How to Improve Your Economic Situation Through Islamic Teachings
Current Situation: How to Correct Economic Conditions?
I have been receiving numerous messages from common people asking for a prayer or a specific task that, when performed, would lead to employment and resolve economic issues. Meanwhile, I have also received private messages regarding financial assistance from scholars. In this context, I thought it would be beneficial to shed some light on this issue based on Islamic teachings, so that both the general public and the learned can receive economic guidance.
I believe that those who lament their current situation or extend their hands in front of others for help, or are troubled by borrowing and repaying debts, should take any work that comes their way as a means of earning a livelihood, whether it is carrying wood, transporting goods, farming, construction work, sewing, or any labor-intensive job. Our difficulties, especially for a specific class including scholars, stem from the fact that they consider many professions related to manual labor as inferior because society looks down upon them. Even today, laborers are derogatorily referred to as “weavers.” Remember, in Islam, no lawful profession is considered inferior or lesser.
Another issue is that many people seek comfortable jobs with air conditioning and high salaries. Due to these two reasons, many individuals remain in economic distress and face hardships. The most beloved earnings to Allah are those earned through one’s own hands. Muqdam bin Ma’di Karb narrates that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:
ما اكل احد منكم طعاما احب الى الله عز وجل من عمل يديه (Musnad Ahmad)
Translation: “None of you has eaten a food that is more beloved to Allah than that which he has earned with his own hands.”
This same narration from the aforementioned companion is reported in Sahih Bukhari, where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
ما أكَلَ أحَدٌ طَعامًا قَطُّ، خَيْرًا مِن أنْ يَأْكُلَ مِن عَمَلِ يَدِهِ، وإنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ داوُدَ عليه السَّلامُ، كانَ يَأْكُلُ مِن عَمَلِ يَدِهِ (Sahih Bukhari: 2072)
Translation: “There is no food better for a person than that which he earns through his own labor, and the Prophet of Allah, Dawood (peace be upon him), used to eat from the work of his hands.”
This hadith encourages the idea that earnings from one’s own hands are noble and esteemed because it is the profession of the Prophets and is beloved to Allah. Can any good deed, which Allah loves and which was chosen by the Prophets, ever be considered inferior or shameful? No, certainly not.
Islam encourages earning and consuming lawful and pure sustenance and commands gratitude for it. The divine command is:
فَكُلُوا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا وَاشْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ (An-Nahl: 114)
Translation: “Eat from what Allah has provided you, which is lawful and good, and be grateful for the bounty of Allah if it is Him that you worship.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentions the purest earnings in lawful sustenance:
ما كسبَ الرَّجلُ كَسبًا أطيبُ من عملِ يدِه وما أنفقَ الرَّجلُ على نفسِه وأهلِه وولدِه وخادِمِه فهو صدَقةٌ (Sahih Ibn Majah: 1752)
Translation: “A man’s earnings are never better than what he earns with his own hands, and whatever a man spends on himself, his family, children, and servants is charity.”
This hadith indicates that among lawful earnings, those earned through one’s own hands are the purest. Therefore, one should not feel ashamed to engage in any work that requires manual labor. The most honorable class among humans is that of the Prophets, all of whom tended sheep. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
ما بَعَثَ اللَّهُ نَبِيًّا إلَّا رَعَى الغَنَمَ، فقالَ أصْحابُهُ: وأَنْتَ؟ فقالَ: نَعَمْ، كُنْتُ أرْعاها علَى قَرارِيطَ لأهْلِ مَكَّةَ (Sahih Bukhari: 2262)
Translation: “Allah has not sent a Prophet except that he tended sheep.” His companions asked, “And you?” He replied, “Yes, I used to tend them for a few dirhams for the people of Makkah.”
Regarding Musa (peace be upon him), the Quran testifies that he tended sheep for the elder of Midian for ten years. Besides tending sheep, various manual professions are mentioned concerning the Prophets. Nuh (peace be upon him) was a carpenter, Idris (peace be upon him) was a tailor, Ilyas (peace be upon him) and Dawood (peace be upon him) worked with iron, and Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was involved in the construction of the Kaaba, meaning he was skilled in construction work. Do these professions of the Prophets not serve as a lesson for us? If the conditions are dire, we should take up any work we can do with our hands as a profession and arrange for our sustenance through it.
Consider this hadith, where the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbids us from begging in times of need: Zubair bin Al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
لَأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلَهُ، فَيَأْتِيَ بحُزْمَةِ الحَطَبِ علَى ظَهْرِهِ، فَيَبِيعَهَا، فَيَكُفَّ اللَّهُ بهَا وجْهَهُ خَيْرٌ له مِن أَنْ يَسْأَلَ النَّاسَ أَعْطَوْهُ أَوْ مَنَعُوهُ (Sahih Bukhari: 1471)
Translation: “It is better for any of you to take his rope and bring a bundle of firewood on his back and sell it, so that Allah may preserve his dignity, than to ask people who may give or refuse him.”
No matter how bad the circumstances become, this hadith teaches us that if one cannot find work for sustenance, he should at least carry and sell firewood, but should not become lazy and beg from people. The example of firewood does not mean that this is the only work to be done; rather, it signifies that for lawful and pure sustenance, one must endure hard work and toil without fear. One should strive to earn lawful sustenance. Islam is a name of action and conduct; it urges us to act for success in both this world and the Hereafter. Without action, success in this world and the Hereafter is impossible. Even if one is given a brief respite before death, Islam encourages action. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
إنْ قامَتِ السَّاعةُ وفي يدِ أحدِكُم فَسيلةً فإنِ استَطاعَ أن لا تَقومَ حتَّى يغرِسَها فلْيغرِسْها (Sahih Al-Adab Al-Mufrad: 371)
Translation: “If the Hour (of Judgment) is established and one of you has a seedling in his hand, if he can plant it before the Hour is established, he should do so.”
Reflecting on this hadith reveals how much importance Islam places on time and encourages action even in the briefest moments. The mention of planting a tree points to the significance of agriculture and adopting it as a profession. Sahih Bukhari explicitly mentions agriculture for Muslims. Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
ما مِن مُسْلِمٍ يَغْرِسُ غَرْسًا، أَوْ يَزْرَعُ زَرْعًا، فَيَأْكُلُ منه طَيْرٌ أَوْ إِنْسَانٌ أَوْ بَهِيمَةٌ، إِلَّا كانَ له به صَدَقَةٌ (Sahih Bukhari: 2320)
Translation: “No Muslim plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, a person, or an animal eats from it, except that it is a charity for him.”
There is much to discuss regarding the economy, and elaborating further would make this topic lengthy. Therefore, without going into too much detail, the summary of the points mentioned above regarding the economy is that to correct your economic situation, regardless of what society may say or which profession is considered respectable, you should engage in any work that you are capable of doing with your hands. With determination and reliance on Allah, take up that work. There are countless jobs that require no degree or skill, only hard work. I do not mean to imply that you should not engage in trade or connect with advanced economic sectors; rather, through this message, I aim to encourage those hopeless brothers who say they have no work. Work is all around you; you might say, “I do not want to work.” Ibn Al-Jawzi mentioned in the history of Umar bin Al-Khattab that he would inquire about anyone he liked, asking if they had any work. If he found out that they had no work, they would fall out of his favor.
Imam Al-Suyuti (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in Al-Durr Al-Muntharah the saying of Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said, “I dislike a person who is idle and does not engage in worldly or religious work.”
The work is in your hands; you can choose to do it or not, but never say that there is no work available. Yes, some jobs may bring feelings of shame or concern about societal perceptions, but if we can earn a dignified living through our own labor, it is better than starving or extending our hands in front of others. Alongside this, pray to Allah, for while you must strive to earn a livelihood, you should also ask Allah to provide sustenance and bless it. Allah is the Provider, and He grants sustenance to those who strive.
Sheikh Maqbool Ahmad Salafi, may Allah protect him
Jeddah Dawah/Centre, Saudi Arabia