Articles

Islamic Ruling on Begging
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 12-03-2023

 

Begging is a hateful phenomenon that harms the reputation of society, disturbs and distorts its image, and makes the beggar look needy and humiliated. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) forbade that a Muslim humiliates himself where he said: "It is not for the believer to humiliate himself." {Transmitted by Tirmithi}.

He (PBUH) warned against begging and discouraged such an act because a beggar loses face in this life and the hereafter. Bukhari and Muslim reported that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "When a man is always begging from people the result will be that he will come on the day of resurrection with no flesh on his face.”

Islam is keen on preserving human dignity and protecting it against humiliation and wretchedness, so we warn against begging, as it is incompatible with dignity that Allah The Almighty Has honored humans with as He, The Almighty Said (What means): "We have honoured the sons of Adam" {Al-Isra`/70}.

In addition, it is forbidden for the one who owns money that suffices their need or who is able to make a living to resort to begging, be that for money of Zakah, charity, or expiation, and it is forbidden to take it. Al-Shabramoulsi said: "If the beggar showed poverty and the giver thought that he was as such then what he was given isn`t his because he has tricked the giver who thought that he was poor. The proof of this is that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "He who begs to increase his riches is in fact asking only for a live coal. It is up to him to decrease it or increase it." [Muslim]. And he (PBUH) said: "When you ask (for anything), ask it from Allah, and if you seek help, seek help from Allah.” Accordingly, the one who practices this ugly profession eats up people`s wealth unjustly and feeds his children using ill-gotten money.

 

Young children and women sent by their guardians to beg at traffic lights and the doors of houses of worship distort the beautiful image of our blessed country. They even live on the streets barefooted, wear vulgar clothes, show destituteness and humiliation to turn people's emotions and deceive them to think that hunger drove them to do this.

Islam has tackled this abusive phenomenon by prohibiting begging, encouraging work and production, and making man`s best meal that which he has earned by working with his own hands. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Nobody has ever eaten a better meal than that which one has earned by working with one's own hands, and the Prophet of Allah David (PBUH) used to eat from the earnings of his manual labor." {Bukhari}.

One who is needy should turn to the concerned authorities in our country. The beggar takes people's money unrightfully and will be held to account for that Before Almighty Allah on the Day of Judgment. The Jordanian law regards begging without a lawful excuse a crime for which a person deserves punishment because it is eating up people's wealth unjustly, in addition to being a means of deception. Moreover, people should stop giving beggars and the latter should be preached not to eat people's wealth unjustly. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

I work overtime after regular working hours and may become occupied with my phone or the work computer for personal matters — what is the ruling on this?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is obligatory upon an employee to abide by the instructions and regulations governing overtime hours, and equally obligatory to uphold honesty and avoid all forms of deception and dishonesty. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "O you who have believed, be mindful of Allah and be with the truthful." [Al-Tawbah/ 119]
Whoever is assigned to work overtime must be present at his workplace — even if he has no specific tasks to carry out at that time. In such a case, he should strive as best he can to spend that time in a manner that benefits the institution he works for. If there is genuinely no work for him to do, there is no objection to occupying his time with something beneficial — such as reciting the Holy Qurʾān, reading, or listening to educational lessons — provided he has already completed all the responsibilities assigned to him.
If, however, he does have work to complete, he must spend that time fulfilling it. He may attend to phone calls or other personal matters to the extent that is customarily acceptable, as long as this does not result in delaying or postponing his work. If he delays his work on account of personal preoccupations, the wages he received for that wasted time are not lawfully his to keep, and he is obliged to return the equivalent amount to the institution by whatever means available to him. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

A person prays in a certain spot within the rows of the mosque, and gets angry if someone else prayed at his spot. What is the ruling on this behavior?

All Perfect Praise be to Allah The Lord of The Worlds and may His Peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) make it prohibited for a Muslim from having/taking a certain spot in the mosque when performing prayers if they arrived and find it occupied, furthermore; it is the religious duty on others (praying people) to offer a piece of advice to alert the ones who don't know, that whoever reaches a spot first at the mosque having a priority/privilege upon others in that spot. And Allah Knows Best.

Is Zakah (obligatory charity) due on leased property, and how is it calculated?

Zakah isn`t due on the leased property itself, but on the saved income from that property if it reached Nissab (minimum amount liable for Zakah), and a whole lunar year had lapsed over saving it.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on leaving the Sunnah prayer of Dhuhr due to fatigue?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
According to the general rule, a Muslim should strive to maintain the Sunnah prayers before and after the obligatory prayers (al-sunan al-qabliyyah wa al-ba'diyyah). One is permitted to pray them sitting from the outset, but if one leaves them due to severe fatigue, there is no objection to doing so. It is recommended (mustahabb) to make up (qadā') a time-bound supererogatory prayer (nafl mu'aqqat) at any time if it was missed.
Al-Shirbīnī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "If a time-bound supererogatory prayer is missed, it is recommended to make it up according to the more authoritative view (al-azhar), based on the hadith recorded in the two Ṣaḥīḥs: 'Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it should pray it when he remembers it.' This is also supported by the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made up the two rak'ahs of Fajr when he and his companions overslept in the valley and missed the dawn prayer until the sun had risen [narrated by Abū Dāwūd with an authentic chain]." And Allah, the Most High, knows best.