Excessive expenditure

Q: I am a well-to-do person and I have earned all my wealth from Halal (lawful) sources. I perform all my duties towards my relatives and the poor. I am trying not to fall short in that matter. Thanks to Allah (Exalted be He), I have built a house and equipped it with luxurious and expensive furniture brought from abroad. However, I am at a loss, because I do not know whether what I have done makes me one of those about whom Allah (Exalted be He) says: “And turn not your face away from men with pride, nor walk in insolence through the earth. Verily, Allâh likes not any arrogant boaster. But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift.

A: Spending money extravagantly may be Haram (prohibited) or Makruh (disliked). The prohibition of squandering is emphasized in the following Ayah (Qur'anic verse) in which Allah (Exalted be He) says: O Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your clean clothes), while praying and going round (the Tawâf of) the Ka‘bah, and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allâh) likes not Al-Musrifûn (those who waste by extravagance). Allah (Exalted be He) also says: And give to the kinsman his due and to the Miskîn (poor) and to the wayfarer. But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift. (Tafsir At-Tabarî) Verily, the spendthrifts are brothers of the Shayâtîn (devils), and the Shaitân (Devil-Satan) is ever ungrateful to his Lord. And if you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) turn away from them (kindred, poor, wayfarer whom We have ordered you to give their rights, but if you have no money at the time they ask you for it) and you are awaiting a mercy from your Lord for which you hope, then, speak unto them a soft kind word (i.e. Allâh will give me and I shall give you). And let not your hand be tied (like a miser) to your neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach (like a spendthrift), so that you become blameworthy and in severe poverty. (Part No. 21; Page No. 150) Thus, we advise you to be moderate in all your matters and to contribute to the charitable ways of disposition. For example, you can support your poor relatives and fellow Muslims, help in building Masjids (Mosques), encourage schools of Qur'an memorization, sponsor Du`ah (callers to Islam), and finance the printing of books of `Aqidah (creed), Tafsir (exegesis of the meanings of the Qur'an), Sunnah and its texts and commentaries, Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and its principles, in addition to contributing to other ways of charitable disposition.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.