The Spending of Men

There’s a lot of confusion and talk regarding masculinity these days. In Islam, masculinity is tied strongly to a man’s spending. There are Islamic guidelines for what and how a man should spend, and upon what and whom he should spend it. Doing it right makes him a man of real worth. With women claiming independence, and with religious practice becoming rigidly defined, it is harder for men to see a clear role for themselves as contributing members of society and family life. In this episode, we turn the conversation back to how important the spending of men is for the building of healthy individuals, families, and societies. TEXT IN FOCUS: “O son of Adam! Verily [the thing you should know about yourself is that] to spend on others [for the sake of Allah] is better for you, and to hold it is worse for you. You won’t be blamed for [holding onto what is] just enough. And begin in your charity with those you are responsible for to support. And the upper hand is superior to the lower hand.” (Muslim) TIMESTAMPS:2:25 The hadith on spending and withholding wealth4:10 The sins of not spending8:05 Using intention to make your spending count9:46 The special role of man as breadwinner11:47 The leader is the one who spends12:18 Spending incurs loyalty13:50 Holding onto “just enough” wealth16:20 Ordering one’s spending priorities18:02 Spending one’s wealth, time, life on others19:54 Is it wrong for women to earn and spend?22:41 Islam respects class difference26:22 Woman accepting the man’s financial planning28:31 Women being pushed to earn29:49 Today’s two income dilemma31:17 The subtle marital harms of poor financial planning32:55 Concrete aspects of proper planning and spending33:46 The spending of men’s time on kids34:47 The ability to spend more36:09 Receiving with obedience40:02 Marital agreement on making big money40:38 Hidden dangers to family iman in the mad pursuit of dunyaTAGS: Muslim masculinity, Islamic marriage, men as leaders, financial planning, raising kids