Prophetic Treatments for the Crisis of Poverty (Sermon)
The First Khutbah (Sermon)
Praise be to Allah, the Self-Sufficient, the Generous, the Vast, the Magnanimous.
He raises whom He wills by His grace and tests whom He wills by His wisdom; He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.
I praise Him, the Almighty, and I thank Him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.
May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, and his companions, in great abundance.
As for what follows:I enjoin you—O servants of Allah—and myself, who is falling short, to have Taqwa (piety/consciousness) of Allah, for it is Allah’s command to the first and the last:
"And We have instructed those who were given the Scripture before you and yourselves to fear Allah."
[An-Nisa: 131].
O Muslims: One of the greatest problems that has faced humanity, both ancient and modern, is the crisis of poverty. This problem gnaws at the body of societies, weakens families, and threatens security and peace.
Nay, it even exposes beliefs and morals to the danger of deviation and loss.
The problem of poverty has not left any era without marking it with the stamp of need and deprivation, nor any society without affecting it.
Today, it threatens millions of Muslims in various parts of the earth.
While man-made systems have failed to provide effective solutions, the Prophetic methodology has presented a comprehensive, realistic, and humane vision to treat this dangerous crisis.
O community of Muslims: There is no call to poverty in Islam. Rather, Islam calls for striving, work, and solidarity.
It directs the poor person toward movement and labor, guides society toward mutual responsibility, and instructs the state toward justice in distribution.
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sought refuge in Allah from poverty; he said:
"O Allah, I seek refuge in You from disbelief and poverty"
[Narrated by an-Nasa'i].
He paired poverty and disbelief because of the dangerous link between them.
Due to the gravity of poverty, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sought refuge from debt; for if a debtor becomes burdened, he lies when he speaks, breaks his promises, and becomes humiliated by the debt.
Servants of Allah: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not stop at seeking refuge and making supplication to treat the crisis of poverty; rather, he put forward practical solutions for this grave dilemma.
Honorable work is the first line of defense against poverty.
For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) directed people toward work, saying:
"No one has ever eaten better food than that which he has eaten from the work of his own hand"
[Narrated by al-Bukhari].
In fact, he set the example himself; he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to tend sheep, and David (peace be upon him) was a blacksmith and used to eat from the work of his own hand:
"And We taught him the fashioning of coats of armor to protect you from your [enemy in] battle. So will you then be grateful?" [Al-Anbiya: 80]. And He said: "And We certainly gave David from Us bounty. [We said], 'O mountains, repeat [Our] praises with him, and the birds [as well].
' And We made pliable for him iron, [commanding him], 'Make full coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links, and work [all of you] righteousness. Indeed I, of what you do, am Seeing.'" [Saba: 10, 11].
And he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said a great word:
"It is better for one of you to take his rope and bring a bundle of wood on his back and sell it, thus preserving his dignity, than to ask people, whether they give him or withhold from him"
[Narrated by al-Bukhari].
But unfortunately, in this time of ours, we see some young people who are disdainful of manual labor, searching for quick money or a comfortable job even without productivity, while the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) raised the status of every honest and honorable free profession.
We must restore dignity to manual trades and open the doors of training and financing to rid ourselves of the problem of poverty and its escalations.
Among the solutions to the problem of poverty is the obligatory Zakat, which Allah (Glory be to Him) ordained in the wealth of the rich, to be taken from their wealthy and returned to their poor:
"Take from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke [Allah's blessings] upon them. Indeed, your invocations are reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing."
[At-Tawbah: 103].
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to Mu’adh ibn Jabal when he sent him to Yemen:
"Inform them that Allah has made obligatory upon them a charity (Zakat) to be taken from their wealthy and returned to their poor"
[Narrated by al-Bukhari].
Today we see—unfortunately—how much Zakat money is wasted or directed to other than its proper channels! How many rich people do not give out the Zakat of their wealth! If Zakat were distributed as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded, there would not remain a poor or needy person in this Ummah.
Among the Prophetic treatments for the dilemma of poverty is the charitable endowment (Waqf).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) endowed some of his lands for the poor and needy, and this was a sustainable policy for combating poverty.
“Waqf is the retention of the original asset and the dedication of its benefits; as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to Umar when he wanted to give land as charity:
"If you wish, you can freeze the original asset and give its fruit (benefits) as charity"
[Sahih al-Bukhari].
This is one of the greatest Prophetic directives for treating poverty permanently.
In our current era, we can establish endowments to support orphans and the needy, and to finance small projects, education, and health, instead of limiting ourselves to temporary aid.
Similarly, social solidarity (Takaful) is an effective treatment for poverty.
He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to share his food with the poor, command the wealthy to shelter the people of As-Suffah, and say:
"He who has food for two, let him take a third person, and he who has food for four, let him take a fifth, or a sixth..."
How much we need today to activate social solidarity in our neighborhoods, schools, and institutions! How many families live below the poverty line in the midst of wealthy neighbors who do not feel for them because of the absence of social solidarity!
How many Muslims sleep hungry while the money of Muslims is wasted on amusement, luxury, and extravagance!
How many orphans cannot find shelter, while Zakat money is collected and then not spent in its proper channels!
Our reality today suffers from increasing poverty in countries rich with resources, but it is poverty due to injustice, poor distribution, and corruption, not a lack of resources.
Is it not a shame that a Muslim extends his hand to a stranger and to international and missionary organizations, while his brothers in religion possess wealth but—unfortunately—do not give?
"They ask you what they should spend.
Say, 'Whatever you spend of good is [to be] for parents and relatives and orphans and the needy and the traveler. And whatever you do of good - indeed, Allah is Knowing of it.'"
[Al-Baqarah: 215].
"And let not those who [greedily] withhold what Allah has given them of His bounty ever think that it is better for them. Rather, it is worse for them. Their necks will be encircled by what they withheld on the Day of Resurrection. And to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth. And Allah, with what you do, is Acquainted."
[Aal-Imran: 180].
May Allah bless me and you in the Great Quran... The Second Khutbah
Praise be to Allah for what He has bestowed, and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.
May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, and all his companions.
As for what follows:O servants of Allah, it is our duty to revive the Prophetic instructions in our reality.
Everyone capable of work must work, and the state, merchants, and their like must provide opportunities and jobs for the youth that preserve dignity and prevent begging.
The wealthy must pay out the Zakat and expand their voluntary charities.
Zakat is not a favor; it is a mandatory right for the poor.
They should also revive the spirit of Waqf and productive endowment projects because they are ongoing charities (Sadaqah Jariyah) that save entire generations, not just individuals.
Likewise, the Zakat fund and social security must be activated according to the regulations of Sharia, so that every person in need is provided for.
Return to the poor their rights, fulfill your duties, and treat poverty with knowledge, work, and mercy, not with slogans and false promises.
Has any one of us ever checked on his neighbor and his relatives? Has any one of us allocated something fixed monthly from his salary for a needy family, even a small amount? Have we checked on the families of widows, divorcees, the disabled, and the unemployed?
For our nation will not rise as long as there is someone among us who spends the night hungry.
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"He does not believe in me who spends the night sated while his neighbor is hungry by his side, and he knows about it."
O Allah, suffice us with Your lawful (halal) against Your prohibited (haram), and by Your grace against all others besides You.
O Allah, we seek refuge in You from disbelief and poverty, and from the fitnah (trial) of wealth and arrogant richness.
O Allah, grant us the love of the poor, the companionship of the needy, and the happiness of spending.
And O Allah, send Your peace, blessings, and benediction upon Your servant and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and companions.
And establish the prayer.