WHEN LESS IS MORE TIPS TO SIMPLIFY YOUR SPENDING
"And of them there are some who say: Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" (Q2[al-Baqarah]:10I). This is a common dua (supplication) of Muslims and it indicates that we do not have to abstain from seeking the good in this world to attain good in the next. Yet, seeking the good of this world does not mean that our lives should be devoted to the endless pursuit of material wealth. It means living with less and being happy. Times were hard. yet they are getting harder! We pray that Allah will provide ease, "verily, along with every hardship is relief." (Q94[ash-Sharh]: 5)
For the few who are in material bliss. Allah enjoins moderation: "...Spend not wastefully in the manner of a spendthrift. Verily the spendthrifts are brothers of the shayateen (devils), and the Shaitan is ever ungrateful to his Lord." (QI7[al-lsraa]: 26-27) Sadly, Muslims are not immune from the rush for the material trappings of modern society. Maybe they are unaware that the Prophet said. "Allah hates the profligate and the obscene." (Tirmidhi) ,
Several of us literally compete to see who has the bigger house, the nicest cars and clothes the biggest parties or the most expensive education even when we cannot afford them. But a Muslim was never supposed to live this way. He or she should put in practice the concept of "less is more" when it comes to material things Saad ibn Abu Waqqas (RA) said. "I heard Allah’s Messenger saying. Allah loves the pious rich man who is inconspicuous" (Muslim) So it is time to completely change the way we have lived our lives and our spending are just one aspect of this. Below are some tips to help you simplify your life’s material side.
QUESTION YOUR SOURCES OF INCOME: Is it halaal? Where is my money coming from? These are life-changing questions. Be ready to take a hard look at the job you may have been doing for years. Be ready to take a drastic but gradual step towards an income that may be less but halaal as opposed to one that is more but haraam. When it comes to halaal income, less really is more in terms of blessings and protection from Allah’s punishment. Rosulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said. "He who eats things acquired lawfully, and acts accordingly to (my) example, and he from whose mischief men are safe, shall enter Paradise." (Tirmidhi)
MAKE A PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLAN: When people hear budget they may think of cold accountants crunching over a stack of papers or two arms of government fighting one another. But your personal budget does not have to be this way. If you like computers, get a program that can help you do this.. If not. get a notebook or folder and start doing this. Make it simple. Picture yourself as a primary school student and ask yourself how you would budget your money. Remember. the only math functions you really need for this were learnt then: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division that’s all. The purpose is to help you identify where your money is really going, how you can payoff debts and spend your money more wisely.
AVOID BUYING UNLESS YOU HAVE THE MONEY: It is this very attitude that promoters of easy money (loans, credit cards. cooperative societies etc.) seek to change. They want you to think that you can buy when. where and how you want. Not true. Remember. If you buy on credit, you will have to still payoff the debt. Worse, you will engage in riba (interest). As you well know taking and paying interest is Haraam. Treat interest like what it is: a disgusting disease that enslaves people and makes them miserable. Encourage to do the same.
TRY TO REDUCE YOUR BORROWING: Unless it is really necessary, avoid borrowing money, even if its interest-free from a relative or friend. You will end up with the stress of constantly remembering that you have to pay someone back and it takes away from your ability to spend on what is really important. In some cases, it can have a negative effect on relationship with people (if the lenders are family or close friends).
WHEN LESS IS MORE TIPS TO SIMPLIFY YOUR SPENDING: "And of them there are some who say: Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" (Q2[al-Baqarah]:10I). This is a common dua (supplication) of Muslims and it indicates that we do not have to abstain from seeking the good in this world to attain good in the next. Yet, seeking the good of this world does not mean that our lives should be devoted to the endless pursuit of material wealth. It means living with less and being happy. Times were hard. yet they are getting harder! We pray that Allah will provide ease, "verily, along with every hardship is relief." (Q94[ash-Sharh]: 5) For the few who are in material bliss. Allah enjoins moderation: "...Spend not wastefully in the manner of a spendthrift. Verily the spendthrifts are brothers of the shayateen (devils), and the Shaitan is ever ungrateful to his Lord." (QI7[al-lsraa]: 26-27) Sadly, Muslims are not immune from the rush for the material trappings of modern society. Maybe they are unaware that the Prophet said. "Allah hates the profligate and the obscene." (Tirmidhi), Several of us literally compete to see who has the bigger house, the nicest cars and clothes the biggest parties or the most expensive education even when we cannot afford them. But a Muslim was never supposed to live this way. He or she should put in practice the concept of "less is more" when it comes to material things. Saad ibn Abu Waqqas (RA) said. "I heard Allah’s Messenger saying. Allah loves the pious rich man who is inconspicuous" (Muslim) So it is time to completely change the way we have lived our lives and our spending are just one aspect of this. Below are some tips to help you simplify your lifes material side.
QUESTION YOUR SOURCES OF INCOME: Is it halaal? Where is my money coming from? These are life-changing questions. Be ready to take a hard look at the job you may have been doing for years. Be ready to take a drastic but gradual step towards an income that may be less but halaal as opposed to one that is more but haraam. When it comes to halaal income, less really is more in terms of blessings and protection from Allah’s punishment. Rosulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said. "He who eats things acquired lawfully, and acts accordingly to (my) example, and he from whose mischief men are safe, shall enter Paradise." (Tirmidhi)
MAKE A PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLAN: When people hear budget they may think of cold accountants crunching over a stack of papers or two arms of government fighting one another. But your personal budget docs not have to be this way. If you like computers, get a program that can help you do this.. If not. get a notebook or folder and start doing this. Make it simple. Picture yourself as a primary school student and ask yourself how you would budget your money. Remember. the only math functions you really need for this were learnt then: addition. subtraction. multiplication and division. thats all. The purpose is to help you identify where your money is really going, how you can payoff debts and spend your money more wisely.
AVOID BUYING UNLESS YOU HAVE THE MONEY: It is this very attitude that promoters of easy money (loans, credit cards. cooperative societies etc.) seek to change. They want you to think that you can buy when where and how you want. Not true. Remember. If you buy on credit, you will have to still payoff the debt. Worse, you will engage in riba (interest). As you well know taking and paying interest is Haraam. Treat interest like what it is: a disgusting disease that enslaves people and makes them miserable. Encourage to do the same.
TRY TO REDUCEYOUR BORROWING: Unless it is really necessary, avoid borrowing money, even if its interest-free from a relative or friend. You will end up with the stress of constantly remembering that you have to pay someone back and it takes away from your ability to spend on what is really important. In some cases, it can have a negative effect on relationship with people (if the lenders are family or close friends). Debts are serious matters for the Muslim.
Allah's Messenger said, "Truly, one of the worst sills, in the sight of Allah with which a servant of Allah shall meet Him, after the great sins which Allah has forbidden, is that a man die while he has debts against him for which he has left nothing to pay them off" (Abu Dawud). If you owe already, write down and resolve to payoff all of your debts; and incorporate repayment of all of your debts into your personal financial plan Whether its the N50 you borrowed from your wife for your haircut last week, the N 100 you were lent by your office colleague for snacks. Set a specific part of your income for this purpose only. Do not wait to have a big amount, just start paying them.
I DONT JUST SHOP!: Many people shop for fun or to get rid of boredom or depression, You must make a rule that you will not go shopping unless you have an exact item you want to buy or some real work to do, Look for fun in other activities. When you do have to shop, avoid shopping without a list and stick to it, even .if there are only one or two items on it, Normally, people use this for groceries but the concept can be extended to clothes, shoes, etc. Then, stick to the list and refuse to be persuaded by the fancy packaging and advertisement in the shops or market.
MAKE DUA: This is what the Prophet instructed us to do when we enter the market and the prayer is, "La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shareeka lahu, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu yuhyee wa yumeetu wa Huwa hayyun la yamootu bi yadihil khairu wa Huwa ala kulli shaiin Qadeer." [There is no God but Allah alone, He has no partner. His is dominion and His is praise. He brings life and He brings death, and He is living and does not die. In His Hand is all good, and He is Capable of all things.] (Tirmidhi) Also make sure that you do istikhara before buying major items. Jabir ibn Abdullah (RA) said: "The Prophet used to teach us to seek Allahs counsel (do istikhara) in all matters, as he used to teach us a surah of the Quran ... " (Bukhari). So if you need to buy a freezer or sofa, make sure you do Salaatullstikhara
I GIVE, GIVE, & I SAVE: Sadaqa doesn't decrease wealth, indeed it is part of spending in Islam.. The Prophet said, "Eat, drink, wear clothes and give sadaqa with neither extravagance nor pride" (Ahmad). Be on the lookout for opportunities to give (e. g. Ramadan, if you know a relative or another Muslim in need, etc. ) Even as you give, also save a specific percentage of your money regularly. This is not so you can hoard lots of money. Emergencies happen Your savings can help you out here.
RESIST THE URGE TO KEEP UP: The Sanuths got a new car, but then the Fulanis got a bigger one. In response the Abdul Ghaffars must get two cars. And the cycle continues; my Mercedes must be bigger than yours! This kind of competition for material; things is another example of material enslavement. Resist the urge to keep up with the Yakubus or even the Yohannas next door for that matter! Allah’s Messenger said, "Look at those who are lower than you (economically) but do not look at those who are higher than you, lest you belittle the favours Allah conferred upon you." (Bukhari) If the pressure is too intense, consider widening your - circle of friends to those who dont base their relationship with you on how much money you make or how many cars you have. Remember that the Prophet said, "None deserves to be envied except two men: he whom Allah has given judgement, and who decides according to the same, and who teaches is to others: and the man whom Allah has given wealth and who spends it usefully."(Muslim)
IMAGINE YOURSELF AS A TRAVELER: lbn Umar, (RA} narrated that "The Messenger of Allah took hold of my shoulder and said Be in this world as if you were stranger or a traveler along a path (Bukhari) What do you notice about a travellers? They are focused on their destination, and keep very few things that will weigh them down. Our destination as Muslims, Insha Allaah is parradise (al-Jannah).We need to keep our eyes focused there. That also means not getting too bogged down in things like fancy homes, dresses, cars and food!