Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (77) | Chapter on contentment and frugality in living, and condemnation of question (2)

0:00 *Riyad al-Salihin* (The Meadows of the Righteous) from the Words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

0:09 Chapter on Contentment, Chastity, Moderation in Living and Spending, and the Censure of Begging Without Necessity.

0:20 On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

0:30 "A person continues to beg from people until he meets Allah Almighty with not a single piece of flesh on his face."

0:39 Agreed upon. *Al-muz'ah* means a piece or shred.

0:44 Begging (*al-mas'alah*) means asking others for handouts.

0:50 "Meets Allah" means when he is resurrected on the Day of Judgment.

0:56 Among the benefits of the hadith is the deterrence from begging and being persistent in it,

1:02 due to the humiliation it brings in this worldly life and the torment in the Hereafter.

1:08 A servant harms himself in proportion to how much he begs.

1:14 On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

1:20 said while standing upon the pulpit, mentioning charity and abstaining from begging:

1:27 "The upper hand is better than the lower hand.

1:31 The upper hand is the one that gives, and the lower hand is the one that begs."

1:37 Agreed upon.

1:39 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

1:43 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

1:47 "Whoever begs from people to amass wealth is only asking for live coals,

1:52 so let him ask for little or ask for much."

1:56 Narrated by Muslim.

1:58 "To amass wealth" (*takathuran*)

2:01 means to increase one's wealth through what one accumulates from others.

2:05 Among the benefits of the hadith:

2:08 The prohibition of begging without genuine need,

2:11 and that whatever is acquired through this means will be a curse and calamity upon the recipient.

2:17 Whoever takes something unlawfully deserves punishment.

2:23 The servant has free will over his actions.

2:26 On the authority of Samurah Ibn Jundab, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

2:31 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

2:35 "Begging is a scratch with which a man disfigures his face,

2:40 unless a man asks a ruler,

2:43 or asks concerning a matter that is unavoidable."

2:46 Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.

2:48 *Al-kadd*

2:51 means scratching, lacerating, or the like.

2:53 "A ruler" (*sultan*)

2:56 refers to the leader or person in authority,

2:58 asking him for what Allah has rightfully designated for oneself,

3:01 such as zakat.

3:02 "A matter that is unavoidable"

3:04 means an indispensable necessity without which one cannot survive.

3:09 Among the benefits of the hadith:

3:12 The permissibility of claiming one's rightful dues from the ruler,

3:16 as well as asking people out of dire necessity,

3:19 alongside the prohibition of begging in circumstances other than these.

3:22 The ruler ought to look after the welfare of his subjects

3:26 and ensure that their rightful dues are delivered to them.

3:30 On the authority of Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

3:35 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

3:39 "Whoever is afflicted by poverty

3:41 and discloses it to people,

3:43 his poverty will not be relieved;

3:45 but whoever discloses it to Allah,

3:48 Allah will soon grant him provision, either immediately or in the future."

3:54 Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.

3:57 *Yushik* means to hasten.

4:01 *Faqah* means poverty or dire need.

4:04 "Discloses it to people"

4:06 means seeking relief from them through their assistance

4:10 and placing his reliance upon them.

4:12 "Will not be relieved" means his need will not be fulfilled.

4:15 "Allah will soon enrich him"

4:19 means He will swiftly and readily grant him self-sufficiency.

4:22 "Discloses it to Allah"

4:24 means entrusting it entirely to Allah,

4:26 complaining of his condition to his Creator,

4:28 and submitting his affairs to Him.

4:32 Among the benefits of the hadith:

4:34 Encouragement to bear a hardship-stricken life with patience,

4:37 and to refrain from complaining to people.

4:40 Encouraging the person afflicted by hardship

4:44 to entrust its removal entirely to his Creator, Glorified and Exalted is He.

4:49 Discouraging the servant from relying on other than Allah to fulfill his requests

4:54 or to relieve his distress.

4:56 Whoever relies on other than Allah goes astray,

5:00 whoever seeks honor through other than Allah is humiliated,

5:03 and whoever entrusts his affairs to Allah

5:06 will neither falter nor go astray.

5:09 On the authority of Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

5:13 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

5:17 "Whoever guarantees for me that he will not ask people for anything,

5:22 I will guarantee Paradise for him."

5:25 I said, "I will."

5:27 And thereafter, he would never ask anyone for anything.

5:30 Narrated by Abu Dawud.

5:33 "Guarantees" means pledges and ensures.

5:37 Among the benefits of the hadith:

5:40 The exhortation to refrain from asking people for handouts,

5:44 and to rely upon oneself in fulfilling one's needs.

5:48 The great virtue of Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him.

5:51 The Companions' eagerness to fulfill their pledges.

5:56 It is indeed authentically reported concerning Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him,

5:59 that his whip would fall while he was mounted on his riding beast,

6:03 and he would not say to anyone, "Hand it to me,"

6:06 but would instead dismount to pick it up himself.

6:09 On the authority of Abu Bishr,

6:12 Qabisah ibn al-Mukhariq, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

6:16 I incurred a financial guarantee to settle a dispute,

6:18 so I came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

6:22 to ask him for financial assistance regarding it.

6:24 He said:

6:25 "Stay with us until the charity arrives,

6:28 so that we may order some of it to be given to you."

6:30 Then he said:

6:32 "O Qabisah,

6:34 begging is not lawful except for one of three people:

6:38 a man who incurs a financial guarantee to make peace between parties,

6:41 for whom begging is lawful until he covers it, after which he must refrain;

6:46 a man who is struck by a calamity that devastates his wealth,

6:50 for whom begging is lawful until he attains enough to sustain a basic living,"

6:56 or he said:

6:57 "a sufficient means of subsistence;

7:00 and a man who is stricken by poverty,

7:03 such that three sensible men of understanding from his people attest:

7:07 'So-and-so has indeed been stricken by poverty,'

7:10 for whom begging is lawful until he attains enough to sustain a basic living,"

7:16 or he said:

7:17 "a sufficient means of subsistence.

7:21 Any other form of begging, O Qabisah, is illicit gain (*suht*),

7:25 which the one who takes it consumes as unlawful wealth."

7:28 Narrated by Muslim.

7:30 *Hamalah* (financial guarantee)

7:32 refers to when fighting or the like occurs between two groups,

7:35 and an individual reconciles between them by personally assuming a financial liability.

7:42 *Al-ja'ihah* (calamity)

7:45 is a blight or disaster that strikes a person's wealth.

7:48 *Al-qiwam* (sustenance)

7:50 is the minimal wealth or provisions that sustain a person's living.

7:54 *Al-sidad* (sufficiency)

7:56 is that which covers the basic needs of the destitute and suffices him.

7:59 *Al-faqah*

8:01 means poverty.

8:02 *Al-hija*

8:04 means intellect and discernment.

8:06 "The charity"

8:08 refers to zakat,

8:10 because he is a debtor who incurred debt for a good cause (*gharim*), and thus is eligible to receive from it.

8:13 "Until he covers it" (*hatta yusibaha*)

8:16 means until he pays off the debt he incurred for that reconciliation.

8:20 "Devastates" (*ijtahat*)

8:22 means completely wipes out and uproots.

8:24 *Al-suht*

8:25 means purely unlawful wealth,

8:27 regarding which there is no ambiguity or valid justification.

8:31 Among the benefits of the hadith:

8:35 Whoever incurs a financial guarantee and is unable to pay it

8:39 is permitted to seek assistance from the ruler to help him settle it.

8:43 The permissibility of staying with the ruler until one's legitimate need is fulfilled.

8:48 Begging is not permissible except for one who has incurred a financial guarantee to reconcile between people,

8:51 or a man struck by a disaster that has wiped out his wealth,

8:55 or a man struck by severe, attested poverty.

8:59 Begging is permissible for those mentioned only until their basic need is met;

9:05 once that is achieved,

9:07 it becomes obligatory to refrain from asking,

9:10 because anything beyond that is unlawful.

9:12 The ruler ought to tend to his subjects with advice and guidance,

9:17 encouraging them to cooperate in righteousness and piety,

9:21 and fulfilling the needs of the destitute.

9:26 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,

9:29 that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

9:33 "The truly poor person is not the one who goes around begging from people,

9:37 turned away by a morsel or two,

9:40 or a date or two.

9:43 Rather, the truly poor is the one who does not find sufficient wealth to enrich him,

9:47 whose poverty is not noticed so that charity might be given to him,

9:51 and who does not stand up to beg from people."

9:54 Agreed upon.

9:57 Among the benefits of the hadith:

10:00 Exhortation to seek out the poor who noble-mindedly refrain from begging,

10:05 who present an outward appearance of self-sufficiency and shield themselves with patience,

10:09 and that they are the most deserving of receiving charity.

10:12 Chapter on the Permissibility of Accepting a Gift Without Having Asked for It or Coveted It.

10:21 On the authority of Salim ibn 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar,

10:25 from his father, 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar,

10:28 from 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, who said:

10:32 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

10:35 used to give me a grant of wealth,

10:37 and I would say,

10:39 "Give it to someone who is poorer and in greater need of it than me."

10:42 Thereupon he said:

10:44 "Take it!

10:45 If any of this wealth comes to you

10:48 without you coveting it or begging for it,

10:51 take it and make it your property.

10:53 If you wish, consume it,

10:55 and if you wish, give it in charity.

10:57 But as for whatever does not come to you in this manner,

10:59 do not let your soul chase after it."

11:01 Salim said:

11:03 "Thus, 'Abdullah would never ask anyone for anything,

11:07 nor would he ever turn down anything given to him."

11:10 Agreed upon.

11:12 *Mushrif* (coveting)

11:15 means yearning for it and anticipating it.

11:17 *Afqar* (poorer)

11:20 means in greater need.

11:22 *Fatamawwalh* (make it your property)

11:23 means take it as personal wealth.

11:25 "do not let your heart covet it."

11:27 That is, do not become attached to it.

11:29 Among the lessons derived from the hadith are:

11:33 The permissibility of accepting wealth and owning it

11:36 if it comes without asking for it

11:38 or harboring longing for it;

11:40 the virtue of possessing wealth

11:43 if one uses it to benefit the creation

11:46 and in avenues of goodness;

11:48 the encouragement of altruism

11:50 and prioritizing those in greatest need;

11:53 the asceticism of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them)

11:57 regarding worldly pleasures

11:59 and their desire to make do with little of it;

12:02 that the ruler may give to certain subjects

12:05 when he sees a legitimate justification for doing so

12:07 that serves a Shar'i interest,

12:09 even if someone else is in greater need of it;

12:13 that rejecting the gift of a just ruler

12:16 is bad etiquette;

12:18 that the disapproval of the salaf (early generations)

12:20 toward gifts from the authorities

12:22 applies specifically to unjust rulers;

12:24 that he whose wealth is known to be lawful

12:27 should not have his gift rejected;

12:29 that he whose wealth is known to be unlawful

12:32 makes accepting his gift prohibited;

12:34 and that regarding whoever is of doubtful wealth,

12:36 precaution lies in rejecting it,

12:38 which is of scrupulous piety (wara').

12:40 Also, the strict adherence of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar

12:44 (may Allah be pleased with them both) to the Messenger of Allah

12:46 (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),

12:48 which was a trait particularly well-known of him.

12:52 Chapter on the Encouragement to Eat from the Work of One's Own Hands,

12:57 to Refrain from Begging,

12:59 and to Avoid Exposing Oneself to Being Given Charity.

13:01 Allah Almighty said:

13:04 "And when the prayer has been concluded,

13:06 disperse within the land

13:08 and seek from the bounty of Allah."

13:11 On the authority of Abu 'Abdullah,

13:14 az-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

13:18 The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

13:22 "For one of you to take his ropes,

13:25 go to the mountain,

13:27 and bring a bundle of firewood

13:29 — bring a bundle of firewood

13:31 upon his back to sell it,

13:33 whereby Allah spares his face from humiliation —

13:36 is better for him than asking people,

13:39 whether they give him or refuse him."

13:41 Related by al-Bukhari.

13:45 "Ahbula" is the plural of "habl" (rope).

13:48 "Whereby Allah spares his face,"

13:51 meaning: He enriches him by its proceeds so that he does not need to beg from people.

13:56 And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

14:00 The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

14:04 "For one of you to gather a bundle of firewood on his back

14:08 is better for him than to ask anyone,

14:11 who may either give him or refuse him."

14:14 Agreed upon.

14:18 Among the lessons derived from the hadith are:

14:20 The encouragement to refrain from begging and to rise above it;

14:24 the urging to work in order to earn a livelihood;

14:29 that begging is not permissible when one is capable of working

14:32 and earning a livelihood through the labor of one's own hands and the sweat of one's brow;

14:36 that one ought to exert effort in seeking lawful sustenance,

14:41 for the sky does not rain gold or silver;

14:45 that taking the means and undertaking work

14:48 does not contradict reliance on Allah (tawakkul);

14:51 a depiction of the humiliation of begging that befalls the beggar,

14:55 namely the humiliation of rejection if he is given nothing;

15:00 and that one should not look down upon work or feel ashamed of it,

15:03 even if it is simple, modest, and of no value in the eyes of people.

15:08 And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),

15:12 from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said:

15:16 "Dawud (peace be upon him) used not to eat except from the work of his own hands."

15:21 Related by al-Bukhari.

15:25 Among the lessons derived from the hadith are:

15:28 Urging the Muslim to work

15:30 and to ensure his sustenance comes from his own manual earnings

15:33 and the fruit of his effort;

15:35 the virtue of manual labor;

15:37 and that what a person undertakes himself

15:40 is superior to what he has others do on his behalf.

15:43 Dawud was specifically mentioned

15:47 because his restricting himself to eating from the labor of his own hands

15:51 was not out of necessity,

15:53 since he was a ruler in the earth, as Allah Almighty said,

15:58 but rather he sought to eat through the most virtuous means;

16:01 this is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) cited him by way of exemplary evidence.

16:07 Earning a living does not undermine reliance on Allah;

16:10 pursuing a profession does not distract from calling to Allah (da'wah),

16:15 nor does it divert one from seeking knowledge.

16:17 And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),

16:22 that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

16:26 "Zakariyya (peace be upon him) was a carpenter."

16:30 Related by Muslim.

16:32 Among the lessons derived from the hadith are:

16:34 The virtue of work and manual crafts,

16:38 following the exemplary path of the Prophets (peace be upon them).

16:42 And on the authority of al-Miqdam ibn Ma'dikarib (may Allah be pleased with him),

16:47 from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said:

16:51 "No one has ever eaten better food

16:54 than that which he eats from the work of his own hands.

16:57 Indeed, the Prophet of Allah Dawud (peace be upon him)

17:02 used to eat from the work of his own hands."

17:05 Related by al-Bukhari.

17:07 Among the lessons derived from the hadith are:

17:11 The purest food and most wholesome living

17:13 is that which is the result of one's own striving;

17:16 this was the way of the Prophets,

17:18 and Allah, Glorified is He, has explained

17:21 that among the hallmarks of their methodology

17:23 was that they never asked people for a reward.

17:27 Riyad as-Salihin.

Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (77) | Chapter on contentment and frugality in living, and condemnation of question (2)

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