Chapter IV: Lawful and Unlawful
HALAL AND HARAM (lawful and unlawful things)
The Prophet said : It is compulsory on every Muslim to seek lawful earnings. He termed this compulsory subject as a thing of wisdom for a wise man out of other compulsory things. Lawful things are clear and unlawful things are also clear. Between these two , there are doubtful things which are not clear and difficult to know. All things are limited within these three things. This will be discussed in seven sections.
SECTION I
MERITS OF LAWFUL EARNINGS AND CONDEMNATION OF UNLAWFUL
QURAN : God says : Eat of the good things and do good deeds- 2:168. God ordered for eating good things before doing good deeds. The object of this order is eating of lawful things.
God says : Don't eat properties of one another unjustly-2:188.
God says : O believers, feaT God and give up what remains of interest if you are believes-2.278. God says : If you do not do it, then be prepared to fight with God and His Prophet-2:289. Then He says : If you repent, then for you is the capital. Then He said: Those who turn away from that are the inmates of Hell, they will abide therein. At first, eating of interest, then call for fight with God and His Apostle and last of all residing in Hell have been mentioned. There are innumberable verses regarding lawful and unlawful things.
Hadis : The Prophet said : It is compulsory on every Muslim to seek lawful earnings. The Prophet said : He who makes efforts to maintain his family out of lawful earnings is like a fighter in the way of God and he who seeks lawful earnings after restraining himself will get the rank of a martyr. The Prophet said : If a man eats lawful food for forty days, God illumines his heart and lets flow wisdom from his heart through his tongue. In another narration: God grants him renunciation in the world. Once Hazrat Sa'ad said to the Prophet : Pray to God that He may accept my invocation. The Prophet said : Eat lawful food and for that your invocation will be accepted. The Prophet mentioned the worldly addicted men and said : There are many men who have got dishevelled hairs,
62 The Book of Wordly Usages Vol-II