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The belief that Rizq comes from Allah
Of the many things that influence the actions of human beings,
material wealth and survival rank among the top few. For many, these
are the top players in their minds. As individuals, communities and
nations, people have shaped their lives and made laws to ensure
continuous provision of worldly comforts. In today's world, which is
dominated by Western Capitalist values, a culture of looking at
everything from the viewpoint of economics, including life itself,
permeates societies. Having children is seen as an expensive
business by couples. The notion of population control as a means of
increasing the quality of life is pursued by many countries and
pushed by international agencies and strategists.
In many 'Third World' countries, people who have not been affected
by Western views have adopted the opposite strategy. Instead of
cutting down on family size, they deliberately seek to increase it.
Yet they are both acting for the same reason, to ensure prosperity.
While the West sees population control as a means of sharing the
available limited cake amongst fewer people and thereby everyone
having a larger piece, those in the Third World see population
growth as a means of making a larger cake (through availability of
extra efforts) for them to share. That way, everyone in the family
can have a larger share. Parents see large families as a means of
'insurance' in societies where there is no state support and
subsistence farming is common. Many Muslims have also adopted
non-Islamic attitudes with regards to rizq, by referring to sources
other than Islam.
The perception of Rizq in Islam
In Islam, things are viewed differently. Islam teaches that rizq
(livelihood) comes from Allah(swt). Therefore we must not worry
about the size of the cake. There are many ayyats in the Qur'an
where Allah (swt) emphasises this subject. To mention a few, Allah (swt)
revealed in the Qur'an:
"O Mankind! Worship your Lord who created
you and those before you, so that you may safeguard yourselves with
full awareness of divine laws. Who made the earth a bed for you and
the sky a canopy, and sends down rain from the sky and thereby
produces fruits for your sustenance - So do not set up equals to
Allah while you know." [ 2:21-22]
"The Earth - We have spread it out, and
placed firm mountains on it, and therein, We caused everything to
grow in proper measure. And We have made for you therein means of
sustenance, and for whom you do not provide. There is not a thing
but its treasures are with Us, and We do not send it down but
according to known measures. We send the winds fertilising and then
We send down water from the clouds, and We give it to you to drink;
but you are not its storers." [ 15:19-22]
For Muslims, the realisation that rizq is from Allah(swt) is a part
of our belief and should be understood as such. There must be no lip
service by saying it and then acting contrary to it. Countless
examples abound in the world around us. Moreover, the means through
which rizq reaches us is as varied as the quantity bestowed
on the creatures of Allah (swt). For example, the discovery of oil
in the 20's granted the people of Saudi Arabia access to vast
amounts of wealth out of the blue. By the same token, Allah (swt)
has removed accessibility to wealth from many parts of the world via
earthquakes and other natural disasters.
At the individual level, Allah (swt) makes wealth accessible to, and
withdraws it from, whom He (swt) wishes, independent of the effort
made by the individual. He who earns more is not necessarily harder
working than he who earns less and vice versa. A particular person
may earn more this month or year and then earn less the next month
or year, even though he remains consistent in his effort. Besides,
there are many ways through which rizq comes to us, without
our expectation or anticipation. For example, gifts, inheritance,
discovery of treasure etc. We can also lose wealth without
expectation through means such as theft, fire, or straightforward
loss. We are all aware of the fact that famine and depression can
hit any country, and unemployment can hit any individual for reasons
completely beyond their control. The perception of rizq has a
great impact on society. Not only does it shape the society, it
actually dominates society in many cases.
The impact of rizq perception on society: Infanticide
One of the oldest and far reaching impacts of the perception of rizq
is that it causes whole societies to commit infanticide. This was
very common in pre-Islamic Arabia. When Islam came, Allah (swt)
addressed the people,
"Do not kill your children for fear of
want. We provide sustenance for them and for you. Killing them is
certainly a great sin." [ 17: 31]
In today's world, which is dominated by Western concepts, the
incorrect understanding of rizq was found in the theories put
forward by the pastor, Thomas Robert Malthus. In 98, he published an
essay called 'Principle of Population'. In it, he argued that
because population increases in a geometric progression while means
of subsistence increases in an arithmetic progression, poverty and
suffering are unavoidable. He therefore called for population
control and the Western thinkers adopted this concept and advertised
it to such an extent that a strong public opinion against the
dangers of population increase began. They maintained that having
large families would result in poor education and care, and damage
the economy. As a result, a direct link was built between rizq
and family size and governments went out of their way to encourage
and even enforce this view. Abortion for fear of economic cost has
now become part of Western culture. Over 200,000 abortions are
conducted each year in the UK alone, 90% of them for socio-economic
reasons. This is in effect infanticide in a new guise.
The impact of rizq perception on society: socio-economic
stigmatisation
With time, the Malthusian concept took root due to continuous media
bombardment and consequently, people thought it uncivilised and
backward to have a large number of children. Some European countries
resorted to other means to pressurise people into swallowing the
concept of birth control. In Britain for instance, the family
allowance was reduced to a maximum of five children only, while in
other countries to three children. Other methods were also used by
European governments such as the introduction of fixed salaries,
refusing employment to a father of more than three children and
refusing to let property for people with large families and so on.
Society therefore became affected in many ways as a direct result of
its perception of rizq. So strong is the perception that
rizq depends on effort in terms of education and sheer hard work
during employment that those who fail to achieve are treated with
contempt in many parts of the world. In Asian countries such as
Singapore, Japan and Malaysia for example, there is tremendous
pressure on young people to have a degree. Failure not only brings
shame to the individual, but to the entire family. Having a degree
has almost artificially become a necessary condition in life for
them. When John Major became British Prime Minister after Thatcher
for example, they could hardly believe it!
The Islamic perception
Like everything else in Islam, the fact that Allah (swt) as the
Creator informs us about the realities of life a instructs us to act
accordingly would produce the best possible all-round results.
Muslims do not have to wait and see the fallacy of the Malthusian
theory before disbelieving in it. As humans, our foresight is
limited. Hence Allah's (swt) information and instructions in the
Qur'an should be fully believed and acted upon. Pastor Malthus and
the rest of the world did not know the full yield potential of land
in their days and neither can we claim so today. They could not
foresee that in the 20th century, land productivity can be increased
many times over and that far from food shortage, food will be stored
in mountains as in Europe and even burnt as in Latin America in
order to raise prices that have fallen due to excessive production.
There are now estimates that the world can support up to 50 billion
people, much greater than its 5 billion currently. Allah (swt) has
revealed, "Have you considered the seed
that you sow in the ground ? Is it you who make it grow or is it Us
?" [ 56:63]
The simple fact remains clear that Allah (swt) is the provider of
the food that we eat and all the wealth that we consume. The fears
of the kuffar and their subsequent societal organisation and
characteristics would never happen to a society based on Islam.
Islam does not teach us to fold our arms and do nothing as a
consequence of the belief that Allah (swt) provides. Rather, there
are countless examples and instructions in the sources of Shari'ah
on what to do and how to act in all situations. To say that it is a
virtue to seek knowledge, to work for our earnings, etc. is one
thing, and to say that our rizq is a direct result of these
is quite another. To pursue or yearn for a blissful dunya
that could be ten years for one individual or a hundred years for
another is incomparable when faced with the prospects of a blissful
eternity in akhira. The correct view as to how we approach
the dunya is beautifully encapsulated in the following
saying, which enjoins to ''Work for this
world as if you were to live forever, and work for the next world as
if you were to die tomorrow.'' The meaning follows that if
one were to die tomorrow, one would be very intent indeed on erasing
all of one's past sins and accumulating as much merit as possible to
protect oneself from the hellfire. If on the other hand, one expects
to live forever, one would obviously be in no hurry to erect
palaces, accumulate wealth or concentrate all energy on pursuing and
enjoying the worldly pleasures in the shortest possible time; as one
would literally have ''all the time in the world.'' When placed in
context of earning livelihood, it is simply that the world does not
end if your livelihood is lesser than what you sought.The destiny (qada)
of every man and woman has been pre-determined by Allah(swt) from
the moment we are placed in the wombs of our mothers. Our provision
in this world and how much we earn (rizq), and how long we will live
(ajal) are all issues that have been set and given their due
measure. Therefore, regardless of which profession we may choose,we
do not rely on these things to guarantee our future. Rather, the
Muslim relies solely upon Allah(swt) for providing everything, from
the money he will earn and live with, to the very air that he
breathes. Indeed there are many unemployed graduates surviving on
the breadline, and many uneducated entrepreneurs living in the lap
of luxury.
Therefore the outcome of our exams, the professions embarked upon
and the salaries earned are all determined according to the will of
Allah(swt). All that lies in the control of the believer is to exert
his utmost best towards preparing for exams as well as to place his
reliance upon Allah(swt) (to make tawwakul). Allah(swt) said, ''Whosoever
puts his trust in God, He will suffice him.'' [ At-Talaq:
3] and, ''Put your trust in Allah if you are
believers.'' [Al-Maidah: 26] However, it is important to
note that relying upon Allah(swt) for the results does not mean that
we do not need to work or pursue employment to earn our provision.
Nor does it mean neglecting studies, and taking a lazy approach to
professional life. It is incorrect to feel that working hard is
useless, claiming that what Allah(swt) has decreed will come, so
therefore working is unnecessary. On the authority of Anas b. Malik,
it is told that a man came riding his camel and he asked, 'Oh
Messenger of God, shall I leave my camel untied and trust in God?'
He(saw) replied, ''Both tie your camel and
trust in God.'' The correct understanding of this
narration is that it is a divine injunction for the individual to
have absolute trust and dependence in Allah(swt) alone irrespective
of anything else. Before, during and after any action. At the same
time all necessary and appropriate preparations for any intended
action or endeavour must be taken.
In the Islamic society under the Khilafah, obeying the commands of
Allah (swt) at an individual and societal level is more than enough
to bring all the positive aspects of civilization that human
theoreticians cannot even begin to comprehend. Our message therefore
is to stop disobeying Allah (swt) by following and acting upon the
theories and practices of the kuffar. Contrary to what the kuffar
are pushing upon Muslims today due to their perception of rizq,
the Prophet instructed, "Get married, be
fruitful and multiply. I will be proud of you on the Day of
Judgement."
Islam teaches that population is not the problem, for Allah (swt)
has made ample provision for all. Rather, the problem is a result of
following the kufr theories on population growth and the economic
policies which came out of this. By theorizing that food and wealth
is not enough for all, they seek to push birth control and establish
a Capitalist economy whereby all effort is put into 'wealth
creation'. Distribution of wealth rather than production of wealth
is the central issue in the Islamic economy. Even countries who
suffer from lack of productivity have bad distribution as their main
problem, compounded by poor productivity. Consider a few Islamic
injunctions to do with wealth such as the prohibition of
hoarding(saving money for no purpose), the payment of zakah, the
redistribution of abandoned land, the prohibition of private
ownership of public resources, and the prohibition of interest.
These directly facilitate distribution of wealth and as a
consequence, facilitate productivity through increased spending
power, motivation to work and business partnerships. Coupled with a
vibrant population that is not limited by unfounded fear of scarcity
and the tranquillity derived from the fact that Allah (swt)
provides, these present the ingredients for economic growth.
As Muslims we must ponder deeply on rizq, our perception of
it and its implications upon our lives as individuals and as an
Ummah. It is only through this that we can avoid being distracted by
changing policies such as population control, which neither fits
with reality nor is it acceptable in Islam. The Western countries
are now increasingly shifting towards the view that having a large
population is vital for the economic well being of a country and the
idea of population control is losing favour. At the same time,
population control is propagated in the Islamic lands as the cure
for economic misery and as the liberation of women. The truth is
that they fear the ''Islamic demographic bomb'' as it is often
referred to, as this is an asset which they do not have due to their
wrong perception of rizq. Surely, the theories and knowledge
of all humankind put together is nothing in comparison to the
knowledge of the Creator. So why do Muslim countries follow any
issue that the kuffar makes fashionable instead of studying our own
Islamic sources and adopting policies accordingly? Only then can
there be real success, in this world and the Hereafter.
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