Wants to help brother find livelihood
9-3-2003 | IslamWeb
Question:
I am very concerned about my brother who is upset because he has not been able to find work since 1997. He has tried looking in many cities away from his home without success. Has some one cursed him or put magic on him? Is this condition from Allah? What Du'a can I say or verses I can recite to help him?
Answer:
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
Dear Sister !
Know that Allah alone grants livelihood and man, whatever he does, will not receive anything except what Allah has ordained for him since the livelihood will reach its owner as surely as death will befall him.
In al-Tabarni from Al-Dardaa that Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: "One's subsistence follows him more than death does so." [ al-Sheikh al-Albani regarded this Hadith as good]
Then, one has to know that happiness does not lie in property. It lies in belief and satisfaction, and this world is not worth being distressed about.
In a sound Hadith reported by Muslim from Jabir (RAA) that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said while people were around him and he passed by a dead young goat with two small ears. "Does any one you like to buy this for one dirham?" They said: we don't like it even for nothing and what is the benefit from it? "Do you like to take it." They replied: 'we won't buy it; it is bad. Even if it were alive it has small ears. Then, how it will be (i.e. worse) and it is dead?' The Prophet said: "By Allah! The life of this world is less in value than this dead young goat."
How mean is this world that it takes hold of us. Be not sad, and do not think of what others have of property. If you are poor, other people are worse since they are in debt. If you are poor, you are healthy and this is a good Divine blessing you are to think over. Be content with Allah's Qadaa and Qadar. Know that Allah will give you only what is good and that He ordains only the good to His slaves. This does mean that you are to remain at home and to pray for livelihood. So one has to: (1) be satisfied with his livelihood, (2) do his best to gain more but with trust in Allah, and (3) supplicate to Allah and ask Him especially in the last part of the night when Allah descends to the heaven nearest to this world and asks His servants to ask of Him their needs. So, ask Him earnestly and be trustful that He will answer you. He will give you as He likes and when He likes. Then, it is better to pray with the Prophetic forms of Du'a.
Ahmad narrated from Ibn Masood (RAA) that Allah's Messenger (SAW) said: "In case of a distress befalls somebody, and he says: O Allah! I am your servant, the son of your servant, the son of your slave girl. All my affairs are in your hand, Your Fate will occur, Your decree is just. I ask You with greatness of each name of Yours, You revealed in Your Book or You taught it to some of Your creatures, or You kept secret. I ask You to please and enliven my heart with the Qur'an and to make it the light of my chest, the remover of my distress and discomfort. Allah will dispel one's distress and grant him ease and comfort." Some one asked: should we learn this Du'a? The Prophet added: "Whoever listens to this Du'a should learn it"
Another Hadith by Bukhari and Muslim read: 'O Allah! I seek refuge with You from laziness, senility, misdeeds, debts, ordeal of the Fire and its torture, and from evil of richness and I seek refuge with You from the anti-Christ.' And there are other forms of Du'a.
At last, if you think that your brother is envied or bewitched, we advise you to make al-Ruqia as stated in our Fatwa No….
Allah knows best. 82488 and 81643.