Homeownership

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Homeownership is not as glamorous as most people think. So what if you feel rich and accomplished--it is not real. It is more hassle than its worth and you ownership is only on paper--because you took out a loan (like most people) and now you become the slave to the bank, working even harder to make your payments, until your old age. And you have already kissed all your hard earned money goodbye, and nothing left even to buy your dentures. And in the down real estate market like what has been happening since the last 5 years, you can put a little sign in your front lawn: $$$$$$ R.I.P.

Now, the idea of moving up--the house getting bigger and bigger. What's the point having a big house when you spend most of your time outside anyway--working (and most of what you earn go towards paying your debts) and doing outdoor things. You can't enjoy it and only use to store things that you never use or things that are mostly for show. And after 15 or 16 hours at work, you wouldn't feel like spending time in the kitchen cooking or cleaning or doing anything energetic. So you sit in a small corner, in front of TV or computer, until you have to sleep. When you sleep, you don't even see the rest of the house. And if you have a really big house, like a mansion, you probably haven't set foot in certain areas except when you first bought it and when you showed around your house to your friends. You hardly home on the weekends--you go out--entertain yourself or seek knowledge or socialize or work overtime. So, you see you just need a place to lie down/sleep, a space (not an office room) where you can do some typing on your computer, a small bathroom to clean yourself, a small kitchen to cook meals and an area where you pray and occasionally have a few guests to sit. How big do you really need for this? So, can you see that it is a big waste to have a big house? A family of 4-6 people should suffice with no more than 1,000 square feet.

Don't say 'my house is an investment.' Investment in what? Is this an orphanage, is this a place of worship, is this a house of dhikr, where you bring people together frequently for remembrance of Allah, or is this a place of learning? If not, how long are you going to keep your house? Are you going to live that long? If you have a loan, you will die with a big debt...who is going to pay your debt? One of the things that could cause punishment in the grave is debts.

A companion died leaving some debts. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, told his brother to pay his debts because the deceased cannot go to Paradise until the debt is paid off.

Do we have anyone, even among our family members, who could pay off our debts? If you are doubtful, don't get ourselves buried in debts.

Imam An-Nasa'i reported, in a good chain of transmission, and Al-Hakim, and the wordings are his, that Mohamed ibn Abdullah ibn Jahsh said: The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was sitting where the funerals are put (by the graves) then he raised his head to heavens, then he lowered his gaze, and then he put his hand on his forehead and said: "Glory be to Allah! Glory be to Allah! What a stern revelation." He said: we knew but kept silent. The following day I asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, about the stern revelation. He said: "it is revealed about the debt. By Him in Whose Hands is my soul if a man was killed on the cause of Allah, then he lived again and was killed again, then he lived again and was killed again while he has unpaid debt he will not enter Paradise unless his debt is paid off."

Imam Muslim reported in his authentic book of Hadith: "Allah forgives all the sins of a martyr except unpaid debt".

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, has sought refuge with Allah from debt so many times a man from the companions said to him: "O Messenger of Allah why do you so frequently seek refuge with Allah from being in debt?" He replied: "A person in debt tells lies whenever he speaks, and breaks promises whenever he makes (them)." [Agreed upon]

Not to mention you have created a source of a huge fitnah for your families/relatives and for yourself in the grave--your house will be a cause of hurt for the family/relatives you left behind because they might fight over it and the so many things in it, not necessarily because they are greedy (although most people are) but they can be sentimental and want to keep the house and things in it.

Don't forget the fact that a house has all the qualities of the ugliest type of investment.
1)Not liquid -- You can’t cash out whenever you want, 2) High leverage -- You have to borrow a lot of money in most cases. 3) No diversification -- For most people, a house is by far the largest part of their portfolio and greatly exceeds the 10% of net worth that any other investment should be.

Granted, some people like to have roots but to these people, ask yourself, how many people live where their roots are. Kids grow, they move in with their friends in college, they get married and moved away. If opportunities come knocking at your door right now, you can't move away so easily--you have to deal with your house. If you rent and have little, it would take no time to pick up and leave. You can live wherever in the world you want and whenever you want. It is a hassle-free life.

If you are not convinced, now look at your personal reasons for wanting to own a house. Do you feel like you can’t accomplish something in life until you own a house? Do you feel like its part of getting married and 'Settling down', i.e. creating a nest for your future children? For you, is it a part of becoming an adult. Is this what your parents taught you? Examine the real reasons you want to own and make sure they are coming from a good spot in your heart.

Do you really want to spend all that time working for the bank (making payments)? Do you really want to spend your time working on your house that you cannot take with you to your grave? Is this where your time is best spent towards creating a successful life for yourself and your family in this world and the Hereafter?

Actually, if you are not too busy working to pay off your house and fixing your house, you can invest in the the real estate better than anything in this world--that is in Jannah. I cannot comprehend how beautiful the real estate and mansions there but you know it must be beautiful because Allah says so. You only know the reality of beauty of your mansions in Jannah when you see them for yourself but first we have to save our spot in Jannah. You need a ticket to get to Jannah, but you don't have to wait in line to get it...you need to put some effort though.

You don't need hundred of thousands of dollars to acquire real estate in Paradise. Everyday you can have one for yourself, while it would take you years to have a small property in this world.

If you build a masjid for the sake of Allah, Allah will build a palace for you in Paradise. You have an opportunity now by your generous donation to the Masjid Al-Ittehad new masjid project.

Pray 12 cycles of sunnah prayers before and after the 5 obligatory prayers on daily basis (2 cycles before Fajr, 4 cycles before Dhuhr, 2 cycles after Dhuhr, 2 cycles after Maghrib and 2 cycles after 'Isha) and Allah will build a palace in Paradise for you.

In the akhirah, you can get your big mansions on a daily basis by just praying 12 extra rakaah a day. Let us not let go of this tremendous reward.

What we have here is pale in comparison to what we can have in Paradise. But if we busy ourselves with this dunya, then we won't have the time to work on the Hereafter, which is the home of our eternal life.

Be in this world as a wayfarer, no room for much things of this dunya, and along the way pick up a lot of good deeds, so when you meet Allah you have a lot to show for.

O Allah, You alleviate debt and sin so alleviate them from me. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the sins and from being in debt. [Prophetic du'a]

May Allah guide us and grant us tawfiq to the highest station. Ameen.

Please include us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam