This excerpt is taken from Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi's book Halal and Haram in Islam, translated into Urdu by Muhammad Tahir Naqqash.
Earning and Profession
The command of Allah Almighty is:
هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ ذَلُوْلًا فَامْشُوا فِي مَنَاكِبِهَا وَكُلُوا مِنْ رِزْقِهِ وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ
"He it is Who has made the earth subservient to you, so walk in its paths and eat of His provision."
Reference: (Al-Mulk: 15)
This is the principle of Islam. Allah Almighty has made the earth subservient to mankind for their service, therefore one should benefit from this blessing and strive in its aspects while seeking Allah's grace.
It is forbidden for a person who has the ability to work to remain idle:
It is not permissible for a Muslim to become careless in seeking sustenance under the pretext of single-minded devotion to worship or reliance on Allah Almighty, because there will be no rain of gold and silver from the sky, nor will manna and quails descend.
Similarly, it is not permissible for him to rely on charity while he has means available through which he can strive for his livelihood and fulfill the needs of those under his care. In this regard, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
لا تحل الصدقة لغني ولا لذي مرة سوي
“Charity is not permissible for a rich person, nor for one who is strong and healthy.”
Reference: Abu Dawood, Book of Zakat: Chapter on Who Should be Given Charity, Hadith: 1634 - Tirmidhi: Book of Zakat: Chapter on Who Charity is Not Permissible For, Hadith: 652
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) strongly condemned and declared it forbidden for a Muslim to stretch out his hand before people, resulting in the loss of the brightness of his face and unnecessarily damaging his dignity and honor. He (peace be upon him) said:
الذي يسأل من غير حاجة كمثل الذى يلتقط الجمر
“Whoever begs without need is like one who picks up burning coals with his hand.”
Reference: Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-Iman (271/3 Hadith: 3517) and the wording is his, Musnad Ahmad (4/165), Sharh Ma’ani al-Athar (306/1)
And he said:
من سأل الناس يكثر به ماله كان خموشا فى وجهه إلى يوم القيامة و رضفا يأكله من جهنم فمن شاء فليقلل ومن شاء فليكثر
“Whoever stretches out his hand before people to become wealthy, he disfigures his face until the Day of Judgment and will eat the hot stones of Hell.” Whether a person acquires these things in large or small amounts.
Reference: Tirmidhi, Book of Zakat, Chapter on Who Charity is Not Permissible For: 653
He also said:
لا تزال المسأله بأحدكم حتى يلقى الله وليست فى وجهه مزعة لحم
“Whoever makes a habit of begging will meet Allah with no flesh on his face.”
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Zakat, Chapter on Who Asks People Excessively, Hadith: 1474; Muslim, Book of Zakat, Chapter on Disliking Asking from People, Hadith: 1040
To save from this bad outcome, the Prophet (peace be upon him) protected the honor of the Muslim and cultivated qualities such as self-sufficiency, self-confidence, and avoidance of begging.
When is it permissible to ask questions:
But the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, fully considered the hardships and needs of the people. If a person is compelled to ask for help from the government or individuals in society, then there is no sin upon him. Accordingly, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
إنما المسائل كدوح يكدح الرجل بها وجهه فمن شاء أبقى على وجهه ومن شاء ترك إلا أن يسأل ذا سلطان أو فى أمر لا يجد منه بدا
"Asking is equivalent to scratching. The one who asks scratches his own face. Therefore, whoever wishes may refrain from asking and keep his face intact, or he may ask and scratch his face. However, this exception applies when one must ask from a person in authority or in a matter that is absolutely unavoidable."
Reference: Abu Dawood, Book of Zakat, Chapter on When Asking is Permissible, Hadith: 1639 - Tirmidhi, Book of Zakat, Chapter on the Prohibition of Asking, Hadith: 681 - Nasa'i, Book of Zakat, Chapter on the Question of a Man with Authority, Hadith: 2600
Abu Basheer Qabeesa bin Al-Mukhariq, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
تحملت حمالة فأتيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أسأله فيها فقال: أقم حتى تأتينا الصدقة فنأمر لك بها ثم قال: يا قبيصة إن المسائل لا تحل إلا لأحد ثلاثة رجل تحمل حمالة فحلت له المسألة حتى يصيبها ثم يمسك، ورجل أصابته جائحة اجتاحت ماله فحلت له المسألة حتى يصيب قواما من عيش، ورجل أصابته فاقة حتى يقوم ثلاثة من ذوي الحجا من قومه لقد أصابت فلانا فاقة فحلت له المسألة حتى يصيب قواما من عيش أو سدادا من عيش فما سواهن من المسألة يا قبيصة سحت يأكلها صاحبها سحتا
I had accepted the responsibility of guaranteeing (becoming a guarantor for someone) in a matter, so I came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and asked him. He said: Wait! When the charity money arrives, we will provide it to you. Then he said: O Qabeesa! Asking is not permissible except for three types of people. One is the person who accepts the responsibility of guaranteeing for someone. For such a person, asking is permissible until he obtains the required money. After that, he should stop. The second is the person whose wealth is destroyed due to a calamity or accident. For such a person, asking is permissible until he obtains the necessities of life. The third is the person who is starving until three sensible people from his neighborhood say that such a person is starving. In such a case, asking is permissible until he is provided with the necessities of life. Apart from these, whoever asks is consuming unlawful wealth.
Reference: Muslim, Book of Zakat, Chapter on Who is Permitted to Ask, Hadith: 1044, Abu Dawood, previous reference Hadith: 1640
Working is a source of honor:
Some people consider certain jobs disgraceful. The Prophet ﷺ declared this wrong and taught his companions that honor and complete honor lie only in working, no matter what kind of work it is, and that relying on the help of dishonored and miserable people is disgraceful. He said:
لأن يأخذ أحدكم حبله فيأتي حزمة حطب على ظهره فيبيعها فيكف الله بها وجهه خير له من أن يسأل الناس أعطوه أو منعوه
“It is better for a person to carry a rope and bring a bundle of wood on his back and sell it so that Allah may preserve his dignity through it than to go around begging from people, whether they give or not.”
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Zakat, Chapter on Self-Sufficiency from Asking, Hadith: 1470 - 1471; Muslim, Book of Zakat, Chapter on Disliking Asking from People, Hadith: 1042/107
Therefore, a Muslim should earn a livelihood, whether through agriculture, trade, industry, employment, or any other means, provided that the means are not forbidden, do not assist in forbidden acts, and are not involved in anything unlawful.
