Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

 

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

 

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

 

You have raised quite a few issues. Let me respond to each one of them in their respective order:

As for hanging pictures or verses on the wall of home or car, there is nothing wrong with that if the purpose is to remind oneself of dhikr and favors fo Allah. Muslims throughout centuries have been doing that.

 

The mosques and Islamic institutions have always had inscriptions of Qur’an and the Prophetic traditions or even quotes from the pious predecessors as reminders. No scholar has objected to them.

And the cloth- cover on the Ka’bah is full of Quranic inscriptions, and I heard no alim worthy of the name object to it as it were akin to shirk.

As for the three other points, there is no basis for them in the authentic sources.

They are superstitious practices.  If that had been the case, then the Prophet and the companions would have practiced or recommended them.  People with similar challenges had approached the Prophet, and yet he never suggested such practices; instead, he told them to strive hard while praying to Allah.

Here are a few prophetic tips on how to expect the blessings of Allah for sustenance and success in life:

“Seek and expect to work for goals that are beneficial and strive hard while putting the trust in Allah.”

 

“If you were (to work hard and) trust in Allah, He would provide sustenance for you as He provides for the birds: see how they fly out of their nest at dawn and return satiated at dusk.”

 

Since birds do not sit in their nests hoping for sustenance from Allah, it behooves us humans to go work and seek the bounty of Allah.

 

He also prayed: “O Allah, bless my Ummah when they set out their work early mornings.” Accordingly, he advised one of his companions to start his business ventures early morning; the companion said, “When I acted upon his advice my business flourished tremendously.”

 

It also worthy of remembering that the Prophet (peace be upon him) put forth the best of his efforts and then only turned to Allah for help.

If there were any shortcuts, he would have followed them, and he would have also advised his companions to follow the same.

 

Having said this, I would like to add that on top of the above, the Prophet (peace be on him) also encouraged his companions to offer the following supplications:

Allaahumma aghninee bihalaalika an haraamika wa aghninee bi fadhlika amman siwaaka

 

Allaahumma inee a’oodhu bika mina al-hammi wa al-hazani wa a’oodhu bika mina al-‘ajzi wa al-kasali, wa a’oodhu bika min al-jubni wa al-bukhli, wa a’oodhu bika min ghalabathi al-ddayni wa qahr al-rrijaal

 

Allaahumma rabba al-ssamaawaathi al-ssab’i wa rabba al-‘arshi al-azheem, rabbana wa rabba kulli sha’in faaliqa al-habbi wa al-nnawaa wa munazzila al-thawraathi wa al-injeeli wa al-furqaani a’oodhu bika min sharri kulli sha’in antha aakhidhun bi naasiyathihi antha al-awwalu falaysa qablaka shayun wa antha al-aakhiru falaysa ba’daka shay’un wa antha al-aakhiru fa laysa ba’daka sha’un wa antha al-zzahiru falaysa fawqaka shay’un wa antha al-baatinu falaysa doonaka shay’un iqdhi ‘anna al-dayna wa aghninaa mina al-faqri

“O Allah, make me self-sufficient with that which You have allowed for me so that I do not need to that which You have not approved. And make me content with Your favor so that I do not need to turn for support of the mortals.

 

O Allah, I seek refuge and protection with You from worry and grief; I seek refuge and protection with You from helplessness and sloth, I seek refuge and protection with You from cowardice and miserliness; I seek refuge and protection with You from the burden of debts and tyranny of men.

 

O Allah, You are the Lord of the seven heavens, the Lord of the Great Throne, our Lord, and the Lord of all beings, the splitter of the seeds and the kernels, the revealer of Torah, Gospel, and the Qur’an. I seek refuge and protection with You from all of Your creatures under Your firm control. You are the First; there is nothing before You; You are the Last; there is nothing after You. You are the Outward; there is nothing above You; you are the Inward, and there is nothing below You. So, clear my debts for me and remove my poverty and make me self-sufficient.”

 

Allah Almighty knows best.