I remember learning in my childhood about a surah which talks about money hoarders.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
Assalamualaikum
wrwb,
I
remember learning in my childhood about a surah which talks about money
hoarders. Can u plz quote the verses of that surah. And also, if the believers
are not supposed to hoard the money, in case some believers earn good money,
what should they do with the excess money they have? They again have to spend
lavishly lest they start hoarding it. Is sadaqah the way out for these people?
Kindly guide us in the light of Quran and the sunnah of prophet
Jazak
Allah.
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Answer:
Hoard excess wealth money
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is no one (no idol, no person, no
grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Your
Question: I remember learning in my childhood about a surah which talks about
money hoarders. Can u plz quote the verses of that surah.
There are several verses in the Glorious Quran where the
evil of hoarding wealth is mentioned.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 104 Surah
Humaza verses 1-6:
1 Woe to every (kind of) scandal-monger and
backbiter.
2 Who piles (or hoards) up wealth and lays
it by!
3 Thinking that his wealth would make him
last for ever!
4 By no means! He will surely be thrown
into that which breaks to pieces.
5 And what will explain to thee ‘That which
Breaks to Pieces’?
6 (It is) the Fire of (the Wrath of) Allah
kindled (to a blaze)!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah
verses 34-35 :
O you who believe! There are indeed many among the priests and
the holy men who devour the wealth of others by evil means, and debar the
people from the Way of Allah. Give them
the good news of a painful torment, who hoard up gold and silver and do
not expend these in the Way of Allah.
The Day shall surely come when the same gold and silver shall be heated
in the fire of Hell, and with it will be
branded their foreheads, their bodies
and their backs. (And it will be said):
“Here is that treasure you had hoarded up for yourselves! Taste now the evil of your hoarded treasure!”
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 70
Al-Maarij verses 15-21:
15 By no means! For it would be the Fire of
Hell!
16 Plucking out (his being) right to the
skull!
17 Inviting (all) such as turn their backs and turn away their faces
(from the Right)
18 And collect (wealth) and hide it (from
use)!
19 Truly man was created very impatient
20 Fretful when evil touches him;
21 And niggardly when good reaches him
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 100 Surah
Aadiyaat verses 6-8:
6 Truly Man is to his Lord ungrateful;
7 And to that (fact) he bears witness (by
his deeds);
8 And violent is he in his love of wealth.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 56 Surah
Waqiah verses 41-46:
41 The Companions of the Left Hand! What will be the Companions of the
Left Hand?
42 (They will be) in the midst of a fierce
Blast of Fire and in Boiling Water
43 And in the shades of Black Smoke:
44 Nothing (will there be) to refresh nor to
please:
45 For that they were wont to be indulged before that in wealth (and
luxury).
46 And persisted obstinately in wickedness
supreme!
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 89 Surah
Fajr verses 17-24:
17 Nay nay! But ye honor not the orphans!
18 Nor do ye encourage one another to feed
the poor!
19 And ye devour inheritance all with greed.
20 And ye love wealth with inordinate love!
21 Nay! When the earth is pounded to powder
22 And thy Lord Comes,and His
23 And Hell that Day is brought (face to face)! On that Day will man remember. But how will
that remembrance profit him?
24 He will say (in regret): "Ah! Would that I had sent forth (Good
Deeds) for (this) my (Future) Life."
Your
Question: And also, if the believers are not supposed to hoard the money, in
case some believers earn good money, what should they do with the excess money
they have?
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah
verse 215:
215 They ask thee (O Prophet (saws)) what they should spend (in charity). Say: ‘Whatever ye spend
that is good is for parents, and kindred, and orphans, and those in want, and
for wayfarers. And whatever ye do that
is good Allah Knows it well.’
If the Lord Most Gracious has blessed one amongst His
slaves with abundance, it is his duty to remember the favors of his Lord upon
him, and as an act of gratitude to His Lord spend from his wealth on his
family, his near relatives, the orphans or weak of society, the poor and the
needy, etc. His only intention in
distributing a portion of his wealth in charity should never be to earn himself
a name, or favors, or any material benefit thereby, but purely to earn the
Pleasure and Good Will of his Lord Most Gracious.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 92 Surah
Al-Layl verses 17-21:
17 But those most devoted to Allah shall be removed far from it (the
torment of the Hell Fire)
18 Those who spend their wealth for increase
in self-purification.
19 And have in their minds no favor from anyone for which a reward is
expected in return,
20 But only the desire to seek for the
Countenance of their Lord Most High.
21 And soon will they attain (complete)
satisfaction.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 51
Dhariyaat verse 15-19:
15 As to the Righteous they will be in the
midst of Gardens and Springs
16 Taking joy in the things which their Lord gives them because before
then they lived a good (righteous) life.
17 They were in the habit of sleeping but
little by night!
18 And in the hours of early dawn They (were
found) praying for Forgiveness;
19 And in their wealth and possessions (was remembered) the right of
the (needy): him who asked, and him who (for some reason) was prevented (from
asking).
Your
Statement: They again have to spend lavishly lest they start hoarding it.
Allah Says in the Holy Qruan Chapter 28 Surah
Qasas verses 76-78:
76 Qarun was doubtless of the people of
77 "But seek with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on thee
the Home of the Hereafter, nor forget thy portion in this world:
but do thou good as Allah has been good to thee, and seek not (occasions for)
mischief in the land: for Allah loves not those who do mischief."
78 He (Qarun) said: "This (wealth) has been given to me because of
a certain knowledge which I have." Did he not know that Allah had
destroyed before him (whole) generations which were superior to him in strength
and greater in amount (of riches) they had collected? But the wicked are not called (immediately)
to account for their sins!
If the Lord Most Gracious has blessed one with abundance,
there is absolutely no harm if one spends a portion of it on himself and his
family to fulfill the necessities of his life, or even a little more than
that.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah
Israa verses 25-30:
25 Your Lord knoweth best what is in your hearts: if ye do deeds of
righteousness verily He is Most Forgiving to those who turn to Him again and
again (in true penitence).
26 And render to the kindred their due rights as (also) to those in
want and to the wayfarer: but squander not (your wealth) in the manner of
a spendthrift.
27 Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Shaytaan!; and the Shaytaan
is to his Lord (Himself) ungrateful.
28 And even if thou hast to turn away from them in pursuit of the Mercy
from thy Lord which thou dost expect yet speak to them a word of easy kindness.
29 Make not thy hand tied (like a niggardly) to thy neck, nor stretch
it forth to its utmost reach so that thou become blameworthy and destitute.
30 Verily thy Lord doth provide sustenance in abundance for whom He
Pleases, and He provides in a just measure: for He does know and regard all His
servants!
The believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last
Day should neither squander his wealth like a spendthrift in the desperate
search to acquire the passing luxuries of this life; nor should he be so
miserly and niggardly that he does not even fulfill his and his family’s basic
requirements!; but he should tread a medium path between the two.
Spend on himself and his family from his wealth upto a
reasonable standard, and also spend a portion of his wealth in acquiring the
Home of the Hereafter by distributing it amongst his poor relatives, and the
unfortunate poor and needy in society seeking nothing but the Pleasure and Good
Will of the Lord Most Gracious.
Allow us to relate a few simple examples of what would
determine squander and lavishness and what would be deemed as acceptable for
one who is blessed with abundance from his Lord:
- If
one who is blessed with abundance wishes to have a nice car for his
conveyance, it would be acceptable for one in his position to own a BMW or
a Mercedes…..but to have a fleet of every conceivable super-car just
because he has the wealth to afford it would be squander!
- If
one wishes to build a comfortable house for himself and his family there
is no harm; but if one builds a 100 bedroom extravagant palace only
because he can afford to do so would be lavish and unacceptable!
- One
may have a couple of good watches if he wishes to do so; but to adorn his
wrist with a gold and diamond encrusted watch which costs more than (to
use a figure of speech!) a house, would be absolutely extravagant and
unacceptable!
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister