MISCONCEPTION 4: Islam Encourages Begging

Street beggar

Points:

• Most people who beg are Muslims.
• Muhammad (SAW) permitted begging. Muhammad (SAW) was quoted to have said, "O! Qabisa, begging is not permissible but for one of the three (classes) of persons: one who gives a guarantee to a large amount to settle the dispute of people, for him begging is permissible till he pays that off, after which he must stop it; a man whose property has been destroyed by a calamity which has smitten him, for him begging is permissible till he gets what will support life, or will provide him reasonable subsistence; and a person who has been smitten by poverty, the genuineness of which is confirmed by three members of his peoples, for him begging is permissible till he gets what will support him, or will provide him subsistence. O! Qabisa, besides these three (every other reason) for begging is forbidden, and one who engages in such consumes what is forbidden".

REFUTATION 

Most people who beg are Muslims

The fact that a lot of people from a particular group are fund of a particular habit does not in away mean that the fundamentals of that group support the habit under question. The foundations of Islam are Qur’an and Hadith, what have these sources said about begging?

Where there beggars in the time of Muhammad (SAW)? Yes, there were. How did the Prophet react when he encountered one? 

Muhammad (SAW) said to his companions, "By whom my soul is in His Hand!  It is better for one of you to collect firewood and carry it on his back (to sell it in town) than to ask someone for something.  He might give it to him or he might not."

Muhammad (SAW) also said, “The person keeps on begging until he comes on the Day of Resurrection with a face without any bit of flesh.”  

The phrase “a face without any bit of flesh” here means the person would have lost his integrity in the world through begging. 

Muhammad (SAW) permitted begging

The Hadith in which Muhammad (SAW) permitted begging was for only three categories of people as was clearly stated and was for a specified period of time (not as a full time job). The end of that particular Hadith sums up everything. “O! Qabisa, besides these three (every other reason) for begging is forbidden, and one who engages in such consumes what is forbidden."

Conclusively, there might be a high population of beggars among Muslims. It is also true that Muslims do not get harsh with beggars, this is because the act of begging is a far lesser evil as compared to prostitution, drug trafficking, ritual killing, and a host of other crimes that are rampant in non Muslim communities where people are willing to do whatever it takes to earn money at the detriment of societal order. 

This can be seen in the relative low crime rates experienced in Muslim communities.

Conclusively, it might be right to say Islam permits begging but, to say that Islam encourages begging is totally off point hence, is an outright misconception.