Rizq & Zuhd

Course Name: Purification of the Soul

Course Code: AQD 501
Instructor: Shaykh Sajid Umar
Name: Hassan Basarally
Student ID: 1120020
Semester: 5-Spring 2014
Rizq
This is the gaining or earning of sustenance or provision as a result
of actions that are permissible in the Shariah.

Some Ayaat on Rizq

And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision, and
He knows its place of dwelling and place of storage. All is in a clear
register. (Hood 11:6)

To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth. He extends
provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]. Indeed He is, of all things,
Knowing. (Shoora 42:12)

How to attain Rizq
Taqwa
When one is conscious of Allah, one approaches Rizq in a Halal
manner.

We ask you not for provision; We provide for you, and the [best]
outcome is for [those of] righteousness. (Ta Ha 20:132)
Dua
Supplicating to Allah will increase Rizq.

So seek from Allah provision and worship Him and be grateful to
Him. (Ankaboot 29:17)
Iman
Allah rewards those having Iman with Rizq.

Those are the believers, truly. For them are degrees [of high
position] with their Lord and forgiveness and noble provision. (Anfal
4:8)
Charity
By spending and giving in the way of good, Allah increases Rizq.

Say, "Indeed, my Lord extends provision for whom He wills of His
servants and restricts [it] for him. But whatever thing you spend [in
His cause] - He will compensate it; and He is the best of providers."
(Saba 34:39)
Kinship
Allah rewards those who maintain ties of kinship with Rizq.
Abu Hurairah narrates:

Anyone who wants to have his provision expanded and his term of
life lengthened should maintain ties of kinship.(Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
57)
Tawwakul
Have trust and reliance on Allah alone for Rizq while at the same
time trying to attain it legally.
Umar narrates

If you were to rely upon Allah with the reliance He is due, you
would be given provision like the birds: They go out hungry in the
morning and come back with full bellies in the evening. (Sunan Ibn
Majah, Vol. 1, Book 37, Hadith 4164)
Actions leading to the loss of Rizq
Loss of
Rizq
Cheating Sin
Cheating
Dishonesty and cheating when buying, selling and in weights
and measurements results in Allah cutting Rizq as a punishment
in this world.

Woe to those who give less [than due]. Who, when they take a
measure from people, take in full. But if they give by measure or by
weight to them, they cause loss. (Mutafifeen 83:1-3)
Sin
Allah gives whoever He decides Rizq. It is withheld from those
committing sins.
Thawban narrates:

Nothing extends one's life span but righteousness, nothing averts
the Divine Decree but supplication, and nothing deprives a man of
provision but the sin that he commits. (Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 1,
Book 1, Hadith 90)
Purifying Oneself In Seeking Rizq
Purifying
Rizq
Know Allah is Ar Razzaaq
Halal Earnings
Do no be deceived by blessings
Earnings do not lead to harm
Not being distracted by wealth
Look at those who have less
Practice Zuhd
Know Allah is Ar Razzaaq
One of Allahs names is Ar Razzaaq- the one who gives Rizq. One
must always remember that Rizq only comes from Allah, no
matter what an individual does.

Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without account. (Al
Imraan 3:37)
Halal Earnings
When one gains Haram earnings, Allah keeps Rizq due to the sin
and oppression committed.

Indeed, those who devour the property of orphans unjustly are
only consuming into their bellies fire. And they will be burned in a
Blaze. (Nisaa 4:10)
Do not be deceived by blessings
The Rizq provided is a gift from Allah, one must be thankful and
not arrogant, thinking it is a result of ones work alone.

And those who had wished for his position the previous day began
to say, "Oh, how Allah extends provision to whom He wills of His
servants and restricts it!(Qasas 28:82)
Earnings that do not lead to harm
When one is blessed with Rizq from Allah, one must never use it to
oppress, be tyrannical or become arrogant. One becomes
tyrannical when one denies people their rights and rightful
position.

And if Allah had extended [excessively] provision for His servants,
they would have committed tyranny throughout the earth. But He
sends [it] down in an amount which He wills.(Shoora 42: 27)
Not being distracted by wealth
Rizq must not distract one from obedience to Allah and what
Allah has made compulsory on the Muslim.

But when they saw a transaction or a diversion, [O Muhammad],
they rushed to it and left you standing. Say, "What is with Allah is
better than diversion and than a transaction, and Allah is the best
of providers." (Jumuah 62: 11)
Look at those who have less
To prevent jealousy and promote thankfulness, one should look
at those whom Allah has given less Rizq to.

And do not wish for that by which Allah has made some of you
exceed others. For men is a share of what they have earned, and
for women is a share of what they have earned. And ask Allah of
his bounty. Indeed Allah is ever, of all things, Knowing. (Nisaa 4:32)
Zuhd
From all that has been discussed, it is clear that Rizq come only
from Allah. Seeking Rizq is from the Shariah, Islam does not
promote laziness, begging and unproductivity. However, Islam
ensures that one does not go to extremes. So while it is Halal to
seek Rizq, it is Haram to be fixated on the material things that
Allah has blessed people with. To combat the delusion with the
world, Zuhd is encouraged in the life of a Muslim.
Zuhd
The desire of the heart for all that will benefit one in seeking
Paradise and leaving off of all that distracts from this goal. Zuhd
involves using Rizq to get closer to Allah.


Ayaat on Zuhd

And do not extend your eyes toward that by which We have given
enjoyment to [some] categories of them, [its being but] the
splendor of worldly life by which We test them. And the provision of
your Lord is better and more enduring. (Ta Ha 20: 131)

Say, The enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better
for he who fears Allah. (Nisaa 4:77)
Targets of Zuhd
Targets
of
Zuhd
Wealth
Physical beauty of women (and men)
Leadership
People
Self (Nafs)
Everything besides Allah
Zuhd- The Misunderstood
Many Muslims have developed an incorrect understanding of
Zuhd, that it involves not working or earning money. However,
the Zaahid (one who practices Zuhd) uses Rizq to establish the
obedience of Allah and to do good deeds. This is shown in the
following statement of Allah:

And it is not your wealth or your children that bring you nearer to Us
in position, but it is [by being] one who has believed and done
righteousness. For them there will be the double reward for what
they did, and they will be in the upper chambers [of Paradise],
safe [and secure].(Sabaa 34:37)
Zuhd-The Misunderstood
From the verse in Surah Saba one sees two types of people:
1. The one who used Rizq for righteousness will receive double reward
and Paradise
2. The one who did not, the wealth and children given by Allah was of
no use or benefit in the Hereafter.
True Zuhd is to intend ones action to be for the Final Abode (Paradise)
and to intend by spending on oneself, ones children etc, to get closer to
Allah. Having Zuhd does not prevent one from marrying, working etc. The
Prophet had Zuhd and had wives at the same time. The
same goes for the best man after him, Abu Bakr As Sideeq who had
wealth that he spent in Allahs cause.
Statements on Zuhd
Zuhd is to abstain from that which is of no benefit in the Hereafter,
while pious caution, wara( )is to abstain from that which you
fear will be harmful in the Hereafter. - Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
Zuhd in the worldly life is by avoiding grand hopes, not by eating
coarse food or wearing a cloak. Imam Sufyan Ath Thawri

Attaining Zuhd
Attaining
Zuhd
Know this world is temporary
Certainty & Iman in Paradise
Zuhd does nor prevent Rizq
Zuhd benefits in this world and the next
Know this world is temporary
Never forget that this world is temporary. Always remember that
one has to account to his Lord for everything done here.
Ibn Masood narrates:

I used to forbid you to visit the graves, but now visit them, for they
will draw your attention away from this world and remind you of
the Hereafter (Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 1, Book 6, Hadith 1571)
Certainty and Iman in Paradise
Just as the reward in Paradise is eternal so is the punishment in
Hell. When one understands this, one will be more conscious of
the consequences of actions.

Whoever should desire the immediate - We hasten for him from it
what We will to whom We intend. Then We have made for him Hell,
which he will [enter to] burn, censured and banished. But whoever
desires the Hereafter and exerts the effort due to it while he is a
believer - it is those whose effort is ever appreciated [by Allah]. (Al
Israa 17: 18-19)
Zuhd does not prevent Rizq
Again, one must remember that true Zuhd is not abandoning
earning an income. Rizq is decreed by Allah, it is a test on
whether one uses it in the obedience of Allah or not.

O you who have believed, do not prohibit the good things which
Allah has made lawful to you and do not transgress. Indeed, Allah
does not like transgressors. (Al Maaidah 5: 87)
Zuhd benefits in this world and the
next
The Zaahid is loved by Allah because he leaves this world and loved
by the people as he is not concerned with their possessions. So he gets
ease in this world and the next.
Abu al Abbas Sahl bin Saad as Saeedi narrates:

" :

A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
and said, O Messenger of Allah, direct me to an act which, if I do it, [will
cause] Allah to love me and the people to love me. So he (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said, Renounce the world and Allah will
love you, and renounce what the people possess and the people will
love you. (40 Hadith Nawawi 31)
Levels of Zuhd
Levels
of
Zuhd
1. Zuhd from doubtful matters
and bad companions
2. Zuhd from wasting time
3. Zuhd from Zuhd
Zuhd from doubtful matters
It is to avoid what is unclear whether it is Halal or Haram. This is done out of
fear of being deficient in the sight of Allah.
Numan Ibn Bashir narrates:

The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear, and between that are matters that
are doubtful (not clear); many of the people do not know whether it is lawful or
unlawful. So whoever leaves it to protect his religion and his honor, then he will
be safe, and whoever falls into something from them, then he soon will have
fallen into the unlawful. Just like if someone grazes (his animals) around a
sanctuary, he would soon wind up in it. Indeed for every king is a sanctuary
(pasture), and indeed Allah's sanctuary is what He made unlawful.(Jami At
Tirmidhee, Book 14, Hadith 1)
Zuhd from bad companions
Staying away from immoral people allows one to utilise time in
the worship of Allah.
Abu Musa narrates:

The example of a good companion (who sits with you) in
comparison with a bad one, is I like that of the musk seller and the
blacksmith's bellows (or furnace); from the first you would either
buy musk or enjoy its good smell while the bellows would either
burn your clothes or your house, or you get a bad nasty smell
thereof(Saheeh Al Bukharee 2101)
Zuhd from wasting time
Take advantage of free time to do actions that brings one closer
to Allah. It does not mean to abandon ones worldly
responsibility e.g. a job, spouse etc.
Ibn Abbas narrates:

Two favours that many of the people squander are health and free
time(Jami At Tirmidhee, 2304 )
Zuhd from Zuhd
This is the highest form of Zuhd, that the Zaahid does not feel that
what was given up from the world is a sacrifice because all in the
world is of no worth compared to Allahs reward. For such a
person Zuhd is not a special act of piety but compulsory of the
Muslim. Such a person does not feel that he has lost of shunned
anything in the world as Allah alone has to power to give or
withhold. And he does not make mention of his actions in Zuhd.
Review questions
1. What is Rizq?
2. What are some ways of attaining Rizq?
3. What are the causes of the loss of Rizq?
4. How can one purify oneself when seeking Rizq?
5. What is Zuhd?
6. What things are targeted in Zuhd?
7. What are some ways of attaining Zuhd?
8. What are the levels of Zuhd?
9. What are some ways in which people misunderstand Zuhd and Rizq?





Questions?