Don’t wait for the big ticket. Be the big ticket.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ advised Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) to follow seven commands, and through him taught the Ummah.
عن أبي ذَرٍّ الغِفاريِّ رضي الله عنه، قال:
أمرَني خليلي ﷺ بسبع:
١-(أمرَني بحبِّ المساكينِ والدُّنوِّ منهُم.
٢-وأمرَني أن أنظرَ إلى مَن هو دُوني ولا أنظرَ إلى مَن هو فوقي.
٣-وأمرَني أن أصِلَ الرَّحِمَ وإن أدبَرَتْ.
٤-وأمرَني ألا أسألَ أحدًا شيئًا.
٥-وأمرَني أن أقولَ الحقَّ وإن كان مُرًّا.
٦-وأمرَني ألا أخافَ في الله لومةَ لائم.
٧-وأمرَني أن أُكثِرَ من قول “لاحولَ ولا قوَّة إلا بالله”؛ فإنهنَّ من كنزٍ تحتَ العرش).
وهو حديث حسن.
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
My beloved (the Prophet ﷺ) instructed me with seven things:
- He commanded me to love the poor and to keep close to them.
- He commanded me to look at those who are below me (in worldly matters) and not to look at those who are above me.
- He commanded me to maintain the ties of kinship, even if my relatives turn away from me.
- He commanded me not to ask anyone for anything.
- He commanded me to speak the truth, even if it is bitter.
- He commanded me not to fear the blame of any blamer for the sake of Allah.
- He commanded me to frequently say:
“There is no power and no might except through Allah” (Lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh), for they are among the treasures beneath the Throne.
We have spoken about some of these pieces of advice before. Today I want to focus on one of them:
وَأَمَرَنِي أَنْ لَا أَسْأَلَ أَحَدًا شَيْئًا
“He commanded me not to ask anyone for anything.”
Yesterday, on the BBC news, it was announced that 1 in 8 young people aged between 16 and 26 are unemployed – they are neither studying nor working.*
This statistic is 3% more than last year and is expected to increase next year to 6%. So the situation is getting worse.
The Prophet ﷺ was not only teaching Abu Dharr. Through Abu Dharr, he was teaching the whole Ummah. He was teaching individuals, families, communities and generations how they should live. Of course, this advice depends on circumstances. The advice is also mentioned in the Quran, when Allah Almighty says:
فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةُ فَٱنتَشِرُوا۟ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
“When the prayer is over, disperse throughout the land and seek the bounty of Allah, and remember Allah often so that you may be successful.” (Surat al-Jumu’ah, 62:10)
Allah is instructing us to go out and seek His provision. To be active. Not to sit and wait for the opportunity to come.
Do not just sit and wait
This is especially important for our young people. They are applying for jobs, internships, or to get places on graduates schemes. That is good. But if you do not receive an offer, do not just wait for the big ticket to come. Often you have the big ticket in your hand, but you keep ignoring it, waiting for a big corporate acceptance to put you on their payroll and secure your future. Keep applying for jobs, prepare properly, do everything required of you, but do not sit at home checking your phone and refreshing the screen on your phone, waiting for that big company to say, “Yes, we will take you.” Do not do that.
Continue applying, but at the same time do something – learn something, begin something, find some other work. Try to create an opportunity rather than simply waiting for somebody else to give you one.
The Prophet ﷺ encouraged exactly this attitude.
Al-Miqdam ibn Ma’dikarib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
مَا أَكَلَ أَحَدٌ طَعَامًا قَطُّ خَيْرًا مِنْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مِنْ عَمَلِ يَدِهِ، وَإِنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ مِنْ عَمَلِ يَدِهِ
“No one has ever eaten better food than that which he earned through the work of his own hands. Indeed, the Prophet of Allah, Dawud (peace be upon him) used to eat from the work of his own hands.” (Bukhari)
Even Dawud (peace be upon him), who was a prophet and a king, earned through his own work. And here we have the Prophet ﷺ teaching us to take initiative. Do not become passive. Do not become dependent.
The upper hand is better than the lower hand
There is another beautiful hadith known sas the hadith of Hakim ibn Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him).
Hakim, who was a relative of Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) said that he asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ for some money and the Prophet ﷺ gave it to him. He asked again and the Prophet gave him again. He asked a third time and he gave him again. Then, the fourth time, the Prophet ﷺ said:
يَا حَكِيمُ، إِنَّ هَذَا الْمَالَ خَضِرَةٌ حُلْوَةٌ، فَمَنْ أَخَذَهُ بِسَخَاوَةِ نَفْسٍ بُورِكَ لَهُ فِيهِ، وَمَنْ أَخَذَهُ بِإِشْرَافِ نَفْسٍ لَمْ يُبَارَكْ لَهُ فِيهِ، كَالَّذِي يَأْكُلُ وَلَا يَشْبَعُ، وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى
“O Hakim, this wealth is lush and sweet. Whoever takes it without greed will be blessed in it, but whoever takes it with greed will not be blessed in it. He will be like someone who eats but is never satisfied. And the upper hand is better than the lower hand.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Everybody likes easy money. Wealth is attractive. The Prophet ﷺ described it as green and sweet. But if you receive something with a good heart, without greed and without constantly looking at what other people possess, Allah puts barakah in it.
If you are always looking at other people’s money, always wanting more and always asking, the blessing can disappear. You become like someone who keeps eating but is never satisfied. Then the Prophet ﷺ said memorably:
وَالْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَى
“The upper hand is better than the lower hand.”
The upper hand is the hand that gives. The lower hand is the hand that receives. The Prophet ﷺ wants us, wherever possible, to be the upper hand. This connects directly with the advice he gave Abu Dharr:
أَنْ لَا أَسْأَلَ أَحَدًا شَيْئًا
“Not to ask anyone for anything.”
It means be independent.
Don’t fear failure. Failure is part of learning.
Someone may say, “But I don’t know what to do.” Go and do something. Find work. Learn a skill. Try something. You will make mistakes. You may lose money. You may fail. That is fine. This is how you learn. You cannot gain experience without making mistakes. Experts only become experts after failing many times. No one succeeds without tasting failure. Sometimes people are afraid to start because they are afraid of failing. Don’t plan to fail, but know that failure is part of learning. You may fail several times before you understand what works.
What you should not do is sit and do nothing while waiting for the perfect opportunity to arrive. Today there are so many possibilities. We have technology, the internet, AI and access to information that previous generations did not have. Some things are harder today, but many things are also easier. You have to be creative.
Even gathering firewood is better than asking
The Prophet ﷺ gave another very practical example. He said:
لَأَنْ يَأْخُذَ أَحَدُكُمْ حَبْلَهُ، فَيَأْتِيَ بِحُزْمَةِ الْحَطَبِ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ، فَيَبِيعَهَا، فَيَكُفَّ اللَّهُ بِهَا وَجْهَهُ، خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ النَّاسَ أَعْطَوْهُ أَوْ مَنَعُوهُ
“For one of you to take his rope, gather a bundle of firewood on his back and sell it, so that Allah protects his dignity through it, is better for him than asking people, whether they give him or refuse him.” (Bukhari)
Of course, I am not telling you to go into the forest today and collect firewood. The example is teaching us a principle – take the initiative and start small. It might be a small business. It might be a service. It might be something you sell. It might be a skill you have. Look around you and ask: what do people need? What problem can I solve?
You might think, “This is too small.” That is fine. A small beginning can still give you independence. It can generate income. It can teach you how business works. And Allah may place barakah in it. You will be relying on your own work, rather than hand-outs. Do your due diligence, business plans and research. Don’t rush into reckless decisions. Try to find a niche market. Look for something useful. Look for something beneficial. Find a gap in the market. Try to be creative. Do not be paralysed by risk. You cannot remove every risk from life. Take the means and then rely upon Allah Almighty.
Learn independence and explore different avenues
We need to teach our children not to rely on us. Of course, children should love their parents and be grateful for everything they provide, but they have to learn gradually to depend on themselves. Even if you are sixteen, you can begin by getting small jobs and learning skills and taking responsibility. Do not be afraid of experiencing some difficulty. Difficulty can make you stronger. Remaining in your room will not help you develop the skills you need for life.
Sometimes Allah may want to take you in a direction you never expected. You may apply for one hundred jobs and receive rejection upon rejections. Then try a different avenue. Assess what you are good at. Perhaps you discover something that you are better at. Perhaps your provision is in your own business rather than being a slave to the corporate world. We often think there is only one route: finish university, find a big company, obtain a good salary and continue along that path. Not necessarily. Perhaps it is better for you to build something yourself. You do not know where Allah has placed your provision.
Have a good heart
The Prophet ﷺ said regarding wealth:
فَمَنْ أَخَذَهُ بِسَخَاوَةِ نَفْسٍ بُورِكَ لَهُ فِيهِ
“Whoever takes it with a generous and contented heart will be blessed in it.”
Have a good heart. Do not be naive and do not allow people to exploit you, but do not fill your heart with greed. Do not build a business to suck the blood of others. Think instead how you can provide something beneficial and useful and Allah will put barakah in what you do.
Independence gives you freedom
The Prophet ﷺ is teaching us to work, to produce and to become independent. This is important for an individual, but it is also important for a community and for an Ummah. When you are independent, other people cannot control your decisions. This applies economically, intellectually and socially. A community or country that depends on others will eventually not be able to control its own choices. Our leaders are often paralysed because they are not independant.
So learn, work, build and produce. Do not rely on others for help. Follow the guidance of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. His guidance leads to success in this life and the next.
Following divine guidance leads to success in dunya and akhirah. If your friends are also stuck, then collaborate and pool your ideas and work together. Create new businesses, just as the one who carried the rope to the woods. Don’t give up. Your life is ahead of you. Try to think out of the box and Allah will inspire your and enable you to succeed inshallah.
May Allah make us among those who rely upon Him, work hard, preserve their dignity and become a source of benefit to others.
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 28th August 2026
* Just under one million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training, according to ONS data The latest figures suggest 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 were Neet between April and June – an estimated 13% of that age group That’s a 3% rise in Neets compared with the same period last year – and the increase was largely among men We’ve been hearing from young people – Rebecca tells us she felt “quite stuck” after college, Muhammed says he just needs that “first opportunity”, Neala spent two years applying for jobs