ALLAH’S WISDOM IN DISTRIBUTING WEALTH
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. Indeed He is, of His servants, Acquainted and Seeing. (Qur’an 42:27)
This verse is another important principle of wealth in Islam. The believer should internalize that not only does Allah distribute wealth or withhold it as a test, but that he distributes it with His infinite wisdom with people’s best interests in mind. Allah may withhold an abundance of wealth from someone out of His infinite knowledge that the person would become corrupted by it, as He knows His servant best. This concept can be found in numerous aḥādith, which despite the weakness in their transmission, support the meaning of the verse and the statements of numerous scholars. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was reported to have said that Allah said, “Perhaps my righteous believer will ask me for wealth but I turn him from wealth towards poverty. Had I turned him towards wealth it would have been worse for him. Perhaps my righteous believer will ask me for poverty but I turn him from poverty towards wealth. Had I turned him towards poverty it would have been worse for him.”(Ṭabarānī, al-Muʿjam al-kabīr, no. 12719 (the hadith is classified as “weak,” but its meaning is acceptable).) Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Kathīr both explained that poverty may be more beneficial for some people than wealth, whereas wealth may be more beneficial for others.( Ibn Tamiyyah, Majmuʿ Fatāwá, vol. 11 (Mansura, Egypt: Dār al-Wafāʾ, 2005),(Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr)) However, this knowledge is only known to Allah, and the 65 66 believer’s responsibility is to distribute wealth in the most appropriate fashion. Allah provides for people through various means, including through jobs, investments, inheritance, zakah, and through people’s generosity. Therefore, the believer should always look for opportunities to be the means by which Allah provides sustenance to others.
The secret of barakah
Barakah implies increase and growth, and it may apply to that which is tangible (e.g., wealth) or immaterial (e.g., time). Barakah connotes that something has received divine blessing and is therefore more productive, efficient, nourishing, or valuable. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would invoke Allah for barakah often. When the Prophet was given the first fruit of the season, he would take it and say, “O Allah, give us barakah in our fruits, give us barakah in our city [Medina], and give us barakah in our our mudd [a measure equal to two handfuls] and in our ṣāʿ [a measure equal to four mudd]…”(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 1373.) The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم understood that something tangible would be more nourishing and valuable if Allah blessed it. That is why he taught the companions that “the food of one person is enough for two, the food of two is enough for four, and the food of four is enough for eight.”(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 2059.) He further elaborated, “Gather together to eat and mention the name of Allah upon your food and Allah will put barakah in it.” (Musnad Aḥmad, no. 16078; Sunan Abī Dāwūd, no. 3764; Sunan Ibn Mājah, no. 3286.)
Thus, we understand that the value of a commodity is not fixed and intrinsic to the commodity. Rather, the extent to which the commodity benefits is proportional to the barakah it has been given. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم explained this clearly when he said, “Both parties in a business transaction have the right to accept or reject the deal as long as they have not parted. If they tell the truth and make everything clear to each other [e.g., describe the defects and qualities of the goods], then their transaction is blessed. If they conceal anything and lie to each other, the blessing of their transaction will be eliminated.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 2079; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 1532.) This notion of barakah is the secret to the contentment of the believers. If the believer has conviction that Allah can bless their halal wealth and strip the barakah from ḥarām wealth, the motive to seek wealth using impermissible means should be eliminated. Furthermore, through awareness that things can have more value than what is apparent, the believer is comforted in spending their wealth in a manner pleasing to Allah, as He alone possesses the ability to increase it in value.
By Osman Umarji
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