Dear brothers, also, those of us who have money alhamdulillah — these are exactly the kind of times we need to support our masajid, our masajid which are very active in providing food banks for the community, for example. Those of you who have alhamdulillah a bit to spare — this is the kind of time you should be giving sadaqah, more than ever. It should not be the time where you say, "Oh, things are tight, I'm not going to give any sadaqah." We should actually give more right now. Because Allah is going to reward you so much — Allah is going to reward you with so much ajr for being charitable during times of difficulty. So think like that, inshallah.

Support the masjid, and alhamdulillah you have this amazing masjid — Green Lane Masjid — that is full of activities, a masjid that tries to provide for the community, not only for the Muslim community but even for the wider community. So inshallah, make sure you support your masjid so that the masjid can support others as well.

Qard Hasan — Lending with Ease

Also, dear brothers, another way you can get through these financially difficult and economically hard times is through qard hasan — giving people interest-free loans. For example, if you are able to, allow people to borrow money from you. If somebody asks you for money, try and lend that money to them, inshallah, and make the terms easy. Don't make it too hard for the people, inshallah.

And also finally — if we have mercy on other people, Allah will have mercy on us.

Conclusion

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, if I have made the khutbah long, please forgive me — but I just wanted to bring this to your attention. Yes, we have to talk about topics and issues that are very relevant to our times. Yesterday, as I said at the beginning of the khutbah, was the autumn statement delivered by the Chancellor. As I said, some people are not even having good sleep at night because of the worries they have, the financial difficulties. We have mentioned some of the ways that we can overcome and cope with these difficult times, inshallah.

May Allah bless us with iman and tranquility. Allahumma ameen.

Indeed, Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and giving to kinsfolk, and He forbids all shameful and evil deeds and injustice. He admonishes you that you may take heed. Establish the prayer.