7 Benefits of Halal Wealth

Wealth is one of the most misunderstood topics in Islam. Islam encourages us to live a life of zuhd (detachment from this world) and many misunderstand this to mean poverty. Yet many of the most righteous men in history, like Uthman Ibn Affan and Abdur Rahman ibn Auf, were wealthy businessmen. The ummah benefited from their wealth and they even used their wealth to earn higher levels of Paradise.

Some of the companions came to the Prophet ﷺ and they said, “O Messenger of Allah, the rich have taken all the rewards. They pray as we pray, they fast as we fast, and they give charity from their extra wealth.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1006)

‘Amr ibn al-‘As reported: The Prophet ﷺ sent for me and he ordered me to put on my armor and weapons, then come to him. I did so and came to him while he was performing ablution. The Prophet ﷺ raised his eyes to me, then lowered them and he said, “O ‘Amr, I intend to send you at the head of an army and Allah will award you with spoils. I will give you an appropriate portion of the property.” ‘Amr said, “I did not embrace Islam in hopes of earning spoils, but rather I submitted in hopes of Islam and to be with the Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “O ‘Amr, lawful wealth is excellent for a righteous man.” (al-Adab al-Mufrad 297)

These hadith, among others, indicate that wealth in the right hands is a blessing. Wealth is simply a tool, it can be earned in both good and evil ways, and it can be spent in both good and evil ways. On the last day, Allah will not ask us how much we earned, but rather how we earned it and how we spent it. Thus, the blessings of wealth is linked primarily through pure earnings and generous spending.

Ibn Mas’ud reported: The Prophet ﷺ said, “The son of Adam will not be dismissed from his Lord on the Day of Resurrection until he is questioned about five matters: his life and how he lived it, his youth and how he expended it, his wealth and how he earned it and he spent it, and how he acted upon his knowledge.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2416)

Ibn Qudama on the benefits of Wealth

Ibn Qudama al-Maqdisi, in his famous work Mukhtasar Minhaj Al Qasidin summarizes seven benefits of pure wealth, which I will expand on below. In the chapter of the dangers of greed and miserliness, he mentions that wealth itself is not the problem but can be a source of benefit if earned and spent correctly. He explains that pure wealth helps a person provide for their family, give charity, be generous to guests, provide jobs for others, fight against harmful elements of society, protect one’s reputation, and fund public projects. These seven reasons should be enough to inspire any Muslim to seek out pure sustenance. (Ibn Qudama, Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, pp. 98-101)

Providing for the family

It is an obligation upon Muslim men to provide for their families. This obligation is best served through halal earnings. When a man strives to earn halal wealth and provide for his family, he not only fulfills his obligation but he opens the door to great reward and blessings for himself. Spending generously on one’s family is a sign of true manliness, and one of the greatest sources of blessed sustenance.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ “The best coin for a man to spend is the coin spent on his dependents, and the coin spent by a man on his mount in the way of Allah, and the coin spent by a man on his companions in the way of Allah.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 994)

Al-Shafi’i (RA) said, “Manhood is based upon four pillars: good character, generosity, humility, and piety.” (al-Sunan al-Kubrá 19165)

Generosity in Charity

One of the fastest paths to Paradise is to live a life of generosity. The more sustenance someone has, the more generous he can be. Charity is one of the few acts of worship that continues after we pass away. It is also multiplied many times over with the rewards of charity reaching us in this world and the next multiple times over. The Qur’an describes charity like planting a seed from which grows a plant in which there are many seeds. Charity is therefore an investment in this world and the next. After spending on the family, it is the best usage of one’s wealth.

“The parable of those who spend their wealth in God’s way is that of a grain that produces seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. God multiplies for whom He wills. God is Bounteous and Knowing.” (Qur’an 2:261)

Hospitality to Guests

One of the defining characteristics of Islamic culture is hospitality. Generosity to guests is built into our tradition. Every Muslim strives to go out of their way to provide for, feed, and entertain their guests. The more wealth you have, the better you can excel at this beautiful good deed. This should motivate Muslims to work hard to earn halal wealth, so they can spend it on their guests, seeking the pleasure of Allah through generosity.

Abdullah ibn Amr reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him be generous to his guest.” (Musnad Aḥmad 6621)

Employing others

“Is it they who allocate the mercy of your Lord? It is We who have allocated their livelihood in this life, and We elevated some of them in rank above others, that some of them would take others in service. But your Lord’s mercy is better than what they amass.” (Qur’an 43:32)

This verse of the Qur’an teaches us that it is from the Divine Wisdom that some people are wealthy and others are not. Part of that wisdom is that the wealthy are supposed to take care of others, not just through charity, but through employment. Wealthy Muslims have a duty to provide work opportunities for those who are struggling, and to pay them fairly and treat them well. This is considered part of generosity, and is yet another good deed that cannot be done without wealth.

Protection from Harm

An additional benefit of wealth is protection from harm. Everyone has enemies and people who wish them harm. Sometimes a person may attain a level of success in other aspects of life (reputation, fame, relationships) that attracts envy, but without any extra wealth, he may remain powerless to prevent his enemies from harming him. Wealth allows a person to purchase better security, and live in better neighborhoods, among other ways to improve personal security. This is crucial is someone has enemies, as a believer must do whatever is in his power to protect himself from his enemies.

Maintaining Self-Respect

Halal wealth protects a person from the traps of poverty and the corruption of haram wealth. When a person is poor and desperate, it is too easy to fall into sin to survive. This can ruin a person’s reputation and destroy their chances at a dignified life. Likewise, when a person seeks wealth from prohibited sources, this destroys any blessings in their wealth, as well as their reputation and standing in society. Muslims are people of dignity, and preserving our dignity is part of our duty. Halal wealth assists in preserving a good reputation, and living a life of dignity.

Funding Public Projects

One of the reasons that Muslims thrived in the past is that they poured their excess wealth into public projects, specifically awqaf. Just two centuries ago, 60% of land in many Muslim communities were dedicated to public service, funded by the wealthy. This lowered the cost of living and provided a dignified and stable lifestyle for all members of the community. In this way, the entire community benefits when a righteous person has wealth. This practice has decreased in recent times, but the revival of awqaf can go a long way to uplifting entire Muslim communities. To do this, however, we first need to build halal wealth.

Wealth is a tool. It can be used for good or evil. The believer strives to earn halal, is content with God’s decree for each day, and then strives to spend his wealth in ways that are pleasing to Allah. This is part of piety, and part of zuhd. To learn more, check out our detailed ebook on Blessed Sustenance here.