In these challenging times, when many are facing difficulties, the topic of rizq has become especially important. Therefore, I would like to address this subject and explain its true meaning in the context of Islam and the Ahl Al-Bayt tradition.
Before delving into the concept of rizq, I want to say a few words about how everything works. The first truth we must acknowledge is that our destiny is not in our control. For those who believe in the Only God and the Sacred Qur’an, this should be an obvious truth. However, fully understanding and accepting this idea can be a difficult task.
The belief that we are separate and independent is an illusion created in our perception for a specific purpose – to test us, which is the very reason this world was created in the first place. In reality, the reality we live in is completely under the control of the highest rational will.
Most people think they control their lives and know exactly what is happening. This illusion becomes a natural attitude that we live with. But if this were true, if everyone could become whoever they want, then God and the higher powers would have no more power over us than, for example, the person living next door. In other words, God would have no control over creation, which is a contradiction for anyone who believes in the Creator.
Many people find it uncomfortable to think that they do not control themselves, but that someone else controls them. To overcome this discomfort, it is better to imagine it in the following way:
In the Creator’s Plan, there is a qadar (destiny) for each of us. It already exists as a kind of plan. There is no past, present, or future as separate parts. There is no time or space. There is no imbalance between the poles, no conflict. At this level, you know what results your every action will lead to, even before you perform it in space and time. Your life appears as a single whole, where everything is balanced with everything else. There is no disharmony in you because a billion days are balanced by a billion nights. A billion sorrows are balanced by a billion joys. Everything is measured with complete precision, everything is balanced.
The mechanism that controls this is absolutely perfect – so perfect that we are not able to imagine or understand it. If someone saw how the mechanism of divine Will and Predestination works, they would die at that very moment from the wave of absolute harmony and happiness that engulfs them.
But this vision in a theoretical sense (as a recognition) is the first step for the person who is called a “believer” in Islam. To have such a vision means, at least, to understand that when we say: “God is knowing” or “wise”, then Allah is actually so knowing and wise that it is simply mind-blowing. It’s awe-inspiring and speechless. And it’s a great relief to know that someone stupid isn’t ruling the universe, that your personal safety and destiny are in more than safe hands. Something stupid or accidental simply can’t happen to any of us, it will never happen, it’s forbidden by the laws of creation.
Now, if each of us is happy to shift responsibility for some matter to a person who understands this matter better than he does (even if his life directly depends on it, for example, performing a surgical operation under anesthesia), then what is the problem with shifting responsibility for our entire life to the Divine Will, which is incomparably smarter than anything we can imagine?
So, “we” do not control anything. Any control is an illusion of control. The only area in which a person is given what can be conditionally called “freedom” is niyat, that is, our intention. And according to these intentions, we will be judged and held accountable. “Actions – according to niyat,” as the hadith says. Speaking about it more succinctly: we do not control anything except our thoughts and intentions.
Given all of the above, let us now move on to the topic of rizq.
Let me remind you that in Islam, rizq refers to everything that sustains life. There is no single word in other languages that can perfectly translate this concept. Rizq can be translated as share, subsistence, or “means of life”, but each of these words only captures a part of the meaning. Therefore, it is best to leave it untranslated.
There is an illusion regarding rizq, which suggests that a person can control this aspect of their life. Most of us think that rizq is something we obtain on our own, depending on our actions and efforts. However, this is not true. Like everything else in our lives, rizq is not distributed by us. It is already predetermined for each of us even before we are born. And nothing predetermined will leave us or be reduced or increased.
“And there is not an animal on earth whose provision is not with Allah” (11:6), says the Quran.
In the 2nd volume of “Al-Kafi” it is reported that the Messenger of Allah (S) said:
“No soul dies but its rizq is completed.”
That is, the person will face all the risks they are destined for from the moment of birth until the moment of their death. There will be no changes to this risk level, either increasing or decreasing it by even a single point.
In “Makarim al-akhlaq” it is reported that the Messenger of Allah (S) said:
“If the descendant of Adam were to run away from the rizq (which is destined for him) as he runs from death, his rizq would still overtake him.”
He also said: “Indeed, rizq overtakes a slave just as death overtakes him.”
When Imam Ali (A) said similar things to his companions, one person asked him:
“If the doors of a person’s house are closed to him (and he is locked in there), then where will rizq come to him?”
He said: “From where death comes to him.”
What do we understand from this? We understand that rizq is independent of a person, just like life and death are. After all, our death is beyond our control. None of us knows when or how we will die. And when this happens, we won’t be able to change or do anything about it. The same is true for rizq. “Indeed, rizq overtakes a slave just as death overtakes him.” Allah has predetermined the fate of each person in advance. To create a person, give him a body and mind, and then leave him without a destiny would be unfair, and the Almighty is clearly superior to such an act.
But this doesn’t mean that if risk is predestined for me, I should just lie down on the sofa, cross my legs, and do nothing. No, that’s not the case. Accepting risk (taarruz li rizq) is a wajib, a duty for a person. Doing something to earn a living is an obligation, just like praying or fasting.
The Messenger of Allah (S) said:
“Seeking permissible rizq is a duty on every Muslim, man or woman”
(Bihar, Vol. 103, P. 9).
He also said:
“Whoever seeks rizq to provide for his family is like one who fights in the way of Allah”
(Ibid.).
Imam Sadiq (A) says:
“Seek rizq, for it is guaranteed to the one who seeks it”
(Irshad, Vol. 1, P. 303).
The Messenger of Allah (S) said:
“There are some people who will never have their du’aa’s answered… One of them is the one who sits at home and says, ‘O my Lord, grant me rizq!’ but does not go out and seek rizq. His Lord will say to him, ‘O My slave! Have I not ordained for you a path to seek rizq, and have I not given you a sound body so that you may seek it on the earth?’”
(Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, P. 67).
He also said:
“Do not let what is guaranteed for you distract you from what you are obliged to do”
(Bihar, Vol. 77, P. 187).
That is, do not let the promise of rizq that Allah has decreed and guaranteed for you distract you from the duty of earning your living. This is your religious duty, your taklif, which you must fulfill.
Imam Askari (A) also says: “Let the promised rizq not distract you from the obligatory deeds” (Bihar, Vol. 78, Page 374).
That is, rizq is predetermined for a person and given to him by Allah Almighty. The only and small thing that depends on a person (and what he is obliged to fulfill) is to take a step towards this rizq. In Arabic, this is called very accurately – taarruz li rizq – “giving oneself to rizq”. There is no such expression in the Russian language, and it sounds somewhat artificial in it, but it is this one that most accurately conveys the essence of the matter, and therefore we will use it. Trying to earn a living and making some efforts in this area, I do not “earn rizq”, but rather “give myself to it”. That is, I include myself in the rizq that the Almighty has already predetermined for me. Rizq is already waiting for me, and I only have to take a step towards it.
At the same time, “giving oneself to rizq” does not necessarily mean engaging in some profitable activity from the point of view of profit. Not at all. A person must do at least something. For example, gain religious knowledge. Let’s say, I study “Al-Kafi”…
…Studying “Al-Kafi” is also a form of “giving oneself to rizq”. Although, of course, this is not “work” in the generally accepted sense. Studying “Al-Kafi” does not outwardly imply any earnings. But this is only from the point of view of a person. From the point of view of the Creator, it can be completely different. Allah can send a rich believer to such a person who will say to him: “You have dedicated yourself to studying “Al-Kafi” – and I am donating you a large sum of money so that you continue to do this”.
This will be his rizq, but only if studying “Al-Kafi” aligns with his natural inclinations and goals. People are very diverse, each with their own unique purpose and the right area of activity to pursue. Some were created to be scholars, others to be traders, and still others to create things with their hands. Everyone should follow their own path. If a person starts doing something that’s not their own, it’s like not doing anything at all. This is not providing oneself with rizq. It’s one of the ways of not providing oneself with rizq. Another way is to perform one’s work poorly. For example, a person is involved in trade. They buy a load of grain to sell it profitably, but they store it in a damp barn. The grain spoils, and they don’t earn anything. In this case, they can’t complain to Allah and say: “O Allah, why did you deprive me of rizq?” Because Allah gave them reason, and they understand that storing the grain in such conditions means it will spoil. What this person did is one of the ways of “not providing oneself with rizq”,along with “doing nothing” and “doing something that is not one’s business”.
To return to the example of “Al-Kafi”, Allah will give wealth to those who study it, but only if it is their primary occupation, their “business,” what they are meant for. If a person is destined for trade but completely abandons it and only engages in “Al-Kafi”, this is one way of “not providing oneself with wealth.” Of course, it is good for everyone to study “Al-Kafi”, but only if they continue to engage in their primary activity through which their wealth is determined for them.
Conversely, if a person is specifically meant for studying “Kafi,” and this is made for him as a channel for receiving wealth, then engaging in other areas of activity will not bring him the means of living. For example, if he decides to engage in trade, he will not succeed.So, the duty (taklif) of a person is to taarruz li rizq, “giving oneself to rizq,” which means engaging in some activity. If a person is busy with his business, then Allah will give him all the wealth that is intended for him. This wealth will come to him freely, naturally, without any extra effort.
From this, it follows that since wealth is already prescribed for a person in advance, no extra effort will bring any benefit or increase his wealth. It will simply be a waste of time. Let’s say a person opened a small store and sells something there, earning a normal income from this. But then he began to dream of some kind of superprofit. He believes that by working not 8 hours a day, but all 20, and at the same time taking on debts to expand his store, he will get rich. Most likely, he will not succeed. At best, the time he spends “in excess” of what is necessary to “give himself rizq” will be wasted. He would be better off spending it on his family, studying religion, or simply relaxing.
The one who is destined to be rich will become rich without any extraordinary efforts. He will simply be in the right place at the right time. And the one who put him there is certainly not himself (simply because none of us knows what time and place will be “right” – just as none of us knows the future). Conversely, the one who is destined to be poor will remain poor, even if he tries his best.
The Messenger of Allah (S) said:
“Do not worry about the rizq of tomorrow, for each day comes with its rizq”
(Bihar, Vol. 77, P. 67).
Imam Sadiq (A) said:
“Whoever pays excessive attention to rizq will have a sin (khati’ah – can also be translated as a mistake or misdeed) recorded for him”.
(Amali Tusi, Vol. 1, P. 300).
Imam Kazim (A) says:
“Whoever is reasonable with respect to Allah, it is not fitting for him to wait impatiently for His rizq or to blame Him for His decree”
(Bihar, Vol. 78, Page 319).
Imam Sadiq (A) said:
“If rizq is already distributed (i.e., predetermined by Allah), then what is the use of greed (i.e., strong and greedy efforts – khirs) in acquiring it?”
(Amali by Saduq, Page 16).
There are also verses about this from Imam Ali (A):
“Leave the striving in this world,
And do not strive for the benefits of this life,
For rizq has already been distributed,
And no human effort will help.
A poor person is anyone who strives,
A rich person is anyone who is content.”
(Jami’ al-akhbar, p. 294).
Rizq is already intended for a person, and no extra effort on their part will increase it. To receive the rizq that is already waiting for them from Allah, all they need to do is take a step towards it. That is, to do their own thing. No extraordinary efforts are required, and Allah is not an oppressor who makes the condition of receiving rizq such efforts that they are not capable of. “The poor is anyone who strives,” meaning they make unreasonable efforts to gain rizq and the benefits of this world. “The rich is anyone who is content,” meaning they are satisfied with the predetermination of the Almighty and the rizq He gives them.
Yes, the Almighty can increase a person’s rizq, but this does not happen because the person themselves make some extra efforts. It does not happen that someone says: “I will increase my efforts by half — and my rizq will also become half as much.” That is not how it works. But Allah, if He wills and when He wills, can increase a person’s rizq, and this always happens without any special effort on their part. Every adult with life experience knows this. An increase in rizq always happens in such a way that something “falls” on you from the outside, from where you yourself did not expect it. This happens very naturally and simply, without any special effort on the part of the person themselves. (In addition to the efforts they make to “give themselves rizq”).
Imam Sadiq (A) said:
“Allah has rejected giving rizq to the believers except from where they do not expect it”
(Al-Kafi, Vol. 5, Page 83).
Imam Ali (A) said:
“Know that even if the slave’s cunning is weak, and his efforts (in acquiring rizq) are limited, he will still receive what Allah has predetermined for him. And if a slave increases his cunning and his efforts, he will not increase his rizq beyond what Allah has predetermined for him”
(Amali by Mufid, p. 207).
So, there is no extra effort that can increase rizq, apart from the general practice of “submitting oneself to rizq”…
…What increases it? Of course, this is done by the will of Allah, which is incomprehensible to us.
As for the person themselves, there are some options to increase their rizq, but they lie in a completely different realm. These are things like good character, dua, maintaining relationships with relatives, sadaqah, asking for forgiveness, and tawba. I will discuss these in more detail at the end of this lecture.
Perhaps someone will say: “Rich people usually have little good character.” The answer to this is: firstly, this may not be true. Perhaps they have little good character in relation to you, but a lot of good character in relation to someone else. Secondly, Allah can make a person rich to test him or to punish him even more. This also happens, as wealth can be a punishment.
As the Quran says:
“And let not their wealth and their children delight you. Allah intends to punish them thereby in the worldly life; their souls will go away, and they will be disbelievers”
(9:55).
In general, as far as rich people are concerned, their example, as a rule, confirms that no amount of extra effort can lead to an increase in rizq. Among the richest people, there are many who are extremely stupid. The well-known American proverb: “If you are so smart, then why are you so poor?” is exactly the opposite. Very often, Allah gives the greatest wealth to the stupidest people. In this way, He shows that a person’s aspirations or abilities are worth nothing in themselves, that everything is decided only by the will of the Creator. The only thing that remains for a person in this world is humility and sabr. No effort, intelligence, or education in themselves lead to wealth. And vice versa, the most stupid, uneducated, ignorant person can be very rich. And this is not an exception, but practically a rule. Allah gives wealth to whomever He wishes. If He has determined for you, say, a thousand rubles a day as your rizq, you will not change anything in this, even if you break your back.
Imam Sadiq (A) says:
“Allah has increased the rizq for the foolish people so that the wise may draw conclusions from this, realizing that what is in this dunya is not acquired through deeds or through cunning”
(Bihar, Vol. 103, P. 34).
It was also narrated that Allah inspired one of His prophets:
“Do you know why I grant rizq to the foolish?”
He said: “No.”
Allah said: “So that the wise may understand that rizq is not acquired through the mind.”
Therefore, rizq is a gift from Allah only. It cannot be achieved through the mind, effort, or cunning. I want to emphasize that this should not lead you to think that you should stop all activity and lie on the couch. Taarruz li rizq (giving yourself rizq) is an obligation! However, what this rizq is and how much it is determined by Allah alone, not by any tricks or plans you make.
Another common mistake, or rather, a “natural attitude,” that is characteristic of 99.9% of people regarding rizq is the belief that saving or economizing on something will increase the overall amount of their rizq. This belief stems from the most common mistake: thinking that your rizq depends on you.
For example, a believer might refuse to buy a ring, which according to our hadith is desirable (mustahabb). He thinks that by saving the money for the ring, he will be able to spend it on something else. However, in reality, this is not the case. Allah will reduce his total rizq by the amount he saves. A person might say, for example: “I won’t buy a ring, but instead I will buy fruit for the children.” This is incorrect. Because Allah has determined the rizq for both his children and the ring. By refusing to buy the ring, he only reduces his rizq by the amount of the ring. If he buys a ring, Allah will return this money to him in the form of additional rizq.
Let’s consider a more understandable and common example. Today, people often refuse to have children, justifying this by the fact that they don’t have enough rizq to support them. A person might reason: “I have a certain income, say, 100 thousand a month. If I have a child, he will eat 50 thousand from it, and therefore I will not be able to live normally.” In reality, if he had a child, Allah would increase his rizq by the amount of this child’s maintenance. That is, he would have these hundred thousand left plus the additional rizq that Allah would give him for the child. But by abandoning the child, he also abandons the additional rizq.
This is stated in one hadith, which I will quote from memory. A man came to Musa (A) with a request to turn to Allah to increase his rizq. Musa (A) turned to his Lord, and He replied to him: “O Musa! I have set the rizq for this man as it is, and it cannot be changed. His rizq is two dinars a day.” Musa (A) informed the man about this. After some time, the man came to him again and said: “Your Lord has informed me that my rizq cannot be more than two dinars a day. But now I earn twenty dinars every day. Has your Lord made a mistake or lied?” Musa (A) turned to his Lord again, and He replied to him: “This man’s rizq is fixed – two dinars a day. But during this time he got married, and the remaining 18 dinars is the rizq of his wife, whom he must support.”
Let me repeat once again: with rizq, everything is completely different than it seems to an ordinary person from the point of view of his narrow “Ego”. In general, rizq itself is nothing more than what a person spends on himself. It is a person’s spending that is rizq. If a person has, say, a billion dollars that he keeps in a bank, then this is not his rizq. This is the rizq of the bank. His own rizq will only be what he withdraws from the account and spends on himself.
It often happens that a rich person dies without spending anything from his wealth. In such a case, his wealth was not his rizq, and in reality, this person was poor. His money in the bank was the rizq of someone else, say, the bank itself or his children, who will receive it after his death and spend it on themselves.We humans often think that a billion dollars in the bank is the wealth of the person in whose name it is recorded. However, Allah may not have willed it to be that person’s wealth. From our perspective, it is the person’s property, but from the perspective of Allah’s will, it may be the property of someone else and have nothing to do with the wealth of that person.
If this person were to spend only one millionth of this amount on himself and die with it, it would be what Allah prescribed for him. Allah did not make this amount his wealth. I repeat: wealth is never what a person thinks it is. Wealth does not come and go as we plan or calculate.
Sometimes it happens that Allah compresses a person’s rizq, closes his paths in order to test him and see his sabr. And if a person endures and passes the test, Allah suddenly opens paths for him, and he very quickly becomes wealthy or even rich.
And in general, the situation is as the Quran says:
“And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out and give him rizq from where he does not know”
(65:3).
A believer in this world must be absolutely calm, because he knows that his life is controlled by someone incomparably smarter, wiser, kinder and stronger than he is. Every breath we take, every amount of money we earn, every person we meet, every piece of food we put in our mouths – all this is planned, calculated and controlled by someone much greater than us. And therefore, you do not rush back and forth in this world, trying to do something in it or change it. You just wait and watch how events change in your favor – and the solution to any problem comes by itself, from where you did not expect – carefully, calmly and naturally. And therefore, a believer loses fear and anxiety. The more he knows the One Who controls everything, the more the feeling of comfort, security and harmony grows in him.
Now, in conclusion of this lecture, let us briefly say about the things that increase rizq, according to the hadiths of Ahl Al-Bayt (A):
1. Good character. Imam Sadiq (A) said: “Good character increases rizq.”
2. Good attitude towards one’s family and maintaining relations with relatives. Imam Sadiq (A) said: “Whoever treats his family well, his rizq will be increased.”
3. Du’a for the believers. Imam Baqir (A) said: “Make du’a for your brothers, for it increases your rizq.”
4. Charity (sadaqah). The Messenger of Allah (S) said: “Give charity, and Allah will give you rizq.” Imam Ali (A) said: “Seek rizq through sadaqah.”
5. Seeking forgiveness from Allah (istighfar). Imam Sadiq (A) said: “If you consider your rizq insufficient, then ask forgiveness from Allah a lot (do istighfar often). For Allah says in His Book: “Ask forgiveness of your Lord, indeed, He is Forgiving. He will send the sky upon you with rain, and provide you with wealth and children, and make for you gardens and make for you rivers” (71:10-12).”
The Messenger of Allah (S) also said:
“Whoever asks forgiveness of Allah a lot, Allah will give him a way out of every hardship and every difficulty, and will grant him rizq from where he does not expect.”
Asking forgiveness from Allah is done through the words “astaghfirullah” or “astaghfirullah rabbi wa atubu ilay.” In this case, a mandatory condition for asking forgiveness (istighfara) is that the slave sincerely promises Allah never to return to the sins he committed.
6. Reading dua. There are many duas from Ahl Al-Bayt (A) to increase rizq.
7. Constantly remaining in a state of ablution. The Messenger of Allah (S) said:
“Constantly remaining in a state of ablution makes your rizq constant.”
8. Faithfulness to trust. Imam Ali (A) said:
“Fulfilling trust increases rizq”. Trust is everything that is entrusted to a person. By “fulfilling trust” we should understand reliability and honesty in all senses. A reliable and honest merchant will succeed in trade, even if in all other respects he is the worst creation of Allah.
9. Marriage, if a person is not married. It has been reported in the hadiths that marriage and family life in themselves increase a person’s rizq.
10. Helping and giving good advice to your brother in religion.
11. Honesty and the word of truth.
12. Abstaining from things that reduce rizq.
Now let us briefly list the things that reduce rizq:
1. Israf, that is, unnecessary and senseless spending of what Allah has given. Imam Sadiq (A) said: “Israf entails poverty.”
2. Tabzir, that is, extravagance. Imam Sadiq (A) said: “Whoever manages his affairs correctly and economically is guaranteed that he will never become poor.”
3. Committing sins. Imam Baqir (A) said: “It happens that a person commits a sin – and rizq is removed from him.”
4. Adultery is one of the things that cause poverty.
5. False oaths.
6. Greed and greedy desire for rizq: this does not increase rizq, but decreases it.
7. Breaking off relations with relatives.
8. Lying and the habit of telling lies.
9. Listening to music – leads to poverty and cuts a person off from rizq.
