Rizƙi ya bambanta da mallaka, domin rizƙi kyauta ce [‘atā’]; saboda haka fi’ilin ‘razaqa’ yana nufin ‘ya ba [a’tā]’. Amma mallaka ita ce mallakar wani abu ta kowace hanya daga cikin hanyoyin da Shari’a ta halatta wadda ta hanyarta ake mallakar dukiya. Rizƙi na iya zama halal [halāl] ko haram [harām]; duka abin da ake kira rizƙi ne. Don haka kuɗin da wani mai caca ya ci daga wani a wasan caca rizƙi ne, domin kuɗi ne da Allah ke bai wa kowane mutum idan ya bi kowane hali daga cikin hanyoyin da ake samun kuɗi.

Rizq is different to ownership because rizq is a gift [‘atā’]; thus the verb ‘razaqa’ means ‘to give [a’tā]’. As for ownership it is to possess something through any of the mediums permitted by the Sharī’ah whereby wealth can be possessed. Rizq can be lawful [halāl] or unlawful [harām]; all of it is termed rizq. So the money won by a gambler from another in a gambling match is rizq, because it is money that Allah  gives to each person when he pursues any of the situations in which money is obtained.

Wata ra'ayi da ya yadu a tsakanin mutane shi ne cewa su ne suke samar wa kansu abin rayuwa (rizq), kuma suna ɗaukar hanyoyin da ake samun kuɗi ko riba a matsayin sanadin rizqinsu, koda kuwa sun ce da harshensu cewa Ar-Razzāq (Mai azurtawa) Allah ne. Suna tunanin ma'aikacin da yake karɓar albashi da aka ƙayyade saboda aikinsa da ƙoƙarinsa, shi ne yake samar wa kansa abin rayuwa; idan kuma ya yi iyakar ƙoƙarinsa ko ya nemi ƙarin albashi ta hanyoyi daban-daban, suna ganin shi ne ya samo wannan ƙarin. Suna ganin ɗan kasuwa, wanda yake samun riba sakamakon harkokin kasuwancinsa, shi ne ya samar wa kansa abincinsa, haka likita wanda yake warkar da marasa lafiya yana samun abin rayuwarsa. Ta haka suke ganin kowane mutum yana bin wata sana'a wadda take ba shi kuɗi, kuma shi ne yake samar wa kansa abin rayuwa. Don haka, a wurinsu, sanadin samun rizq abu ne da ake iya gani da hannu, su ne hanyoyin da ke kai ga samun dukiya, kuma duk wanda ya sadaukar da kansa ga waɗannan hanyoyi, shi ne zai samu wannan dukiyar, ko shi ne mai karɓar rizqin ko wani. Mutane sun kai ga wannan ra'ayi ne saboda ba su fahimci hakikanin yanayin (hālāt) da rizqinsu yake fitowa daga cikinsa ba. Suna ɗaukar waɗannan yanayi a matsayin sanadi saboda rashin iya bambance tsakanin sanadi da yanayi. Gaskiyar magana ita ce waɗannan hanyoyin da rizqi yake fitowa daga cikinsu, a zahiri yanayi ne da ake samun rizqi a cikinsu, ba sanadin rizqin ba. Idan da su ne ainihin sanadin rizqi, to da ba za su taɓa kasawa wajen samar da rizqin ba; amma a bayyane yake cewa suna kasawa. Waɗannan yanayi na iya kasancewa amma babu wani rizqi da ke fitowa daga cikinsu, kuma ana iya samun rizqi ba tare da an sami irin waɗannan yanayi ba kwata-kwata. Idan da waɗannan yanayi sanadi ne, to lallai sakamakon, wato rizqi, zai faru tabbas. Tun da rizki ba sakamako ne tabbatacce ba, sai dai yana zuwa ne idan sharuddan da ake buƙata sun kasance, kuma yana iya kasa zuwa duk da kasancewar waɗannan sharuddan, wannan yana nuna cewa ba su ne dalilai ba, sai dai sharuɗɗan da ake samun rizki a ƙarƙashinsu. Ma'aikaci na iya yin aiki tsawon wata gaba ɗaya, amma a hana shi kuɗin shigar da yake tsammani saboda biyan wani bashi da ya gabata, ko kashe kuɗi a kan waɗanda yake da wajibcin ciyarwa, ko kuma saboda biyan haraji. A wannan yanayin, sharadin da ke kawo arziƙin, wato aikin ma'aikacin, ya kasance, amma rizkin bai samu ba domin bai karɓi albashinsa ba. Akwai wani mutum a gidansa da ke Al-Quds, wanda ma'aikacin wasiƙa ke kawo masa labarin cewa wani dangi nasa a Amurka ya rasu, ya bar shi a matsayin kaɗai wanda zai gāji, kuma dukiyarsa gaba ɗaya za ta koma hannunsa, don haka zai karɓe ta da kansa ko ta hannun wakili da aka amince da shi. Wannan rizki ya zo masa bai ma san cewa yana zuwa ba. Ko kuma wani ɓangare na gidansa ya rushe, sai ya tarar da kuɗi a ɓoye a wurin, sai ya ɗauke su. Idan sharuddan, waɗanda suka samo asali daga mutane, su ne dalilin rizki da gaske, to ba za su kasa ba, kuma babu rizkin da za a samu sai idan waɗannan sharuddan sun kasance. A bayyane yake cewa suna kasawa, wanda hakan ke nuna cewa sharuɗɗa ne ba dalilai ba. Labarai na rizkin da aka samu ba tare da wani dalili bayyananne ba suna da yawa ƙwarai; labaran abinci da tafiye-tafiye, da barin abinci da aka shirya wa wani kuma; sauran labarai da ke nuna cewa sharuɗɗan da ake samun rizki a cikinsu da yawa, sharuɗɗan samun rizki ne, ba dalilansa ba.

A view which prevails amongst people is that they are the ones who provide for themselves, and they consider the circumstances in which they earn wealth - that is, money or profit - as the cause of their provision [rizq] even if they say by their tongues that the Razzāq [the one who provides/sustains] is Allah . They think that the employee, who takes home a set wage through his hard work and effort, is the one who provides for himself, and when he exerts every effort or tries through various means to supplement his wage, they see that he was the one who procured this increase. They think that the tradesman, who makes profit as a result of his trade endeavours, is the one who provided for his own sustenance, and the doctor, who treats the ill, is making his own living. In this manner, they see that each person pursues an occupation from which he earns money. He is the one who provides for himself. Thus the causes of provision, for these people, are perceptible and tangible, and they are the circumstances which lead to the procurement of wealth, and the person who commits himself to these circumstances, he is the one who will earn this wealth whether he himself or someone else is the receipient of the provision. People have come to hold this view because they do not grasp the reality of the circumstances [hālāt] from which their provision come. They take them to be the cause because of their inability to differentiate between the cause and the circumstance. The fact is that these means from which the provision comes, are actually circumstances in which the rizq is obtained and not a cause of the rizq. If they were the true causes of rizq then they should not fail at all in producing that rizq, but it can clearly be seen that they do fail. These circumstances may well exist but no provision comes out of it, and rizq may be obtained without such circumstances existing at all. If these circumstances were the cause then the result, namely, rizq, would definitely occur. Since the rizq is not a definite result - it only comes when the circumstances exist or the rizq might fail to materialise despite their presence - this indicates that they are not the causes but only the circumstances under which the rizq is obtained. An employee may work for a whole month but he is prevented from his (expected) income due to the settling of a previous debt, or spending money on those whose maintenance he is obliged to provide for, or by paying taxes. In this case, the circumstance which brings the provision, namely, the employee’s work, was present but the rizq was not obtained since he did not get his wages. There may be someone in his house in al-Quds, to whom the postman brings the news that so-and-so relative of his in America has died, leaving him as the sole inheritor, and that all of his wealth will pass into his hands so he should gain possession of it himself or through a recognised agent. This rizq came to him and he did not even know it was coming. Or a side of his house might collapse and he finds money hidden there, so he takes it. If the circumstances, which derive from human beings, are indeed the cause of rizq then they would not fail; and no rizq would be procured except when these circumstances are present. It is quite apparent that they do fail, which indicates that they are conditions and not causes. The incidents in which rizq has been obtained without any apparent cause are innumerable; incidents of food and travel, and leaving prepared food for another one; and other incidents which indicate that the circumstances in which rizq is usually obtained are, circumstances of (obtaining) rizq and not its causes.

Bugu da ƙari, ba zai yiwu a ɗauki yanayin da ake samun arziki a cikinsa, idan suna nan, a matsayin dalilan arziki ba, ko a ɗauki mutumin da ya shiga cikin waɗannan yanayi a matsayin hanyar da arzikin ya zo ta hanyarsa ba, domin hakan yana saɓa wa nassin Alƙur'ani, wanda ma'anarsa da ingancinsa tabbatattu ne. Duk abin da ya saɓa wa nassi tabbatacce cikin ma'ana da inganci, wajibi ne a karɓi nassin tabbataccen ba tare da wani jinkiri ba, kuma a ƙi duk sauran ra'ayoyi a saboda ra'ayi ɗaya (daidai). Tun da duk abin da aka tabbatar da shi ta hujja tabbatacciya, daga Allah yake, kuma wajibi ne a karɓe shi a ƙi sauran. Saboda haka, gaskiyar da Musulmi ya kamata ya miƙa wuya gare ta ita ce arziki daga Allah yake, ba daga mutane ba.

Furthermore, it is not possible to consider the circumstances in which the rizq is procured, when they are present, as causes of rizq, nor to consider the person who engages in these circumstances as being the medium by which the rizq was brought because that contradicts the text of the Qur’ān which is definite in meaning and authenticity. When anything contradicts a text which is definite in meaning and authenticity, one is duty bound to adopt the definite text without any hesitation whatsoever, and all other opinions are rejected for the one (correct) opinion. Since anything that is proven from definitive evidence, it comes from Allah  and one is obliged to adopt it and reject the others. Therefore, the truth to which the Muslim should submit is that the rizq is from Allah  and not from human beings.

Akwai ayoyi da yawa waɗanda a fili suke nuna - kuma ba sa buƙatar fassara - cewa arziki daga Allah kaɗai yake, ba daga mutane ba. Wannan ne yake sa mu tabbata sosai cewa abin da muke gani na hanyoyi da salon da arziki yake zuwa ta cikinsu, su ne kawai sharuɗɗa da ke faruwa domin arziki ya zo. Saboda haka, Allah ya ce,

There are many ayāt which clearly show - and they are not open to interpretation - that rizq is from Allah  only and not from human beings. This is what makes us absolutely certain that what we see from the styles and means by which the rizq comes, that they are only circumstances which occur so that the rizq may come. Thus, Allah  says,

Baya ga waɗannan, akwai ayoyi masu yawa irinsu. Suna da ma'ana bayyananna kuma ingantacciyar hujja, kuma suna ɗauke da ma'ana guda ɗaya wadda ba ta buɗe wa fassara ba, wato cewa arziki daga Allah kaɗai yake, kuma Allah kaɗai ne mai ba da abinci [al-Razzāq]. Saboda haka arziki yana hannun Allah kaɗai.

Apart from these there are many such ayāt. They are definite in meaning and authenticity and carry only one meaning which is not open to interpretation, namely, that rizq is from Allah  alone, and that Allah  alone is the one who provides sustenance [al-Razzāq]. Thus rizq is in the hands of Allah  alone.

Sai dai Allah ya umurci bayinsa da aikata ayyuka, kuma an ba su ikon zaɓi don neman sababbin hanyoyin samun arziki. Su ne ya kamata su nemi, bisa ga zaɓinsu, dukkan hanyoyin da arziki ke zuwa. Amma waɗannan hanyoyi ba su ne dalilin arziki ba, kuma bayi ba su ne ke samar da wannan arziki ba, kamar yadda aka bayyana a fili a cikin nassin ayoyi. Maimakon haka, Allah ne ke ba su abincinsu ta waɗannan hanyoyi, ko arzikin halal ne ko haram, ko Allah ya wajabta shi, ya hana shi, ko ya halatta shi, kuma ko arzikin ya samu ko bai samu ba. Duk da haka, Musulunci ya bayyana yadda ya halatta ko bai halatta ga Musulmi ya nemi hanyoyin samun arziki ba. Don haka, ya bayyana hanyoyin mallaka, ba dalilan arziki ba, kuma ya takaita mallaka ga waɗannan hanyoyi. Bai halatta ga kowane Musulmi ya mallaki kowane abu sai ta hanyar halal ba, domin wannan kaɗai ne arziki na halal, duk abin da ya saɓa masa kuwa haram ne; ko da yake arziki - ko halal ne ko haram - daga Allah yake.

However, Allah  has ordered His servants to undertake actions and they have been given the ability to choose to pursue the circumstances in which the rizq is procured. They are the ones who should pursue, in accordance with their choice, all of the circumstances in which the rizq comes. However, these circumstances are not the cause of rizq nor are the servants the ones who bring forth this rizq, as clearly stated in the text of the ayāt. Rather, Allah  is the one who gives them their provision in these circumstances irrespective of whether the rizq is halāl or harām, whether Allah  has obliged, forbade or permitted it, and irrespective of whether the rizq resulted or not. Nonetheless Islam has clarified the manner in which it is allowed or not allowed for the Muslim to pursue the circumstances in which rizq is obtained. Thus, it clarified the means of ownership and not the causes of rizq, and restricted ownership to these means. It is not permitted for any Muslim to possess any provisions except through a legal means because only this is the lawful rizq and anything which go against it is harām; even though the rizq - whether halāl or harām - is from Allah .

Wata matsala ta rage, wato, shin rizkin mutum shi ne duk abin da yake mallaka ko da bai amfana da shi ba? Ko kuwa rizkinsa shi ne kawai abin da ya amfana da shi? Amsa ita ce ayoyin Alkur'ani suna nuna cewa rizkin mutane shi ne duk abin da suke mallaka, ko sun amfana da shi ko ba su amfana ba. Allah {SWT} yana cewa,

Waɗannan ayoyi a bayyane suke wajen amfani da kalmar ‘rizq’ ga duk abin da mutum ya mallaka, ko yana amfana da shi ko bai amfana ba. Ba a takaita rizq ga abin da ake amfana da shi kawai ba, domin ayoyin suna da ma’ana gama-gari, kuma alamominsu gama-gari ne. Bai kamata a ce idan wani ya karɓe maka dukiyarka, ta hanyar sata, ko tilasta kwace, ko almundahana, ya karɓi rizq ɗinka ba. Maimakon haka sai a ce ya karɓi rizq ɗinsa daga gare ka. Don haka idan mutum ya mallaki dukiya, to ya karɓi rizq ɗinsa. Idan aka ƙwace masa dukiyar, ba nasa ba ne aka ɗauka; a maimakon haka, wanda ya mallaki dukiyar ya karɓi rizq ɗinsa daga gare shi. Babu wanda yake karɓar rizq ɗin wani; maimakon haka, mutum yana karɓar rizq ɗinsa ne daga wani.

These verses are clear in their use of the noun ‘rizq’ for everything that a person owns, whether he derives benefit from it or not. Rizq has not been specified to only that from which benefit is derived exclusively, because the ayāt are general and their indications are general. It should not be said when someone takes your money from you, whether through stealing, forced appropriation or embezzlement, that he has taken your rizq from you. Rather it should be said that he took his rizq from you. So when a human being acquires wealth he has taken his rizq. When the wealth is taken from him, it is not his that is taken; rather the one who acquires the wealth has taken his rizq from him. No one takes the rizq of someone else; rather the person takes his own rizq from someone else.