Today I was having an interesting discussion with a friend on studies and work and it kinda veered towards the money you earn. One of the things he asked was about ASB (Amanah Saham Bumiputera) and whether it is halal (permitted). I believe it’s not coz they invest a large chunk of money in conventional banking in Maybank and the Securities Commission doesn’t recognize it as an Islamic fund.
So he says, my friend says, that since it’s not halal, just don’t spend it on food and use it to buy a house or books or something. This really perplexes me. However, I think I know the origin of this weird myth.
When Rasulullah s.a.w said in a hadith narrated by Imam Tirmizi which means: “There is no benefit for flesh that grew from Haram sources, except that Hell is a better place for that flesh.”
So their logic (and this is a mindset that many in my society take) goes that you shouldn’t spend that haram money on food because it will become part of your flesh and burn you in the hereafter. But somehow (and this is the part I don’t get) if you earn that money in a sinful way and use it for something other than food, then it’s ok and your flesh won’t be burnt, even if you are still using haram money.
If it’s a sin, it’s a sin. Why would spending it in a different way reduce that sin or change the punishment in any way? If you earn the money in a haram way and spend it for ANYTHING then the same flesh burning should happen to you anyway.
Can someone please tell me their logic here? Because right now, I just don’t get it.