– Muhammad Azam (B.Tech. C.S.E, AMU)
Spending in the way of Allah is a very important part of Islam. The importance of spending can be judged by the fact that Zakah, which is the obligatory form of spending, is one of the five pillars of Islam. The importance of Zakah can be gauged from the fact that wherever prayers are mentioned in the Qur’an, Zakah is also mentioned. Allah says:
And establish prayer and give Zakah, and whatever good you put forward for yourselves – you will find it with Allah. Indeed, Allah of what you do is seeing. (2:110)
In many verses of the Qur’an, it is mentioned to spend in the way of Allah:
You shall not attain righteousness until you spend out of what you love (in the way of Allah). Allah knows whatever you spend. (3:92)
This means that spending in the way of Allah, especially what we like, is an act for which there is no alternative and one who does not do so cannot attain piety.
In Surah Balad, Allah has compared two situations, one is the wastage of money and showing off that is similar to going down a hill which is easy and the other is helping the poor, orphans, needy, etc. is similar to going on a difficult path. Allah says that human has not taken that difficult path.
It is also important to spend on our own needs and also on near ones. This does not mean that we should spend on show-offs, luxury, etc. but after meeting our needs, we should spend the rest on the needy.
This ensures that the circulation of money will be good because the poor spend more readily than the rich. The similitude of the economy in which people spend their money readily is like that of a river in which freshwater flows. Rich people don’t usually spend on the poor but they can spend a lot of money on parties, show off and so on.
Interest is also forbidden in Islam because it is an act of misers. To understand why it is so, let us take the example of a river. General people are like certain areas of the river bed which receive the water (money) and then let it go (spend it). In this way, the water stays fresh and flowing. But let there be a canal which is connected to a reservoir which has lots of water (lender with money) which it releases in the river (economy) through which the flow of the river increases and people are happy. But the reservoir after some time starts taking the water back and more than that which it had taken (capital + interest). This keeps ongoing and more water is sucked up by the reservoir than it had taken and the river starts drying up. Meanwhile, the reservoir starts filling up but because the water is not flowing, its freshness starts decreasing. This implies that this process destroys not only the economy but the usurer as well.
This has been explained in the Ayat of the Quran:
And whatever you give for interest to increase within the wealth of people will not increase with Allah. But what you give in Zakah, desiring the countenance of Allah – those are the multipliers. (30:39)
In the light of the above arguments, we should spend the money on that which is necessary as explained in this ayah:
And do not make your hands (as) chained to your neck or extend it completely and (thereby) become blamed and insolvent. (17:29)
This means that we should not be too lazy to spend and not spend so much that we are blamed and get into financial trouble ourselves. Lastly, we must remember the warning that has been given by Allah in Surah Munafiqun:
And spend [in the way of Allah] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, “My Lord if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous.” But never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come. And Allah is acquainted with what you do. (63:10-11)
