Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 250
250 marriage, where another man has made a proposal before him, till the latter is finally rejected. I now turn to the duties of a citizen as explained by Islam. Islam requires every man to earn his living and not to live an idle life. The Holy Prophet sa has said: 'The best food is that which a man earns with the labour of his own hands,' and, again, 'The prophet David as used to earn his own living. ' Another duty of a Muslim citizen is to eschew begging. The Holy Prophet sa laid special stress on this and always taught people to refrain from begging, for it is a humiliation which a Muslim ought to avoid. He is reported to have said, 'It is permissible only for three persons to beg, first, a man who is trying to avoid begging by seeking work but can find no work or is unable to do any work; secondly, a person upon whom some penalty has been imposed which is manifestly be- yond his means, in such a case, a subscription might be raised for him; and thirdly, people upon whom a fine has been imposed as a class, for in- stance, where one man has committed an offence and the whole of his tribe has been penalized. ' Another duty of a Muslim citizen is that he should greet everybody he meets with the salutation, 'Peace of God be upon you,' thus laying the foundations of good fellowship. He should also shake hands with his friends and acquaintances whom he should meet.