Spending Wealth on Garments, Cars, Jewelry, etc.

18-4-2001 | IslamWeb

Question:

What is the Islamic view about Muslim who spend a lot of money to purchase something expensive, e.g. buying a car, jewelry, buying or renovate their house which cost hundred thousand of dollars?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Wasting money is forbidden in the Sharee’ah. Allah Says (what means):

• {O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.} [Quran 7:31]

• {And give the relative his right, and [also] the poor and the traveler, and do not spend wastefully. Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils, and ever has Satan been to his Lord ungrateful.} [Quran 17: 26-27]

Imam Ash-Shaafi’i said: “Wasting money means spending it in illegal fields; so, if it is legally spent, then this is not considered wasting money.”

There is no specific ruling concerning buying garments, cars, houses, jewelry, etc. It depends on the wealth of the person. A notable person in his nation may need to possess valuable objects; having such objects may not be considered as a waste of money for him, while it may be a waste of money for others to do so.

So, the ruling on wasting money varies from one person to another. The Prophet said: “Eat, drink, give alms and wear clothes so long as neither prodigality nor pride is mixed up with it.” [An-Nasaai and Al-Haakim. Al-Bukhari narrated it without completing its chain]

For more benefit that extravagance varies according to richness and poverty, please refer to Fataawa 30853, 271411, and 88497.

Allah knows best.