أَمَّنْ هَذَا الَّذِي يَرْزُقُكُمْ إِنْ أَمْسَكَ رِزْقَهُ بَلْ لَجُّوا فِي عُتُوٍّ وَنُفُورٍ
“Or who can provide for you if He withholds His provision? Yet they persist in their insolence and their avoidance of the Truth.” (Qur’an 67: 21)
The fear over the scarcity of resources and provision has led many people to hoard goods and empty supermarkets’ shelves. People’s fears are understandable, some have kids or old parents and are afraid of not being able to go out if they have to quarantine themselves. On a more grand scale, with a looming global recession, there are legitimate fears of losing one’s job and means of income.
It’s in the human instinct to hoard things and fear uncertainty, yet the above verse reminds us to embrace the abundance mindset knowing that sustenance is not confined by worldly resources, rather it comes from Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He).
One man came to the Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) and he gave him until he was pleased, then this man returned to his people saying: “O my people! Embrace Islam because Muhammad gives like one who has no fear of poverty!” [Muslim]
This is the abundance-mindset. Our hearts should not be attached to what’s on the supermarket shelves or any worldly provider, our hearts should be attached to the endless source, The One who provides from the heavens and the earth, and He is unboundedly and unlimitedly Vast and never affected by any circumstances.
To bring this meaning closer, in a powerful hadith, the Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) narrates that Allah Almighty says:
“O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, and the humans of you and the jinn of you, were all to stand together in one place and ask of Me, and I were to give everyone what he requested, then that would not decrease what I Possess, except what is decreased of the ocean when a needle is dipped into it.” [Muslim]
This is why the Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said that giving is a sign of faith because panic and withholding means one only sees worldly providers and disregards the Unlimited Source of Provision.
A man asked the Messenger of Allah Muhammad ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him): ‘O Messenger of Allah, which kind of charity is best? He said: ‘Giving charity when you are in good health, and feeling stingy, hoping for a long life and fearing poverty.”‘ [Sunan an-Nasa’i]
And he ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) also said,
“[…] charity is a proof (of one’s faith), and patience is illumination, and the Qur’an is a proof either for you or against you. Every person starts his day as a vendor of his soul, either freeing it or causing its ruin.” [Muslim]
So, this is the time to believe in Allah and adopt the abundance mindset – especially with the month of Ramadan ahead of us – and in doing so, you will see how much vastness will enter your heart and life. The Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “If you all depend on Allah with due reliance, He would certainly give you provision as He gives it to birds who go forth hungry in the morning and return with a full belly at dusk”.
Lesson: Attach your heart to Allah subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He)and give. ِAllah Almighty says in a Hadith Qudsi: “Spend (on charity), O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you.” [Bukhari and Muslim].The worldly resources are not our sole providers, they’re just means, our sustenance comes from above unlimitedly through Allah. Allah can open and create means where you couldn’t imagine and couldn’t expect.
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