Halal earnings
The hadith of the dust-covered traveller. Why du'a is not answered when income is haram, and what to do about a job we cannot easily leave.
Outline
- 1
The traveller whose food, drink, and clothing are all haram
The Prophet ﷺ described a man with dishevelled hair, stretching his hands to the sky and pleading 'O Lord, O Lord' — but his food, his drink, his clothing, and what he was nourished on were all haram. The Prophet ﷺ asked: how can his du'a be answered (Muslim 1015)?
- 2
Allah accepts only pure
'Allah is pure (Tayyib) and accepts only what is pure' (Muslim 1015). Allah's threshold for accepting our worship is the same threshold He sets for our income.
- 3
If you cannot leave the job today
Start. Make du'a for an exit. Use part of the haram-tainted income for needs (not for sadaqah, which Allah does not accept from haram). Treat it as a Ramadan you are fasting through; the goal is the post-Ramadan state.
Closing line
Allahumma akfini bi-halalika 'an haramik — O Allah, suffice me with what You have made permissible.
Aisha (RA) reported: the Prophet's ﷺ khutbahs were of moderate length and his prayers were short (Sahih Muslim 869). Aim for fifteen to twenty minutes. Two sections separated by a brief sitting is the Sunnah pattern.