extremely difficult to look after themselves and protect their faith when they are afflicted with the test of hunger. Due to poverty and financial problems, these people even have the audacity to object to Allah Himself and begin saying words of disbelief. Some unfortunate people even declare themselves as non-Muslim on documents just so they can acquire money or visas - اَسْتَغْفِرُ اللہ! اَسْتَغْفِرُاللہ

May Allah Almighty protect our faith, and may He save us from losing it! In today’s day and age, the best course of action is for us to avoid poverty as much as possible and work hard to earn halal rizq to fulfil our needs.

A shield against the devil

There once lived a scholar and saint by the name of Sufyān Thawrī -  رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه. Just before he passed away, he took out a bag of gold and silver coins, and said, “Give this as charity in the way of Allah.” People responded, “You taught us to avoid wealth, yet you gathered it yourself. What is the wisdom behind this?”

He explained, “I used this to fight any tricks the devil attempted with me. Whenever he tried to make me worry about where I shall eat from, I replied, ‘I have money to spend for this.’” ^[1]

سُـبْحٰـنَ الـلّٰــه The actions of Allah Almighty’s righteous servants are an example for us all. May Allah allow us to learn from these examples. It is completely permissible for us to earn as much halal rizq as we need. Adding to this, it is permissible to save money so we can tend to our basic necessities, which change depending on our living conditions, the state of our heart, and how much we rely on Allah Almighty.

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب                                     صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد