Earning a halal livelihood and its effect on personal and social life
Keywords: business, halal, individual and society.
If we take a close and deep look at the decrees and orders of Allah, we will find that Islam is a religion of society and life and requires effort and ijtihad in various fields. And he fights against any futility, laziness, laziness and seclusion that causes poverty and causes trouble for moral vices.
One of the concerns of both officials and families is unemployment and economic weakness, while thoughts are engaged in the pursuit of achieving their ultimate goals in various aspects of life, including growth, prosperity, trade, agriculture, and industry. This phenomenon is not fulfilled except through effort and endeavor.
The issue of trying to obtain sustenance has become a special and general issue; To the extent that they resort to illegitimate and illegal activities to fulfill this goal, which leads to the disruption of society and the collapse of many laws of Islam and the violation of some rules and regulations of the government.
Therefore, in order to be successful in obtaining sustenance and to stay away from moral and social corruption and economic crises; The religion of Islam commands and recommends the acquisition of halal sustenance, and has explained the methods of obtaining it to Muslims and the world, and considers efforts in this direction as part of the duties of life; So that by providing it, repairing life and reaching the destination in this world and the hereafter will be easy.
The importance of obtaining halal according to the texts and sayings of religious elders
Almighty Allah calls us to work, be serious and strive in the affairs of life and has mentioned this in several verses of the Holy Quran; As He Says«فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَانْتَشِرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَابْتَغُوا مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ» [جمعه: 10] (When the prayer was performed, it was scattered on the earth and seek the grace of Allah and remember Allah a lot; may it be You are saved.)
The Almighty Allah has created human from two important powers “spiritual and physical”. The purpose of human creation is to strengthen the spiritual power; Until human achieves this goal of his creation and acts in accordance with the content of this verse: «يَاأَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا» [مؤمنون: 51] (O Prophets, eat pure things and do righteous deeds.)
After mentioning the blessings of sustenance, good deeds are mentioned; because by eating halal food, good deeds are achieved and the light of faith and peace emerges. Using divine blessings and refraining from divine prohibitions plays an important role in individual and social life; as the beloved Prophet of Islam (PBUH), used to encourage his companions to try and make dignified efforts and said:: وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلَهُ فَيَحْتَطِبَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ رَجُلًا فَيَسْأَلَهُ أَعْطَاهُ أَوْ مَنَعَهُ». [صحيح البخاري ـ (2/ 123)] (If one of you takes a rope and pulls firewood on his back and sells it, it is better than going to a person whom Allah has given wealth from His bounty and asking him for help. (It is not known whether he will give him anything or not.)
Ibn Masood (May Allah Be Pleased With Him), has narrated from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), that he said: “It is obligatory for every Muslim to ask for lawful sustenance” [Ahya al-Uloom: 2/89] Some scholars have said about the saying of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), about the necessity of knowledge: What is meant by seeking knowledge is knowledge by which the halal is known from the forbidden.
Some ignorant and lazy people who do not seek the truth have thought that there is no halal food left; Halal and haram are separated from everything. But this is nothing but a false and ignorant idea; because halal and haram are two separate things: «الْحَلَالُ بَيِّنٌ وَالْحَرَامُ بَيِّنٌ وَبَيْنَهُمَا أُمُورٌ مُشْتَبِهَةٌ» [صحيح البخاري ـ (3/ 53)]. (Halal and haram are separated from each other and there are suspicious things between them.) [Sahih Al-Bukhari – (3/53)].
It is necessary to avoid suspicious or haram food; because by eating suspicious or haram food, the success of good deeds is taken away from a person, and the unpleasant and turbid effect of these types of food spreads to the organs and veins of the body.
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH), says about the virtue of Halal: «من أكل الحلال أربعين يوما نور الله قلبه وأجرى ينابيع الحكمة من قلبه على لسانه ». [إحياء علوم الدين (2/ 89).] (Whoever eats pure halal food for forty days, Allah Almighty will make his heart bright and bright, and springs of wisdom will flow from his heart to his tongue.) [ehyaa ul Ulum al-Din (2/89).] It is also narrated from Hazrat Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her), that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), said: «إن أطیب ما أکلتم من کسبکم». [ترمذي: 2/28] (The most halal thing you eat is the result of your suffering.) [Tirmidhi: 2/28]
Saadi Shirazi writes about effort:
By suffering the wise man, you can achieve treasure
No one can find a treasure without suffering
There is no profit without suffering in the world
Someone who was lazy can’t find a treasure
Hazrat Luqman Hakim, may Allah’s mercy be upon him, bequeathed his son like this and said: Stop doing business so that whoever becomes a Poor and needy, his religion will be narrowed, his intellect will be weak, and his merit will be nullified, and the people will not look down on him.
Imam Ahmed (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), asked a man who always secluded himself at home or in the mosque, the reason for it, and the man said: I do not do anything, and Allah Almighty provides me with sustenance. Imam Ahmad said: This man is ignorant. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: «جُعِلَ رِزْقِي تَحْتَ ظِلِّ رُمْحِي». [صحيح البخاري ـ (4/ 40)] ؛ (Indeed, Allah has placed my sustenance on the edge of the spear.) That is, this saying of the Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, is an allusion to booty and trying to earn sustenance.
Types of business
A person whose source of income comes from different ways and different and scattered methods, must know the types and rules of halal and haram; so as not to suffer the punishment of the afterlife due to his ignorance towards that phenomenon.
Illegal ways
Some properties are inherently forbidden, Such as: pork, wine, etc… Or it becomes haram for some reason, Such as: mines, animals and plants. And sometimes the transaction is done on money, and it is correct according to appearance; but in fact, due to a kind of cruelty and betrayal that is used in it, the perpetrator is exposed to Allah’s wrath and the loss of some of these cruelties and betrayals is felt by the public; as:
1. Hoarding: It means that a person hides and stores food and necessities of people’s life, waiting for it to become rare and its price to rise, and then sells it at an exorbitant price. This act is a type of oppression and public betrayal; As the Holy Prophet (PBUH), says: «مَنِ احْتَكَرَ فَهُوَ خَاطِئٌ ». [صحيح مسلم للنيسابوري (5/ 56)]
2. Hiding the defect of the product: He hides the defect and sells it to the customer with the same defect.
3. Imbalance of weight and measure: during the transaction, he buys with heavy weight and full measure and sells with light weight. Allah reprimands this group and says: «وَيْلٌ لِلْمُطَفِّفِينَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُوا عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ» [مطففین: 1-2].
4. Exceeds the daily rate: the seller must buy and sell the goods at the fair daily rate, otherwise, a kind of oppression and betrayal of the general public has been committed. These are examples of oppression and betrayals that people suffer from, and today, with the passage of time, there are more tricks and deceptions in goods than these, which are included under these.
Ways to earn halal income
In line with healthy business and economy and earning legitimate incomes, Islam offers many ways for people in the society; So that each person can benefit from them according to his talent and competence and according to his effort and activity.
Imam Shah Waliullah Dehlavi (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), in his valuable book “Hujjatullah el-Balegha” has divided the ways of earning legitimate income into two main and secondary parts. The main ways are: 1. Agriculture; 2. Animal husbandry; 3. Collecting permissible things and goods from deserts and seas; 4. Industrialism. But there are many secondary ways that it is enough to mention only a few: 1. Trade and commerce; 2. Employment and brokerage; 3. Performing various services in order to meet the needs of people in the community; 4. Ways that provide human welfare and comfort.
It is clear that one of the ways to earn a living and provide services to the society and keep the markets prosperous is trade. Zamakhshri, may Allah have mercy on him, says: It is very clear that after production, industrial and agricultural goods must be made available to people and be exchanged among them, and this is not possible except through trade. And business has a special and special importance and position in Islam. It is one of the inevitable necessities of social life and Islam has placed it as one of the legitimate and permissible sources of income.
Work, business and business are favored by Allah that are in accordance with the provisions of Islamic Sharia; Allah has said: «يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَاتَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً عَنْ تَرَاضٍ مِنْكُمْ» [نساء: 2] O you who believe, don’t take each other’s property unjustly, unless the transaction is based on the agreement and consent of the parties. ) Therefore, it is necessary to try to acquire halal wealth; But it should be known that turning to halal business and earning should not prevent a person from worshiping and earning in the hereafter and selling religion to the world.
Muslim deserves to learn from Salaf Saleh. When they were busy with their daily work and efforts, they would return to the mosques to perform obligatory prayers. Whenever they heard the call to prayer, they stopped their worldly business; Even some of them, when they heard the adhan, when they had raised the hammer, they would not lower it and put it aside and go to the mosque.
Islam respects property and wealth when it is a means to protect one’s honor and self-dignity from humiliation, as well as a means for the progress and well-being of society and defense of religion and faith against the attack of enemies; Not that it prevents a person from worshiping and acquiring the wealth of the hereafter.
It is narrated from Hazrat Ali (MAPWH), that the Prophet of Islam (PBUH), said: «إن الله یحب ان یری عبده یسعی فی طلب الحلال». [دیلمی: (2/363)] (Allah likes to see his servant in effort to seek halal.) In another hadith it is stated«أَنّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم سُئِلَ أَيُّ الْكَسْبِ أَطْيَبُ ؟ قَالَ : عَمَلُ الرَّجُلِ بِيَدِهِ ، وَكُلٌّ بَيْعٍ مَبْرُور» [مسند البزار (2/ 55)] (The best and most halal acquisition is the acquisition of a person through his own work and suffering, as well as any trade that is free from haram.) How fortunate are those who they follow this commandment of the beloved Messenger of Islam (PBUH) and adorn themselves with his tradition and commandment.
The effect of halal and haram acquisition
By eating halal food, the light of faith emerges and an interest in acquiring good morals is obtained, and it gives a person a sense of peace during worship and his heart trembles from committing a sin and his prayer is accepted by Allah.
Sahl Testri (MAHMOH), says: The joy of faith and worship is felt by four things:
1. Performing the duties in accordance with the Sunnah.
2. Eating a halal diet.
3. Being away from the external and internal prohibitions.
4. And waiting for this until death. [ehyaa ul Ulum: (2/91)].
Also, from eating forbidden food, a person’s moral behavior is created, after which the pleasure of worship is lost, and the prayer is not answered. As the beloved Messenger of Islam (PBUH), said: “Many troubled people raise their hands to the sky and pray and say: O Lord O Lord But since their food is haram, their drink and their clothes are haram, how can supplication be accepted in such a situation?
Historians have written: In the city of Kufa, there were men of supplication, whenever a cruel ruler dominated them, they prayed against him. As a result, you will perish. When Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, the famous oppressor, dominated them, he gathered them for a private invitation, when they finished eating; Hajjaj said: I was saved from the danger of this group’s bad prayer; because now the forbidden food entered their stomachs.
When evil takes the place of good and the ladder of corruption rises and prayers are not accepted; As a result, we will witness a corrupt and unprosperous society. The intellectual growth and enlightenment of every human being is related to his nutrition, and until he does not pay attention to his sustenance and tries to separate it from the forbidden, he will not be able to know his Lord and Allah and achieve his worldly and hereafter goals.
Therefore, to check the situation and provide it, we must look at our food; so giving importance to work and effort and distinguishing right from wrong ways and their effects are the duties of every member of the society. To have a modern, civilized, religious and pure society. وما ذلک علی الله بعزیز.
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