Question:
Assalamualaikum SS Dato’ Seri Mufti. What is meant by good provision? And how could we attain it? Hope for an explanation.
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
In answering this question, we will start with the supplication:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا ، وَرِزْقًا طَيِّبًا ، وَعَمَلاً مُتَقَبَّلاً
“O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, goodly provision and acceptable deeds.”
Sunan Ibn Majah (925)
Syeikh Sa’id bin Ali bin Wahf al-Qahtani said: “Good provisions are provisions that are halal.” (See Syarh Hisn al-Muslim min Azkar al-Kitab wa al-Sunnah, pg. 129)
We are taught to seek provisions from halal sources. This matter is in accordance with a famous hadith from Abi Hurairah RA, he said: The Prophet PBUH said:
إنَّ اللَّهَ طَيِّبٌ لَا يَقْبَلُ إلَّا طَيِّبًا، وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِمَا أَمَرَ بِهِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ فَقَالَ تَعَالَى: "يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنْ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا"، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: "يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ" ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الرَّجُلَ يُطِيلُ السَّفَرَ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ يَمُدُّ يَدَيْهِ إلَى السَّمَاءِ: يَا رَبِّ! يَا رَبِّ! وَمَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَمَشْرَبُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَمَلْبَسُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَغُذِّيَ بِالْحَرَامِ، فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لَهُ؟".
“Allah the Almighty is Good and accepts only that which is good. And verily Allah has commanded the believers to do that which He has commanded the Messengers. So the Almighty has said: “O (you) Messengers! Eat of the tayyibat [all kinds of halal (legal) foods], and perform righteous deeds.” [23:51] and the Almighty has said: “O you who believe! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you.” [2:172]” Then he (ﷺ) mentioned [the case] of a man who, having journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty, and who spreads out his hands to the sky saying “O Lord! O Lord!” while his food is haram (unlawful), his drink is haram, his clothing is haram, and he has been nourished with haram, so how can [his supplication] be answered?”
Sahih Muslim (1015)
Tayyib means pure and clean from any defects. It is said that tayyib is one of the attributes of Allah SWT. (See Ikmal al-Mu’lim, 3/535)
Allah SWT states:
يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا
[ Allah said], "O messengers, eat from the good foods and work righteousness. Indeed, I, of what you do, am Knowing.”
Surah al-Mukminun (51)
Syeikh al-Maraghi said: “Here is the commandment that eating from which are good is prioritized compared to the commandment of doing good, by showing that good deeds will not be accepted if it is not preceded with eating halal food.” (See Tafsir al-Maraghi, 6/289)
In order to attain good provisions, one must strive and work using one’s hands as stated in a hadith from Sa’id bin ‘Umair al-Ansari, where he said:
سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَيُّ الْكَسْبِ أَطْيَبُ؟ قَالَ: عَمَلُ الرَّجُلِ بِيَدِهِ، وَكُلُّ بَيْعٍ مَبْرُورٍ
“It was asked to the Prophet PBUH, what is the best work? The Prophet PBUH answered: Work of a man from his hands and every good trade.”
Musnad Ahmad (17265), al-Baihaqi in Syu’ab al-Iman (1171) and al-Tabarani in al-Mu’jam al-Kabir (13939)
Likewise, one of the works is the activity of business or trade, but it must be performed with honesty and trust. Working as a public servant in government agencies is also considered as good work on the condition that he must fulfil all the requirements, conditions and terms set. Furthermore, he must produce creative, productive, and innovative results in increasing the service that is under his responsibility.
At the same time, we must avoid any haram ways of attaining provisions such as lying, bribing, taking the property of orphans, betraying one’s trust, lessening the measurement, stealing, robbing and others. Remember that the provisions that we earn and how we spend them will be accounted in front of Allah SWT in the hereafter. This is in accordance with a hadith from Ibn Mas’ud R.Anhuma, where the Prophet PBUH said:
لاَ تَزُولُ قَدَمَا ابْنِ آدَمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّهِ حَتَّى يُسْأَلَ عَنْ خَمْسٍ عَنْ عُمْرِهِ فِيمَا أَفْنَاهُ وَعَنْ شَبَابِهِ فِيمَا أَبْلاَهُ وَمَالِهِ مِنْ أَيْنَ اكْتَسَبَهُ وَفِيمَ أَنْفَقَهُ وَمَاذَا عَمِلَ فِيمَا عَلِمَ
"The feet of the son of Adam shall not move from before his Lord on the Day of Judgement, until he is asked about five things: about his life and what he did with it, about his youth and what he wore it out in, about his wealth and how he earned it and spent it upon, and what he did with what he knew."
Sunan al-Tirmizi (2416)
Lastly, we would like to include several wisdoms regarding provisions:
- Hamzah al-‘Abdi said: We came to visit Murrah bin Syaharil, then he said: “Let it be known, indeed, Allah SWT does not write any disaster on His slaves except it will surely happen even if on an obedient slave. And Allah SWT will not write a provision for His slave except that it will be fulfilled even if it is for a disobedient slave.” (See Hilyah al-Auliya’, 4/163)
- Ubaidullah bin Muhammad bin Yazid said: I heard my father said that they went to visit Abu Hazim and said: “O Abu Hazim, did you notice that it is expensive to buy things now?” He then answered: “What worries you so? Indeed, the One who provides for us when things are cheap, He is also the One who provides us when things are expensive.” (See Hilyah al-Auliya’, 3/239)
May Allah SWT grant us with halal and blessed provisions. We end with the following supplication:
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنَا فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ ، وَعَافِنَا فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ ، وَتَوَلَّنَا فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ ، وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ ، وَقِنَا شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ ، إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلا يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ ، وَإِنَّهُ لا يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ وَتَعَالَيْتَ
"O Allah! Guide us with those whom You have Guided, and take us to Your care with those whom You have taken to Your care, Bless us in what You have given us, Protect us from the evil You have Ordained. Surely You Command and are not commanded, and none whom You have committed to Your care shall be humiliated [and none whom You have Taken as an enemy shall taste glory]. You are Blessed, our Lord, and Exalted.