“Allāh hates that you squander wealth and waste it…” (A brief explanation) By Shaykh Al-Fawzān

Allāh hates that you squander wealth and waste it:

Mugheerah Ibn Shu’bah (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Verily, Allah has made unlawful for you: disobedience to your mothers, burying your daughters alive, niggardly in spending and hoarding wealth. And He hates for you: to engage in gossip “this one said and that one said”, excessive asking [for wealth and unnecessary questions], and the squandering of wealth.” (Bukhāri 2408, Muslim 593)

So Allah (the Most High) hates that a person squanders his wealth. The scholars (Allah have mercy on them) have stated that spending of wealth is done in three states:

Firstly: The spending that is done in obedience to Allah. This is encouraged and is not considered as wasting or squandering wealth. Rather, that is the intent behind wealth.

Secondly: Spending wealth for that which you need. There is also no blame in this because wealth has been made to fulfil needs. So if you spend your wealth on that which you need, then there is no blame on you.

Thirdly: That it is spent in disobedience to Allah. This is to squander and waste wealth and is unlawful (harām) even if it is something small, even it be just a Dirham (a silver coin) that is spent. Allah stated: “Eat and drink but do not be excessive (i.e. do not go beyond bounds).” (Al-A’rāf: 31)

So the spending of one’s wealth [in a lawful manner] is of three levels:

One: Spending on that which is obligatory, and this is a must, such as paying Zakāh [and Hajj], spending on oneself, on one’s wife, children, parents and close relatives.

Two: Spending one’s wealth in that which is recommended (mustahabb), such as giving charity to those in need and supporting noble projects (building a mosque, digging a well for the poor, supporting orphans, etc). So this is encouraged and is not wasting wealth.

Three: Spending in that which is allowed (mubāh) — this spending is not obligatory, nor recommended but it is allowed and permissible, such as purchasing fruit and meat that a person likes to eat, or that he purchases new clothing that he likes or a vehicle that is suited to him. The scholars state that there is no harm in this. And it is said by some of the scholars that one should be moderate in the permissible matters. He should not just go out and buy whatever his soul desires and seeks. Rather he should be moderate and balanced in that. Allah (the Most High) said, “And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who, when they spend, do not do so extravagantly (excessively), nor are they miserly but they are between the two, moderate.” (Al-Furqān: 67)

So spending wealth in obedience to Allah is not a waste nor is it squandering even if it is plenty. And spending wealth in sin and disobedience to Allah is excess (and going beyond limits), even if it is one Dirham and you responsible on the day of Judgement for what you spend.

Reference:

See Tas-heelul-Ilmām of Al-Allāmah Al-Fawzān 6/184-185, (abridged).