Wealth In Islam - Sheikh Aqeel Mahmood

Wealth in Islam: The Missing Link Between Wealth and Iman

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ، نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ، هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

The Story of Imam al-Bukhari and the 20,000 Dinar

One day, Imam al-Bukhari, rahimahullah, the master of hadith, boarded a ship in pursuit of knowledge. And he had with him 20,000 gold coins — 20,000 dinar. While he was on this ship, he became friends with one of the other people on board. They got to know one another, and he told him that he had 20,000 dinar with him.

After a while, while they were on the ship, they went to sleep. And this man — to whom he had told about the 20,000 dinar — in the middle of the night, woke up and started to scream and shout. So the owners of the ship rushed to him and said, "What's wrong?" And he said, "Somebody has stolen my 20,000 dinar." So he turned the tables on Imam al-Bukhari.

So the owners of the ship said, "We're going to search every single person until we find the one who stole this 20,000 dinar." So they searched every single person. They searched the whole of the ship. And they searched Imam al-Bukhari as well. But they never found the 20,000 dinar. And they went back to this man and started to scold him, telling him off: "You're wasting our time. There is no 20,000 dinar. You're making these things up." And they carried on with their journey.

And this man is confused. He doesn't understand what has just taken place, because Imam al-Bukhari himself told him he had this money. When they arrived at their destination, Imam al-Bukhari got off the ship. And this man got off the ship. And he couldn't help but ask Imam al-Bukhari where this money was. So he said to him, "You told me that you had 20,000 dinar when you were on the ship. What did you do with that money? Where did that money go?"

Imam al-Bukhari said to him, "I threw this money into the ocean. I threw this money into the sea."

So the man said to him, "You threw 20,000 gold coins — 20,000 dinar — into the ocean?! Why did you do this? Why did you throw this huge amount of money into the ocean?"

And so Imam al-Bukhari looked at him and said: "Do you think that I'm going to give up the treasures that I've invested in? All this life that Allah has blessed me with — the treasures of the words of the Messenger of Allah — do you think I'm going to throw that away for 20,000 gold coins? And do you think, on top of this, that I'm going to throw away my reputation because someone accuses me of being a thief? I don't want anything attached to me which will jeopardize my reputation as a muhaddith — as someone who narrates the blessed words of the Messenger of Allah. And this is why I threw the money into the sea."

Imam al-Bukhari, unlike many of us, knew and understood the position that wealth and money should have in our lives. And he had prioritized things in his life — things which were more important to him than other things.

The Importance of Wealth in Islam

Today, a human being cannot live — just as many years ago, just as from the beginning of time — unless he acquires the basic necessities that he needs: food and water, clothing for himself and his family, a shelter above his head, a car or some other transport. And in Islam, our money and our wealth has its importance. In Islam, Allah mentions in many places in the Quran what we should do with our wealth and the position that wealth should have in our lives.

But today, brothers and sisters, I want to talk to you about how our wealth — this money which Allah has blessed us with — should have a positive effect on our own iman. I want to talk about how wealth can increase a person's iman. I want to talk about the missing link between iman and a person's wealth.

One of the strongest effects that wealth and our money should have in our lives is that it should be a means for an individual to have his iman increased — to make his belief in Allah even stronger. In a world where wealth has become some people's obsession and some people's god which they worship, it needs to be brought down a level. And we need to understand and realize how we can use this money and how it will have an effect on our lives.

Because we always hear about riba being prohibited, and about the importance of the fiqh of transactions, and the importance of giving zakah. But how does it affect one's iman? When a person uses his wealth properly, brothers and sisters, it should have an effect on his belief — first of all — in Allah. And also it should have an effect on his iman in the Day of Judgment. And thirdly, it should have an effect on his iman in al-qada' wal-qadr — predestination.

First: Wealth and Belief in Allah

Allah is the Creator and Owner of All Things

Allah is the one who provided every single thing that we have. On top of this, He is the one who has created every single thing in the heavens and the earth. Allah says:

He is the one who has created for you everything that is on this earth. So everything that's on this earth, it's Allah who made it. The money that we have in our pockets — it's Allah who blessed us with this money. The gold and the silver, the precious minerals that we have on this earth — every single thing that we have on this earth, Allah is the one who created it. It belongs to Allah. And He has created it for us. He has honored us by giving us everything we have on this earth.

Also, Allah — not only is He the Creator, but this shows us that He is the Malik. He is the owner of everything in existence. Allah says:

To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and of the earth. Every single thing on the face of this earth and in the heavens belongs to Allah, brothers and sisters. The money and the wealth that we have — this money and this wealth that we possess — it's something which ultimately belongs to Allah. We are simply inheritors of this wealth for a short period of time. We have this money for 30, 40, 50, 60 years, maybe a bit longer. And then when we die, the money goes back to the earth. The money goes to other people. And then they inherit that money for a short amount of time. They are entrusted with this wealth — entrusted with these things which ultimately belong to Allah. We don't truly own any of it in the real sense of the word, because it's not going to be ours forever.

So a person realizes: everything in this world was created by Allah, and ultimately everything on this earth belongs to Allah. He is the King and He is the Maalik — He is the Owner. And we say Maalik yawm ad-din — Owner of the Day of Judgment. Allah is a King and an Owner, which means He is the most wealthy and the most rich. There is no one who is as wealthy and as rich as Allah.

In the sight of Allah, despite people having lots of money — even if you have millions of pounds — you are not wealthy. Allah says:

O people! You are the poor ones — you are the ones in need of Allah. And Allah is the one who is wealthy and is worthy of all the praise. So Allah is the one who is wealthy. He is the most rich. And compared to Allah, we have nothing.

The Human Being's Attachment to Wealth

Human beings have been programmed to love wealth. Allah says:

Say to them, O Muhammad ﷺ: if you were to possess the depositories — the treasures, everything that your Lord has — then you would not spend them out of fear of running out. The things that you have, the belongings and the possessions of Allah, if you had them, if they belonged to you, you would not spend them because of your stinginess. Wa kana al-insanu qatoraa — and the human being has been created stingy; it's the way he is. When he has money, he's afraid that money is going to go away. And when he has lots of money, he wants even more.

The Generosity of Allah — The Hadith Qudsi

Allah is someone who is wealthy but at the same time He is generous. He has so much wealth of the heavens and the earth, but even though He has all of this, He is generous. Allah mentions in the hadith Qudsi:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2577)

O My slaves, if the first of you and the last of you, and your humans and your jinn, were all to stand on a single plain and ask Me, and I were to give every single one of you what he asked for — it would not diminish what I have, any more than a needle diminishes the sea when it is dipped into it. Nothing is left on that needle from the ocean. It doesn't take away from the ocean. This is the dominion of Allah. This is what belongs to Allah compared to what belongs to us.

Allah is the Provider — Al-Razzaq

On top of this, Allah is the Razzaq — He is the Provider. He is the one who gives us everything that we have. Allah has already written every single person's sustenance. Every single thing that a person will have, Allah has recorded it. Allah has already decreed that a person is going to get whatever he is going to get. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned in a hadith that Allah sends an angel when the soul is breathed into the womb as the baby is developing, and the angel is ordered to write four things. From those four things, brothers and sisters, is his provision — how much every single one of us is going to earn in our lifetimes, how much money we are going to have, how much we are going to earn while we are still alive.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3208; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2643)

And Allah has preferred some people over others with regards to their wealth. Allah says:

And We have raised some of them over others in degrees. Some are more wealthy than others. Some are more skilled than other people. Likewise, Allah has given us this earth so that we can make use of it. From the mercy of Allah is that He has given us things on this earth that we are able to make use of — and it is not difficult for us. We plant a seed and fruit comes out of that tree that grows. We have rivers and lakes and we take water from them to drink, to bathe, and to clean our clothes. These are things which Allah has provided for us.

So Allah is the Creator, and He is the Owner, and He is the King of everything in existence. So then, when we think about the money that we have and the possessions that we have — the things that we think really belong to us — when a person realizes that it's Allah who possesses everything and owns everything, and every single thing belongs to Him, then how can a human being become so arrogant? How can a human being become so pompous and think that he has all the power — that it was him who made all of this effort, and if it wasn't for him alone he wouldn't have made all of this money? Everything we own, brothers and sisters, ultimately goes back to Allah.

Wealth Should Increase Our Worship of Allah

From the benefits that our wealth should have on our iman is that it should increase our worship of Allah — our uluhiyyah of Allah. Because when a person realizes that it's Allah who has given us all of these things, then it is incumbent upon us to worship Him. It is incumbent upon us to thank Allah for every single thing He has blessed us with, for every single thing He has given us. Allah says:

Verily the ones that you worship besides Allah, they don't possess anything from provision, from wealth — they don't possess any of it. Every single thing on the face of this earth and in the heavens belongs to Allah. So it is only befitting that when we worship, we worship Allah — and we worship Him sincerely from our hearts — and we truly appreciate and thank Him for everything He has given us.

If a person was to give us a thousand pounds today, how much would we thank him? How grateful would we be to that person? Yet Allah has given us so much more. How grateful are we to Allah? How much do we thank Him? How much do we make du'a and supplicate to Him? How much do we pray to Allah? How much charity do we give from the wealth which He has given us?

Tawakkul — Reliance on Allah in Wealth

Likewise, brothers and sisters, we should have reliance on Allah when it comes to our wealth. Because when a person relies on Allah with regards to his wealth and has tawakkul on Allah, then this in and of itself is a form of worship. When a person trusts Allah and knows that Allah is going to provide for him — this in and of itself, brothers and sisters, is an act of worship. And a person, when he relies on Allah even in times of difficulty, he is going to be rewarded.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: whoever is afflicted with poverty and then refers it to the people — he tries to seek all of his help from the people instead of Allah — this poverty that he has will not be brought to an end. But whoever refers this poverty to Allah and returns to Allah and asks Allah instead of asking the people, then Allah will grant him provision sooner or later. Sooner or later, if you put your trust in Allah, Allah will provide for you — as long as you are patient, as long as you persevere, as long as you keep on having tawakkul and trust in Allah.

Second: Wealth and Belief in the Day of Judgment

Brothers and sisters, our wealth should also affect our iman and our belief in the Day of Judgment. The Muslims believe that this earth is simply a plain and a ground for the Day of Judgment and the Day of Reckoning. This earth that we walk on — on the Day of Judgment, we are going to be standing, getting ready for Allah to judge our actions on this earth. Allah says:

Then every single soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be treated unjustly. Every single person will be held to account for every single thing he did on the face of this earth.

On the Day of Judgment, brothers and sisters, how high your bank balance was isn't going to benefit you. It's not going to be of any benefit on the Day of Judgment. The poor person won't be at a disadvantage because of his lack of wealth. And the rich person won't have an advantage because of his money. Allah says:

On this day, wealth or children won't benefit — except for the one who comes to Allah with a sound heart, a pure heart. The one who did good things with the wealth that he was blessed with by Allah. This is the person who, on the Day of Judgment, when he is facing Allah and Allah questions him about every single penny that he spent and how he spent it — he is the one who is going to be successful. When he responds to Allah and tells Him that he spent this wealth for the sake of Allah, he gave it in charity, he spent on his family members, he gave to those who were in need — these are the people who are going to be successful.

And as for the one who was stingy with his wealth — who kept his fists closed, never gave to the poor, maybe never even spent on his own family members — this person on the Day of Judgment, brothers and sisters, is going to be unsuccessful.

Investing in the Akhirah

The goal of the Muslim should be higher than the desires of this world and the distractions of this world. The goal of the Muslim is as Allah says:

Whoever desires the harvest of the Akhirah — the harvest of the Hereafter — We are going to increase his harvest, We are going to make it even more. But whoever desires the harvest of this world, We give him some of what he wants in this world, but there is no share for him in the Hereafter. He won't have any share of the Akhirah.

When a person spends in the way of Allah, he is investing in his Akhirah. He is investing in the Day of Judgment. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned in a hadith:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2465)

Whoever is mainly concerned about the Hereafter, Allah will make him feel independent of others, and He will make him focused and content, and his worldly affairs will fall into place without any problems. And then whoever is mainly concerned with this world and this dunya, Allah will make him feel in constant need of others — he'll feel dependent on other people, as if he can't survive unless there's somebody else there to help him. That person whose main concern is this world — he'll be distracted, he won't be focused. And on top of this, he will get nothing of this world except for what is decreed for him.

The concept of profit differs between Muslims and non-Muslims. The non-Muslim does not do business except that he expects a return in this world. But the Muslim, when he spends and when he gets involved in some kind of business, ultimately, brothers and sisters, he doesn't expect any materialistic return. And he may even compete with other people for no reason except that the Hereafter is in his heart, and he is hoping for the reward of the Akhirah. And he understands that the wealth of the Hereafter is better and greater than the wealth of this world. Allah says:

Who is it that would loan Allah a goodly loan so He may multiply it for him many times over?

Second Part of the Khutbah

We were talking about the missing link between our wealth and how it can increase our iman. And we talked about how the money and the wealth that we have — it's Allah who created it. And it's Allah who ultimately owns this money. He is the Maalik of every single thing that we own. And He is the Maalik and the Owner of every single thing on the face of this earth and everything in the heavens.

So when a person spends, he should keep this in mind: that in the sight of Allah he is poor, and Allah is the one who is most rich. And knowing and understanding this should encourage a person to worship Allah even more — to thank Allah even more, because He is the one who has given him everything that he possesses. And on top of this, it should affect our belief in the Day of Judgment, because on that day, if we don't use our wealth properly, it's not going to benefit us. A poor person and a wealthy person won't be different because of their statuses in this world — but it's about what they did with whatever it is that they had.

Third: Wealth and Belief in Al-Qada' wal-Qadr (Predestination)

Wealth that we possess also affects our belief in qadr — in predestination. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned in a hadith that Allah wrote down the decree of the creation 50,000 years before He created the heavens and the earth.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2653)

So when a person thinks about this hadith, it should give him peace of mind. It should make him relaxed when it comes to the wealth of this world. Because it is Allah — the one who wants good for every single one of us — who is basically in charge of our wealth. And there is no one who we would want to be in charge of our money more than Allah. And there is no one better than Allah for taking control of our affairs and looking after our needs — better than any accountant or anyone else who may be looking after our money in this world.

So when we hear this hadith about how Allah has already decreed certain things, it should give us peace of mind. When people who work for you tell you, "It's been done, it's completely done, it's ready — it's been fully prepared" — it gives you peace of mind. You are relaxed. When Allah tells us that these things have already been written down, it should make us realize that Allah — the Most Merciful — is the one who is looking after our affairs. And it should give us peace of mind, brothers and sisters, that every single thing that we do, the money that we possess, every single thing that we have on the face of this earth — Allah is in charge of it — and we should not despair.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: do not despair of receiving provision, for no person on the face of this earth will die except that he will receive the last of his provision. So fear Allah, be reasonable in seeking provision. Take that which is halal and leave that which is haram.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2344; authenticated by al-Albani)

If only you relied on Allah like the reliance of a bird — a bird that leaves its nest in the morning and comes back at the end of the day with food. Because this is true reliance. A bird doesn't have money, doesn't have a bank account, but it leaves its nest in the morning knowing that Allah is going to provide for it. And it comes back at the end of the day every single day — and it is fed, it has been provided for. Likewise, brothers and sisters, we should have this trust in Allah — we should have this tawakkul that Allah is going to provide for us.

Du'a and Closing

We ask Allah that He gives us peace of mind and He gives us contentment and He gives us tranquility when it comes to our wealth in this world. And that He makes this wealth a means of increasing our iman in this world. And that He makes our wealth a means for us to be able to enter into Jannah on the Day of Judgment.