Pathway to Paradise — Page 93
93 towards wealth. In America today, poverty and homelessness have continued to increase. These problems are often compounded by unsuccessful government programs and by drug and alcohol abuse. The welfare system, set up to help the poor and needy, is at present perhaps the m ost dysfunctional of government programs. Welfare has become a cyclical problem creating several generations of dependents. In many cases, it is more profitable for a recipient to stay on welfare than to take a job at minimum wages. Perhaps the greatest lo ss is that of personal dignity and control of one’s life. Islam takes care of such problems by dignifying labor and teaching a believer to rely on Allah for his needs. Poverty and need are timeless conditions, and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) gave clear teachings on begging and on cha rity. Begging or asking for food and money without repayment was the means by which the poor survived at the time of the Prophet. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) disapproved of begging, and only allowed it under three circumstance s: if one was in severe poverty, when one owed enormous debt, or when one did not have the means to pay blood - money. He did not allow begging by a rich person or by one who “has strength and is sound in limb. ” He said: “He who begs from people when he has a sufficiency will come on the Day of Resurrection with his begging showing itself as scrapes, scratching and lacerations on his face. ” Islam encourages empowerment of the individual, so that he may take control of his circumstances as far as he is able, and leave