Asked what kind of money acquisition is good, the Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: The work of a man's own hand, and every legitimate sale. Furthermore, he (peace be upon him) said: Nobody has ever eaten a better meal than that which one has earned by working with one's own hands. The Prophet of Allah, David used to eat from the earnings of his manual labor.
This clearly indicates that the Islamic economic system is a moderate. It lies between unjust capitalism adopted by Westerners and their followers and that of the atheistic Communists, who have declared
people's wealth inviolable, dishonored the real owners of wealth, enslaved and subjugated other nations violating their inviolabilities. Thus, it is permissible for you to adopt Shar`y (Islamic legal) lawful means of earning. You are better entitled to your money and earnings through means deemed lawful by Shari`ah.
Islam also preaches brotherhood based on faith, advising others for Allah's sake and mutual respect among Muslims. To have it materialized, it calls to shun grudge, malice, cheating, misappropriation and similar other vices.
The believers, men and women, are Auliyâ' (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another
The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islâmic religion).
A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him.
The believer is the believer's mirror.
Dear Muslim brother, you are a mirror for your brother, and you are a brick in the structure of Islamic brotherhood. So, fear Allah regarding your obligations to your brothers. You have to realize such obligations, treat him justly, faithfully and truly.
You also have to accept Islam as one package take it or leave it. You should not accept only `Aqidah (creed) and neglect rulings and good deeds; nor should you only adopt rulings and good deeds and neglect `Aqidah. In short, you must adopt Islam as a whole, `Aqidah, action, worship, Jihaad, sociality, politics and economics.
O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islâm (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islâmic religion) and follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). Verily! He is to you a plain enemy.
Some of the Salaf (righteous predecessors) explained the Ayah (Qura'nic verse) to mean that you should completely enter into the fold of Islam. The word 'Silm' in the Ayah means Islam as well as peace, because Islam is the way to safety and salvation both in this world and in the Hereafter. So, it is Islam and peace, as Islam calls for peace and prevention of bloodshed
through Hudud (prescribed penalties), Qisas (just retaliation) and Shar`y jihad laid down by Allah. Actually, it is both peace and Islam, safety and faith.
O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islâm (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islâmic religion)
and follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan).
This refers to acts forbidden by Allah. Satan calls to disobedience and to neglecting the teachings of Islam completely, and this is why he is the biggest enemy. Therefore, it is obligatory on a Muslim to adopt Islam as a whole, hold fast to the Rope of Allah, and be alert against all reasons of division and dispute.
You, thus, have to put into practice Allah's Shari`ah regarding acts of worship, transactions, marriage, divorce, maintenance of dependants, suckling, peace, war, dealing with friends and enemies, and crimes. In short, Allah's commandments have to be adopted in every aspect of life.
Avoid making friendships with someone simply because they happened to have supported you on some occasion; or showing enmity to someone else because they opposed you in an opinion or an issue. This does not go in line with the principles of objectivity.
The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) differed among themselves on some issues, but such difference of opinion never affected their clear heartedness or cordiality of their brotherhood. (They were pleased with Allah and Allah was pleased with them).
Accordingly, a Muslim acts according to Shari`ah and sticks to truth, giving it priority over everything once substantiated. However, this does not lead him to be unfair or unjust to his brother who holds a different point of view on an issue where there may be a variety of interpretations and explanations.
The same applies to issues whose substantiating Nass (text) is open to Ta'wil (allegorical interpretation), in which case, a difference is pardonable. Your duty is only to advise such a person and to love his good action under all circumstances. This difference of opinion should never lead to division or create enmity and, thus, give enemies power over both the disagreeing parties. (There is no power or might except with Allah).
Islam is the religion of justice, truth, goodness and equality, except in certain cases made as exceptions by Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He). It calls people to all that is good virtues, good deeds, justice, equity and avoiding all immoralities.
Verily, Allâh enjoins Al'Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allâh Alone Islâmic Monotheism) and AlIhsân [i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allâh, totally for Allâh's sake and in accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳـﻠﻢ in a perfect manner], and giving (help) to kith and kin (i.e. all that Allâh has ordered you to give them e.g., wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help), and forbids AlFahshâ' (i.e all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right), and AlMunkar (i.e all that is prohibited by Islâmic law:
polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds), and AlBaghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression). He admonishes you, that you may take heed.
O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At Taqwâ [i.e. he is one of the Muttaqûn (the pious. See V.2:2)]. Verily, Allâh is AllKnowing, AllAware.
In brief, it is obligatory on a Da`y (caller to Islam) to call people to Islam as a whole, without making any distinction between people and without being partial with a certain school of jurisprudence, tribe, sheikh, chief or any other things. On the contrary, his chief aim should be proving the truth, explaining it to the people and making them stick to it regardless of whether other people hold opposite views or not.
When prejudice arises and when it is said that the school of jurisprudence of somebody is better, dissensions and discord takes place so strongly that some people may not offer Salah led by a person who belongs to another school of jurisprudence. Undoubtedly, such a behavior of extremists is a great calamity tantamount to following the footsteps of Satan.
In fact, all the Imams of the schools of jurisprudence of Islam were rightly guided. AlShafi`y, Malik, Ahmad, Abu Hanifah, AlAwza`y, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, and their likes were Imams of guidance and truthful preachers who called people to the way of Allah and guided them to the truth.
No doubt, there were differences of opinion among them on some issues due to ambiguity of evidence for some of them. Regarding their differences, they were either practicing Ijtihad (juristic effort to infer expert legal rulings) correctly and would receive two rewards, or practicing Ijtihad incorrectly and would thus receive a single reward.
Your duty is to know their esteem and superiority and ask Allah to be merciful with them. You should also recognize them as the preachers of guidance and Imams of Islam. This should not lead you to blind imitation and extreme fanaticism. You should not claim that a certain school of jurisprudence is more worthy of being followed or that it is beyond the scope of mistaking. This is a absolutely wrong.
Your duty is to adopt truth and follow it, when you are convinced of its authenticity, even if someone or another is against it. Actually, you should not be a fanatic that blindly follows others. Rather, you should acknowledge the excellence of all Imams,
taking due precaution regarding yourself and your religion. True opinions only should be accepted, satisfied and put into practice. Fear Allah and realize that you are always being watched by Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He).
Do justice to yourself through believing that there is only one truth. Believe that if a Mujtahid (a scholar qualified to exercise juristic effort to infer expert legal rulings) exercises Ijtihad correctly, he will be rewarded twice; otherwise, he will be rewarded only once. I mean the Mujtahids who belong to Ahlul Sunnah walJama`ah (those adhering to the Sunnah and the Muslim main body) who are learned, faithful and rightlyguided as authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him).
As for the aims and objectives of Da`wah,
it is to bring forth mankind from darkness into light, and to guide them in such a way that they may adopt truth and thus be saved from Hellfire and Allah's wrath. It also aims at bringing forth disbelievers from the darkness of disbelief into the light of guidance, bringing forth the ignorant from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge, and bringing forth the disobedient from the darkness of sins to the light of obedience. Such are the actual objectives of Da`wah.
Allâh is the Walî (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into light.
Allah's messengers were sent to bring people out from darkness into light. Likewise, a Da`y of truth practice carries out Da`wah actively in order to bring people out from darkness toward light and thus save them from Hellfire, to save them from obeying Satan and to free them from following their own selfish desires, so that they may obey Allah and His Messenger.