THE
109 KHUTBAH ON THE LIFE & GENEROSITY OF ABDURRAHMAN BN ‘AUF (RA): LESSONS
FOR FINANCIAL INDEPENDENT DELIVERED AT AREA 10 JUMA'AH MASJID ABUJA, BY YAHYA GARBA AL-YOLAWI ON 3RD
MAR 2017/4TH J/THANI 1438AH
TOPIC:
LIFE & GENEROSITY OF ABDURRAHMAN BN ‘AUF (RA): LESSONS FOR FINANCIAL
INDEPENDENT
In
the name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most Merciful
My dear respected brothers and sisters in
Islam, Today's sermon will discuss the topic: Life and generosity of
Abdurrahman bn ‘Auf: Lessons for financial independent.
As
Muslims our role model always is prophet Muhammad (SAW) followed by his companions
(RA). The first generations of Muslims, the men, women around the Prophet who
believe and supported the religion of Allah; those were trained by
Him are best
role model you can have. Role models are
people that we can look up to; we often striving to emulate their best
qualities and attributes to have the same result in life.
Allah says: There has certainly been for you
in them an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last
Day. And whoever turns away - then indeed, Allah is the Free of need, the
Praiseworthy. (Q60:6)
The
companions (RA) are the heroes of the Muslim nation. Allah (SWT) praised them
in the Quran. They are the ones who formed the first and best society of human
beings in the city-state of Medina; a society that was based on Allah's rules.
They strengthened Islam while the Prophet was alive, and preserved it after his
death. They are the ones who struggled for, memorized, lived and died to carry
the message of Islam to the rest of the world.
The
companions of the prophet are great people with great characters worthy of
emulation. Some were gentle and lenient in nature, while others were strict in
truth; some were learned, while others were note. Some of the Sahabah were
ascetic (zuhd) and lived on what people will consider impossible, while others
were business men who were the millionaires of their time; top on the list of
these category of companions is Abdurrahman bn ‘Auf (RA).
Today
we will look at this companion;
Abdurahman bin auf, his life style, his business skills and talents as
well as his generosity in order to extract what seems to be the best way out for
us as individuals in the hash time and considered to be viable
most especially when it comes to financial independent.
His
name was Abdul Amr (servant of Amr). It
was prophet (SAW) who renamed him 'Abdurrahman (servant of the Most Merciful).
He
converted to islam through Abu Bakr (RA) who spoke to him about Islam, then invited
him to meet the messenger, who heard his kalima and taught him the Islamic
prayers even before they start using the house of Al-Arqam; 'Abdurraahman bn
Auf was one of the first eight men to accept Islam.
GENEROSITY OF ABDUR-RAHAMN BN AWF
Many
narrations have been said of 'Abdurrahman's personal generosity. He once sigle
handedly equipped the entire army with 1,500 camels. He gave 400 dinars to the
survivors of Badr and took upon himself all the financial obligations (feeding
clothing, transportation, hajj etc.) for the Wives of the prophet (SAW). One
day he brought a caravan of 700 merchant camels into Medina and gave it out to muslim in madina.
MIGRATION
TO MADINA
When
Abdur-Rahman (RA) arrived in Madinah, he had no money and no property. He had
to start from scratch. Some Muslims set off with their families to Madinah,
where they were lodged in the houses of the Ansar, the Muslims of Madinah,
until they could set up their own homes. Abdur-Rahman (R.A) was paired up with Sa’ad Ibn Ar-Rabi’ah (RA) who was one of
the wealthiest men of Madinah. On that time, Sa’ad (RA), out of generosity and
kindness to his new brother, told Abdur-Rahman (RA), “My brother, among the
people of Madinah I have the most wealth. I have two plantations and I have two
wives. See which of the two farms you like and I shall vacate it for you, and
which of my two wives is pleasing to you and I shall divorce her for you.”
This
is the kind of love Muslims of the time had for each other. Sa’ad Ibn
Ar-Rabi’ah was ready to part with his fortune and his family for the sake of
Allah and offer it to another Muslim brother.
When
most other Muslims accepted the sharing offered to them from their Muslim
brothers of Madinah, Abdur-Rahman’s (RA) response is going to blow your mind
away. It is going to raise the hair on your skin and it will truly make you
appreciate the will of a Muslim. Abdur-Rahman (RA) responded to Sa’ad Ibn
Ar-Rabi’ah (RA) showing great appreciation, “May Allah bless you in your family
and wealth. But show me where the market-place is.” It was “The market of
Qainuqa” he was asking about.
He
did not wish to be a burden on anyone inducing his paired brother Sa’ad (RA).
He didn’t want to take a loan or a gift from anyone because he knew that Allah
(SAW) would provide for him, and he believed in his ability to earn from
finding opportunities in the open market.
Allah says: “Indeed, it is Allah who is the
[continual] Provider, the firm possessor of strength”.Q51:58
Abdurrahman
bn Awf was trained in business from his
father, he ran businesses with his father until he was 30 years old. Before accepting
Islam, he was one of the high relatives of Makkah who were born with silver
spoons.
This
nose for smelling opportunities and the eye to see them anywhere, allowed him
to enter the market, employ his business talent and capitalize on
opportunities.
From
day one since Abdur-Rahman (RA) began his own business in the market of Qainuqa
in Madinah, Allah (swt) blessed him with bounty beyond his expectations. It was
not long before whatever he touched seemed to bring him instant success.
This
constant growth didn’t take long before he was sufficiently well off and was
able to get married. After his marriage, he went to the noble Prophet with the
scent of perfume lingering over him. A
perfume, which smelled very nice.
“Mahyarn,
O Abdur-Rahman!” exclaimed the Prophet – indicating pleasant surprise.
“I
have got married,” replied Abdur-Rahman. “And what did you give your wife as
mahr?” “The weight of a nuwat in gold.”
“You
must have a walimah even if it is with a
single sheep. And may Allah bless you in your wealth,” said the Prophet with
obvious pleasure and encouragement.
Imagine
the prophet giving you this Dua like “may Allah bless you in your wealth”.
Thereafter
Abdur-Rahman grew so accustomed to business success that he said if he lifted a
stone he expected to find gold or silver under it!
LESSONS
FOR MUSLIMS IN THE LIFE OF ABDUL RAHMAN IBN AWF
1.
When it comes to examples of manliness from the lives of the sahabah, Abdul
Rahman ibn Awf stands out from the crowd. He converted to Islam at its very
beginig; at one point, he constituted one of eight Muslim men in the entire
world. He endured the trials and tribulation of Makkah, losing everything and
migrating twice, once to Abyssinia and once to Madinah. In Madinah, starting
with only the clothes on his back, he refused financial aid and, through the
blessings of Allah ﷻ, built himself
into the wealthiest man in the city. Adjusting for inflation and buying power,
some people estimate that Abdul Rahman ibn Awf left a net worth of $160 million(over
60bNaira with current exchange rate) when he passed away. In addition to his
wealth, he left behind a legacy of generosity that continues to inspire Muslims
till this day. One of the ten promised paradise, Abdul Rahman ibn Awf’s life is
a brilliant case study of what it means to be an Ideal Muslim Man.
2.
A MAN DOES NOT TAKE OFFERINGS; HE RELIES ON ALLAH AND THEN HIMSELF.
When
Abdul Rahman ibn Awf made hijrah to Madinah, the Prophet ﷺpartnered
him with Sa’ad ibn al-Rabi. In accordance with the legendary generosity of the
Ansar, Sa’ad offered to split his entire wealth in half with Abdul Rahman as
well as his wife to marry. Instead, Abdurrahman gave his famous answer, “May
Allah ﷻ bless you in your family and your wealth. I have no need of
this. Just direct me to the marketplace.” And he went to the market and began
buying and selling, leveraging what little he had to get more
Remember
the story of Abdul Rahman ibn Awf the next time someone offers you a handout.
The Prophet ﷺ said, “The upper hand is better than the lower hand.” It is far
better to deprive yourself of some comfort than to stretch forth your hand in
front of another person. If you’re short of money, go out and work, relying on
Allah ﷻ to bless you in the money you earn. It was said of Abdul Rahman
ibn Awf that he was always doing something. If he wasn’t praying in the masjid
or striving alongside the Prophet, he was in the marketplace, earning a
livelihood.
3.
A Man Does Not Become So Occupied With Money That He Loses Sight Of His Values.
Despite
being the wealthiest man of the sahabah, Abdul Rahman ibn Awf always kept his
priorities in order. He used to say, “I left half of what is halal, afraid I
would accidentally engage in riba.” His wealth touched a number of different
industries. He was a merchant by profession. Besides his business, he owned
agricultural farms as well.
Allah
has made most things in this world halal
for us. In the pursuit of those things, it’s important to never lose sight of
our ultimate goal, the hereafter. Whether it’s the pursuit of money or
education or fame or something else, it should always take second stage to our
pursuit of Allah’s pleasure. Next time you’re tempted to cross the line from
halal into haram, ask yourself what your values are.
4.
MEN ARE JUDGE ON THEIR CHARACTERS, NOT
ON THEIR SOCIAL STATUS OR WEALTH
Once,
Abdul Rahman ibn Awf was fasting and time came for iftar. As he began to break
his iftar, the people saw tears profusely flowing form his face and he could
not eat. He said, “Musa’b ibn Umair was martyred and he was better than me. He
was wrapped in a garment so that if it covered his head, his feet showed, and
if it covered his feet, his head showed. Hamza was martyred, and he was better
than me. They found no funeral shroud to wrap him in other than clothes he was
wearing. Now the world has been expanded for us, and we have been given much.
I’m afraid our blessings are hastened [i..e, given in this world and not the
next].” Despite being one of the ten guaranteed Paradise, despite being a
veteran of Badr and a participant of Hudaybiyyah, despite being one of the
ashab al hijratan, Abdul Rahman ibn Awf was never arrogant.
5.
ONE SHOULD USE HIS MONEY WISELY & EFFECTIVELY
Abdul
Rahman ibn Awf had enough money to live a life of luxury and ease, indulging in
whatever pleasures were available to wealthy men of his era. Instead, however,
he was constantly looking for ways to buy the hereafter.
Talha
( RA) used to say that all of the people
in Madinah were living off of Abdul Rahman ibn Awf. He said 1/3 of money had
debts which Abdul Rahman ibn Awf had paid of their behalf. 1/3 had taken loans
from him that he had never requested repayment on. And 1/3 had received direct
sadaqah from him.
Money
in the hands of a good person can be very beneficial, Even if you have not been
given the wealth of Abdul Rahman, look at the wealth you do have and evaluate
how well you are using it. If 100% goes to yourself and not a penny to the
sight of Allah and those who are in need, you are not following the footsteps
of the best of men.
Some
of the Way out to financial independence include:
Start
doing something and stop talking.
Manage your time effectively.
Always Be first next take action, then have what you like.
Identify problems and solve them
profitably and be smart in using opportunities
.
Identify your special talent, polish it
and launch it to the society
Be original and creative not copy the existing one
Learn how to make, manage and multiply
money
Get a mentor and also start mentoring
Learn, share and Give.
Contact: yahyalyolawi@gmail.com
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