Prudence

No one spends prudently except that he is saved from having to depend on others. A poet said:”Save your money, for with wealth comes respect, And you can do without asking uncle or cousin.”The philosophy that promotes extravagance in spending is false and is detrimental to one’s well being. The roots of such ideas are found in India, or originate from the ignorant among the Sutis.Indeed, Islam promotes earning money honestly and spending it in a proper way. Applying these two principles is what makes one honorable through his wealth. The following saying of the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) is proof of this:”Blessed is good wealth (that which is earned honestly) in the hands of a righteous man.”In contrast to him is one who is inundated in debt or one who is indigent. The former is always troubled and worried that all of his possessions will be taken away from him, and the latter is continuously struggling just to find the means of staying alive.The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) said:”O’ Allah, I seek refuge in You from disbelief and from poverty.”He (_bpuh) also said:”Poverty is almost disbelief.”There is no contradiction between the previous hadith and the hadith in Ibn Maajah:”Seek to have little in this world, and Allah will love you; do not seek what others have, and people will love you. “This hadith has a defect in terms of its authenticity. Yet suppose it to be other than weak, and the meaning is that you should be content with having the bare necessities, and you should be satisfied with that amount of provision which saves you from having to beg or ask for people’s help. At the same time, you should be noble and self- dependent and have sufficient means to prevent you from asking others for help.”Whoever wishes to be free from dependence on others, Allah will make him so.”An Arab poet said:”I never had my hands outstretched except to the Creator, And I never sought a dollar from one who reminds others of his favors.”In an authentic hadith, the Prophet (bpuh) said:”For you to leave rich those who inherit from you is better than leaving them poor, (in which case) they will have to ask of people.”In another authentic hadith, the Prophet (bpuh) said:”The upper hand is better than the lower one.”The meaning of this hadith is that the giver is better than the receiver.(The one who knows them not, thinks that they are rich because of their modesty.)  (Qur’an 2: 273)The following verse indicates that one should not be fulsome in praising people in order to receive financial assistance from them, since Allah has guaranteed our sustenance:(Do they seek honor; power and glory with them? Verily then to Allah belongs all honor power and glory.)  (Qur’an 4: l39)An Arab poet said:”I have no intention of kissing someone’s hand.For me, cutting it off is better than that kiss, When one gives me a favor he enslaves me, Or if not, at least I feel ashamed.”