al-Baraka fi al-Rizq wa al-Asbab al-Jaliba laha fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunna
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- Editions
- Islamic University of Madinah
al-Baraka fi al-Rizq wa al-Asbab al-Jaliba laha fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunna (Blessing in Sustenance and the Causes that Bring It in Light of the Book and the Sunnah) is a treatise by Abd Allah al-Sawalma (Abd Allah Marhul al-Sawalma) on the Islamic concept of divine blessing (baraka) in livelihood and wealth, and the scriptural means through which it is attained .
Background and Purpose
The treatise was published as an academic study in the journal of the Islamic University of Madinah (Issue 119, 1423 AH / 2002 CE) . The author noted that excessive preoccupation with wealth and the pursuit of material gain through impermissible means had led many people to complain of a lack of sustenance, diminished blessings, and difficulties in life . The work was composed as a reminder of the lawful ways to seek sustenance and the spiritual and practical causes that attract divine blessing into one's livelihood .
Structure and Scope
The treatise is organized into an introduction, two main sections (mabhath), a conclusion, and two indexes :
- Introduction: Covers the significance of the topic, the motives for writing, and the study's outline .
- First Section: Divided into two parts:
- Definitions and Scope: Clarifies key terms in the title—including blessing (baraka), sustenance (rizq), and wealth (mal)—and establishes the scope of the study . The author defines blessing as growth, increase in goodness, and its stability and permanence . He distinguishes between manifest blessing (such as visible abundance and ease) and hidden blessing (such as protection from accidents, illnesses, or loss), while focusing specifically on lawful (halal) material wealth .
- Methodology: Outlines the scholarly approach adopted throughout the work .
- Second Section: Examines the principal causes that bring blessing, structured across ten points:
- Piety (taqwa) and drawing close to God through acts of obedience (such as prayer, Hajj, Umrah, Zakat, charity, and maintaining kinship ties) .
- Reliance on God (tawakkul) alongside taking practical means .
- Pronouncing God's name (tasmiya) in all situations .
- Remembrance (dhikr) and supplication (du‘a) .
- Gratitude and praise to God (shukr and hamd) .
- Repentance and seeking forgiveness (tawba and istighfar) .
- Actively seeking lawful earnings (including lawful livelihood, honesty in transactions, and rising early to seek sustenance) .
- Contentment (qana‘a), self-restraint (‘ifaf), and moderation in asking .
- Frugality and good financial management (including measuring food) .
- Following the Sunnah (ittiba‘ al-Sunna) .
- Conclusion and Indexes: Summarizes the primary findings of the study and concludes with a bibliography and an alphabetical index of cited hadiths .
Method
The author's methodology centers on extracting principles directly from Quranic verses and prophetic traditions . He selects texts that directly or indirectly support the topic, prioritizes authentic (sahih) and good (hasan) narrations, and references their sources in classical hadith collections . Where traditions outside the two Sahih collections are cited, he records scholarly evaluations of their authenticity . The work also utilizes classical Quranic commentaries and hadith commentaries to explain textual meanings and references Arabic lexicons and dictionaries of rare words (gharib) to clarify obscure vocabulary .
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