Islam Rediscovered
9. The Islamic Way of Life
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insufficient means of livelihood or others having an
excess of wealth. Islam urges that one earns one’s
livelihood by all possible but lawful means, so that
one’s essential needs are properly met on the one
hand, and one does not remain dependent on
others, on the other. According to the Qur’an and
Hadith
, the greed for more and more, niggardliness,
holding money back to centralize it in one or a few
hands, are the main roots of all criminal and
destructive tendencies in human society. That is
why virtues such as contentment, moderation,
simplicity, altruism, spending on charity and
sharing one’s happiness with others are so highly
and repeatedly recommended in Islam.
Conversely, vices like extravagance, selfishness,
monopolistic practices, exploitation, usury and all
unfair means of money-making are strongly
condemned and prohibited. How to deal with the
problems of earning a livelihood in accordance with
the Islamic way of life? The answer to this question
may be summed up in the following points:
