Your Employment & Expenditure Keeping It Halaal

Muslim Youths' Life's Challenges  Your Employment & Expenditure  Keeping It Halaal                      By Taha Ghayyur

Every summer young Muslim students go through stressful times trying to find a means of earning that is decent, professional, yet Islamically lawful. In a period of perpetual economic recession, especially in the IT industry, such as the one we are currently witnessing, it is indeed challenging to find such a combo. While many do land good and halaal jobs, others resort to any sort of work or industry, often out of desperation or hopes of ‘quick and big cash’, that may not necessarily be pleasing to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, the source of all our Rizq (wealth, sustenance and blessings).

It is important that we, the Muslim youth, work hard and honestly to earn money, instead of sitting idle at home or stealing other’s money. Our Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam once reminded us, “It is better that a person should a take a rope and bring bundles of wood on his back to sell so that Allaah may preserve his honour, than that he should beg from people.” [Bukhaari & Muslim]
Consumerism’s Promise: You will never be ‘Content’

However, while we strive hard to sustain ourselves with part time jobs, we need to also learn the ethics of ‘right’ and ‘pure’ earning and spending. How many youth are out there whose sole purpose of earning is to buy a new set of shoes, pair of trousers, or nail polish, every week! This is indeed the destructive outcome of our consumer teen culture.

Why is it crucial not to be corrupted by the greed of our materialistic society? The Prophet sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam has told us, "Riches are sweet, and a source of blessing to those who acquire them (lawfully) by the way; but those who seek them out of greed are like people who eat but are never full (or satisfied)."

Therefore, this kind of greed to have ‘everything cool or every fad out there’ will never satisfy you, no matter how much of it you have. Ever wonder, why the music and film industry never loses money? The idea is to keep every young person in our society ‘hooked’ on the music, lyrics, and the ‘stars’, that are strategically released to the public gradually, in stages, so that everyone keeps coming back for ‘more’.
Reality of ‘Entertainment’ and your Employment

At the end of the day, a music or movie addict realizes how hollow and temporary this ‘entertainment’ is--- something that destroys one’s soul by taking his or her mind and feelings to another realm of fantasy, only to realize that he or she is back to the same harsh realities of this life as soon as the tape is turn off!

The way we ‘kill our time’ in our leisure activities has a great influence on what type of job we would look for. If our priority in life is to serve our family, community and Islam, as well as improving our own relationship with Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala, then certainly we would look for a job or profession that accommodates all such commitments.

It helps to keep in mind the following portrayal of reality by our Prophet sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam: “Whoever sets this world as his goal, Allaah divides his affairs for him. He will place poverty between his eyes, and nothing will come to him from this world except what Allaah has written for him. Whoever sets the Hereafter as his goal, Allaah gathers his affairs for him, gives him richness of the heart and the world will come to him grudgingly and submissively.” [Ibn Majah & Ibn Hibban]
“It is not poverty which I fear....”

Is it any wonder that the Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam commented, "It is not poverty which I fear for you, but that you might desire the world as others before you desired it, and it might destry you, as it destroyed them,"

How do we suppress our desire or love for this world? We can certainly do so by spending less on ourselves and contributing as much as possible to those in need. Even a regular, nominal donation to your local masjid, charity organization, youth group, Islamic publication, or a poor person would greatly bless your limited income from employment as a student; it will also serve a profound reminder to cut the greed. Your regular contribution to other’s well-being will make you think, every time you are widow shopping in a mall, “Do I really need it? Or am I tempted to buy this shirt or game because my friend always talks about it?
Reasons to avoid working for Ribaa (interest/usuary) based institutions
Ribaa involves earning income without actually working to earn it;
Ribaa based companies involve taking advantage of the need or financial circumstances of the borrower of loan;
Taking Ribaa, or working for institutions that promote it, contribute to great injustice and devastation, as we have already witnessed, both at individual and global level, such as, bankruptcy, corporate scandals, economic recession, inability to repay loans, and staggering unemployment to name a few;
Daily toil has become a never-ending struggle to pay off interest on mortgages or business loans, and societies have become class-ridden structures in which huge wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few;
As Shaykh Salih Al-Munajjid argues, “Perhaps all this is a manifestation of the war threatened by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala to those who deal in Ribaa....The least harm that a job involving Ribaa does is to destroy the blessing (Barakah) of the money, even if a person’s income is great. The Prophet sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, "Even if Ribaa is much, it will end up being a small amount." [Al-Hakim]

Employment Search: Tips on keeping it Halaal
This summer, when you go out searching for employment, please make sure to accept a job that is pure and Halaal, and that it’s work-environment allows you to maintain your Islamic identity, including time and space for 5 daily prayers, allowance to observe Hijaab or Islamically modest clothing, and a minimum level of modesty (Hayaa) among the co-workers. Sr. Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood in her book 'Living with Teenagers' and Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi in his research work ‘The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam’ provide the following useful tips on what type of job/work to stay away from:
any form of activity deriving money from pornography, prostitution and indecency (such as theatres, movie stores, clubs....etc. ), as Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala reminds us, "And do not come near Zinaa (fornication) ; indeed it is an abomination and an evil way". [Al Israa' 17:32];
any form of drama or dance entertainment that is deliberately or suggestive;
making statues of living creatures or photography that is sexually provocative, as the Prophet sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, "Allaah will punish anyone who makes figures (of living beings), until he breathes spirit into them, which he can never do. [Bukhaari;]
manufacturing, trading, or serving intoxicants and drugs;
working in a bar, off-licence, nightclub, dance hall, etc.;
being involved in armed forces fighting against other Muslims or killing innocent people;
working in banks, stock exchanges, futures markets, insurance companies, and other usurious or Ribaa-based institutions.
How do I tell?

How do we tell what is Haraam (unlawful) or Halaal (lawful) type of work? A general principle, as Sr. Ruqaiyyah explains, “is that if anybody’s means of earning a living hurts another, or results in another’s loss or corruption, then it is Haraam. If it is fair and beneficial to others as well, then it is Halaal. Obviously, any business or job that involves dishonesty, bribery, gambling, cheating (do deceptive marketing strategies ring a bell?), fraud, sexual degradation, or any other means of making a profit by exploiting others (such as lottery/raffle tickets), is forbidden to us Muslims.

The best practice to ignore or leave any job opportunity that seems to fall in the grey area. The Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam advised us, “Leave alone what puts you in doubt and turn toward what does not create any doubt.” [Ahmad & Tirmidhi]. This is perhaps the most practical tool or tip to use in employment search.
The Road Ahead

Before you give up all the hope of finding a good halaal job, after reading the list of warnings and restrictions, remember that there are literally innumerable sources of employment, including Muslim and non-Muslim owned businesses, that offer a decent, honorable, professional, and above all halaal, environment. You may begin your job search with your local Muslim business directory!

You would never despair if you realized the truth of a statement from our Prophet’s sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam's collection of sayings, "If you give up something for sake of Allaah, He will replace something (even) better."

Let the following words of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala etched in your heart:

“Whoever has Taqwa (consciousness) of Allaah, He will make a way out for him” [At Talaaq 65:3].

This verse gives a boost to the confidence, faith, and optimism in the hearts of all the young Muslims striving to adopt a pure, Islamic lifestyle and to benefit their society as responsible citizens.


http://www.youngmus lims.ca/articles /display. asp?ID=78


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Taha Ghayyur is National Coordinator of Young Muslims Canada, and the brains behind Friday Nasihah, a weekly e-mail list featuring short tidbits on Islam aimed at young Muslims.