Some of the Ahaadith of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi  wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention), are quite terse yet convey a multitude of meanings, and this is no surprise since they were produced by the one who was given the keys of eloquent speech and wise sayings. Some of his statements serve as fundamental principles, general rules, and just standards. On every given topic, there are Ahaadith that are considered all-inclusive fundamental principles under the heading of which all the respective subtopics fall. Some of these terse Ahaadith address the topic of wealth, establishing the correct Islamic viewpoint on wealth and setting fixed criteria for dealing with it and ways to dispose it of.
One of these is the following Hadith, which was narrated on the authority of ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas, may Allah be pleased with him: “The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi  wa sallam, sent for me, commanding me to pack my clothes and arms and go to him. I did what he asked and came to him while he was performing ablution. He looked at me from head to toe then said: ‘O ‘Amr, I want to send you in charge of an army so that Allah will bless you with spoils, and I will give you your lawful share of the spoils.’ I said: ‘I did not become Muslim in pursuit of wealth; I became Muslim out of the desire for embracing Islam so that I would be with the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi  wa sallam!’ He said: ‘O ‘Amr! How excellent lawful wealth is in the hands of a righteous person!’” [Ahmad and Al-Bukhari. Abu ‘Awaanah, Ibn Hibbaan, Al-Haakim, Al-Albaani: authentic]
According to its very wording, the Hadith clearly states that wealth is praiseworthy if it is lawfully gained and in the hands of a righteous person. The lawfulness of wealth means that it is pure and earned through lawful means, and the righteousness of the owner means that he uses his lawful wealth in what benefits him and his community. He fulfils the Rights of Allah with regard to his wealth by paying the obligatory Zakat on it and may spend it in charity voluntarily. This is a praiseworthy attitude towards wealth, as evidenced by his saying “How excellent lawful wealth is…”
In the same vein, another Hadith lauded wealth when it is lawfully earned and rightfully spent. It was narrated on the authority of Abu Sa‘eed, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi  wa sallam, said: “This wealth is sweet (alluring); whoever earns it lawfully and spends it rightfully, then what excellent help it is!” [Al-Bukhari] In this case, wealth is an excellent means for a Muslim to fulfil the due rights over him, uphold the ties of kinship, relieve the distressed, and spares himself from the humiliation of begging for money, as well as all the other benefits of wealth. The Shari‘ah texts that laud wealth and commend richness should be interpreted in this light.
By the same token, the Hadith indicates the gravity of the affliction when wealth is in the hands of a wicked, corrupt person; he withholds the Rights of Allah with regard to his wealth, and therefore, it becomes a destructive tool incurring his own destruction and a means of causing mischief on earth. Such a person may also combine the sin of acquiring wealth unlawfully with that of wastefulness.
This meaning was stated by the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi  wa sallam, in the second part of the previously-cited Hadith narrated on the authority of Abu Sa‘eed, may Allah be pleased with him: “...and he who obtains it wrongfully is like one who eats but is never satisfied.” [Al-Bukhari] This is in addition to having a gluttonous soul and a heart overcome by the Fitnah (temptation) of wealth. The Shari‘ah texts that dispraise wealth, warn against extravagance, and encourage asceticism and renouncing greediness for the worldly pleasures should be interpreted in this light.
This Hadith and the other supporting ones about the enjoined attitude towards wealth – like the one narrated by Abu Sa‘eed, may Allah be pleased with him, in its two parts: “This wealth is sweet (alluring); whoever earns it lawfully and spends it rightfully, then what excellent help it is! He who obtains it wrongfully is like one who eats but is never satisfied,” – they are considered a Prophetic standard and an Islamic methodology of moderation in pursuing wealth, with neither excessive asceticism nor the dispraised accumulation of wealth and exceeding the proper limits in its acquisition and spending.
These Ahaadith, therefore, direct the Muslims towards the correct viewpoint on the true nature of wealth and underline that Islam does not dispraise wealth in an absolute sense, as some Sufis claim, nor does it praise it in an absolute sense. The subject matter of the praise and dispraise here is not the wealth itself but rather the states of people in acquiring, spending, or disposing of it. Whoever seeks (lawful) wealth with the intention of providing for himself and his dependants and reforming the universe with such wealth by investing and spending it on what is good and beneficial to the individual and community, then how excellent such wealth is!
Some of the Companions were wealthy and successful traders. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was a trader, and his wealth was well spent in support of Islam and the Muslims. It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi  wa sallam, said: “No wealth has benefited me as much as the wealth of Abu Bakr.” Thereupon, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, wept and said: “O Messenger of Allah! I and my wealth are only for you, O Messenger of Allah!” [Ibn Maajah, Al-Albaani: authentic] There were many other rich Companions whose wealth was a source of mercy and help for people and which was spent in support of the Islamic causes, like that of the third caliph, ‘Uthmaan, may Allah be pleased with him, who equipped the Muslim army for the Battle of Tabook with 950 camels and rounded them up to 1,000 with fifty horses.
As for those who seek after wealth to accumulate it and boast about it, turning it into a means to cause mischief on earth and corrupt the economy through engaging in forbidden transactions such as Riba and gambling, they contribute to the poverty and unemployment in their societies by concentrating wealth in the hands of one social class. Accordingly, wealth, in their hands, becomes a means of destruction and evil, just like Qaaroon, whose story was related in the Qur’an. He wronged his people by dealing with Riba with their wealth and claiming that he had earned and obtained such wealth exclusively by means of his knowledge and efforts! This corrupt viewpoint on wealth and the economic injustice were enough sin for him to deserve the immediate destruction that befell him. Contrary to his aspirations to dominate the earth, Allah, The Exalted, destroyed him by causing the earth to swallow him, and he will continue to sink until the Day of Resurrection. Allah, The Exalted, Says (what means): {And We caused the earth to swallow him and his home. And there was for him no company to aid him other than Allah, nor was he of those who [could] defend themselves.} [Qur’an 28:81]

Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/


Hasten to forgiveness from your Lord


Allah The Almighty encourages His slaves to hasten and race to doing good as He Says (what means):
• {And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord} [Qur’an 3:133]
• {Race toward forgiveness from your Lord} [Qur’an 57:21]
• {So race to [all that is] good} [Qur’an 2:148]
• {So for this let the competitors compete} [Qur’an 83:26]
• {For the like of this let the workers [on earth] work} [Qur’an 37:61]
Allah The Exalted mentions some of His righteous slaves – Zakariyyah and his family – Saying (what means): {So We answered his call, and We bestowed upon him Yahya (John), and cured his wife (to bear a child) for him. Verily, they used to hasten to good deeds, and they used to call on Us in hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us} [Qur’an 21:90]
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention), said: “Deliberation (is a must) in all things except in deeds that pertain to the Hereafter [i.e., good deeds].” [Abu Daawood in his Sunan] Thus, man should hasten to the deeds of the Hereafter without hesitation. One should race towards them and compete in them.
This hastening, racing and competing indicates the depth of faith in one’s soul. The deeper the faith is in one’s soul, the more he hastens to please his Lord. Consider the noble Companion ‘Umayr ibn al-Humaam, may Allah be pleased with him, when the polytheists advanced towards the Muslims in the Battle of Badr and the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “‘Get up to a Paradise whose width is equal to the heavens and earth.’ Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, the narrator of the Hadith, said that ‘Umayr ibn al-Humaam al-Ansaari, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, a Paradise whose width is equal to the heavens and earth?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ ‘Umayr said: ‘My goodness!’ The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, asked him: ‘What prompted you to say this (i.e. my goodness!)?’ He said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, nothing but the desire of being among its residents.’ The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, who did not speak from his own inclination, said: ‘You are (surely) among its residents.’ ‘Umayr, may Allah be pleased with him, took out the dates from his bag and began to eat them. Then he said, ‘If I were to live until I eat all these dates, it would be a long life.’ (The narrator said) He threw away all the dates he had with him. Then he fought the enemies until he was killed.” [Muslim]
Therefore, let us initiate good deeds and hasten to them.
This encouragement to initiate and hasten to good deeds is due to the fact that we do not know what impediments and obstacles may prevent us in the future if we wish to perform them. That is why the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, urged us to hasten to performing Haj in the Hadith in which he says: “Hasten to perform (your obligatory) Haj, for one knows not what should happen (to prevent it).” [Ahmad]
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, used to hasten to good deeds. It was narrated in a Hadith that after finishing the ‘Asr (late afternoon) prayer, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, got up quickly, went to some of his wives and then came out. He noticed the signs of astonishment on the faces of the people caused by his speed. He then said: “I remembered while I was in my prayer that a piece of gold was in my house and I disliked that it should remain with us throughout the night, so I ordered it to be distributed.” [Al-Bukhari]
This Hadith was mentioned by Imam An-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy upon him, in his book Riyaadh As-Saaliheen in the chapter named “hastening to good deeds”. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy upon him, said explaining this Hadith, “This Hadith enjoins hastening to do good deeds. One should not hesitate for he does not know when death will come to him and so he loses the good deed. The Hadith also proves that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, was the quickest person in hastening to good deeds.” [Sharh Riyaadh As-Saaliheen]
We should not only do good deeds but also hasten to them and not ignore continuing to commit ourselves to them for the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said that Allah Says in a Qudsi Hadith (sacred narration): “My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing voluntary acts of worship till I love him.” [Al-Bukhari]
The verb “keeps on” signifies continuity. The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Keep on performing Haj and ‘Umrah.” [At-Tirmithi] Continuous good deeds and persistence on them is among the things which Allah The Almighty loves. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, was asked, “What deeds are loved most by Allah?” He said: “The most regular constant deeds even though they may be few.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] It was narrated that if the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, performed a certain act, he used to do it constantly. [Muslim]
Moreover, we should not get bored or tired of performing good deeds for the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Religion is easy and whoever overburdens himself in religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection…” [Al-Bukhari] Another narration reads as follows: “Observe moderation so that you would succeed.” [Al-Bukhari]
At the same time, we should not overburden ourselves or commit ourselves to too much worship. Anas ibn Maalik, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that once the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, entered the mosque and saw a rope hanging in between its two pillars. He said: “What is this rope?” The people said, “This rope is for Zaynab who, when she feels tired, holds it (to keep standing for the prayer.)” The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “No, remove the rope. You should pray as long as you feel active, and when you get tired, sit down.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
When the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, knew that ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas, may Allah be pleased with him, prayed all the night and fasted daily all the year, he prohibited him from doing this, and said: “If you keep on doing this, your eyes will become weak and you will get bored.” [Al-Bukhari]
In addition, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “You should do that which is within your capacity. By Allah! Allah will not be bored until you are bored. The dearest deeds to Allah are the most regular deeds even though they may be few.” [Abu Daawood and Ibn Maajah]

Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/