Allah Almighty says: {But whatever thing you spend [in His cause] - He will compensate it.} [Saba’: 39] He also says: {And whatever good you spend is for yourselves, and you do not spend except seeking the face of Allah. And whatever you spend of good – it will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.} [Al-Baqarah: 272] And He says: {And whatever you spend of good, indeed Allah is Knowing of it.} [Al-Baqarah: 273]
Generosity is a collective term that refers to all areas of goodness, including:
Generosity in spending, generosity in refraining from others’ possessions, and generosity in forgiving people’s offences.
1) They urge the believers to spend in pursuit of Allah’s pleasure.
2) The believer is certain that Allah Almighty will compensate him for whatever he spends in charity with what is better than what he spends.
544/1 - Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There is no cause for envy except in two cases: a man to whom Allah gives wealth and enables him to spend it rightly, and a man to whom Allah gives wisdom and he rules in accordance with it and teaches it.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim] It means: A person may only be envied for these two traits.
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1) It urges people to compete in doing acts of goodness. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned this area of goodness only to encourage the believers to compete over it.
2) All blessings come from Allah Almighty, and we are required to show gratitude for them. To this end, we should use the blessings in the ways determined by the One Who bestowed them.
3) Spending is a general term that includes spending of money and spending of knowledge.
In wisdom and knowledge, people fall under four categories:
First: those who are not given wisdom at all; they are the ignorant.
Second: those whom Allah has given wisdom, yet they are sparing with it, even with regard to themselves. So, they do not make use of it. Those are the heedless. They are endowed with knowledge and deprived of work. Nonetheless, they are one degree higher than the first category.
Third: those whom Allah has given wisdom and they use it, but do not teach it to others. So, they are in limited goodness.
Fourth: those whom Allah has given wisdom and they use it and teach it to others so that everyone can benefit therefrom. Those are the most virtuous. So, dear fellow Muslims, be keen to belong to this fourth category.
545/2 - He also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Which of you prefers the money of his heir to his own money?” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, everyone of us prefers his own money.” He said: “His money is whatever he spends during his life (in good ways), while the money of his heir is whatever he leaves after his death.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
1) We are urged to spend our money on charitable purposes so that we can benefit from it in worldly life and in the Hereafter.
2) Correcting the wrong concepts in people’s lives is the mission of scholars and seekers of knowledge.
546/3 - ‘Adyy ibn Hātim (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Avoid Hellfire even with half a date.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) The areas of goodness are numerous and varied. The believer will always find something good to do, even if it were only half a date that he gives in charity so that it will save him from Hellfire.
2) The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) taught his Ummah the ways of attaining salvation from punishment.
547/4 - Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was never asked for something and he said ‘No’.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) It shows the Prophet’s generosity and good manners. He would not turn down anyone who asked him for something. In fact, he would give as if he feared no poverty.
2) The fortunate among the servants of Allah Almighty are those who seek to take the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) as a role model and follow his guidance, which includes this noble trait.
548/5 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Every morning, two angels descend. One of them says: ‘O Allah, give the one who spends compensation.’ The other one says: ‘O Allah, give the one who withholds damage.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) It includes supplication for the spenders to be compensated and for the withholders to suffer damage.
2) The angels supplicate for the righteous believers, and this is good tidings for the people of faith.
1. Material damage: This is when the wealth itself gets damaged, such as by burning, stealing, or sinking.
2. Moral damage: This is when blessing is removed from it, in a way that its owner barely benefits from it in his life.
549/6 - He also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah Almighty said: ‘Spend, O son of Adam, and you will be spent on.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) It urges us to spend in the way of Allah Almighty, as this is a means to increase one’s sustenance.
2) Allah Almighty gives to a person according to how much this person gives to the poor and needy.
550/7 - ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that a man asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “Which deed in Islam is better?” He said: “That you feed (people) and greet those whom you know and those whom you do not know.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) The Companions were keen to know, and do, the acts that benefit one in worldly life and in the Hereafter.
2) It urges us to spend and give, by feeding people.
His statement “greet those whom you know and those whom you do not know” is limited to Muslims only. We should not initiate the greeting to non-Muslims, based on the Prophet’s statement: “Do not initiate the greeting to the Jews and Christians...”
The difference between a generous and wasteful person is that the former puts his spending in its proper place, while the latter often spends in unworthy areas.
A generous person seeks to fulfill, by his wealth, such rights that are due or commendable, as per the Shariah and the sense of chivalry. He honors guests and spends in ways that maintain his honor, doing this willingly and in pursuit of divine compensation in this world and in Hereafter.
A wasteful person, on the other hand, spends according to his whims and lusts, disregarding any personal or public interest. He neglects all rights, due or recommended.
551/8 - He also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There are forty kinds of virtue; the uppermost of which is to lend a milch goat. He who practices any of these virtues expecting its reward and relying on the truthfulness of the promise made for it shall enter Paradise.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri] This was previously explained in the chapter on the multitude of the areas of goodness.
1) The doors of goodness are numerous, and they are open to those who want to work. Deprived are those who are not guided to enter through them.
2) The spending that is regarded as commendable in the Shariah and for which there is a great reward is conditional upon sincerity towards Allah Almighty. {And whoever does that seeking to please Allah - then We are going to give him a great reward.} [An-Nisā’: 114]
552/9 - Abu Umāmah Sudayy ibn ‘Ajlān (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “O son of Adam, if you spend the surplus, it will be better for you; and if you retain it, it will be evil for you. You will not be reprimanded for storing what is enough for your need. And start by spending on your dependents; and the upper hand (that gives) is better than the lower hand (that receives).” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) It is better for a person to give his surplus wealth, for this helps maintain the ties with his needy fellow Muslims and shows his trust in the promise of the Almighty Lord.
2) Everyone is required to give according to his means, without overburdening himself. {And he whose provision is restricted - let him spend from what Allah has given him.}
553/10 - Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “Never was the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) asked for anything by someone who was about to accept Islam but that he gave it to them. A man came to him and asked for alms, so he gave him a number of sheep (so large that they filled the space) between two mountains. So the man returned to his people and told them: ‘O my people, embrace Islam, for Muhammad gives lavishly like someone who does not fear any poverty.’ Some people would embrace Islam only for worldly gains, but Islam would soon become dearer to them than the whole world and all what is in it.” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) Giving money and good manners are very effective means in winning people’s hearts.
2) It is permissible to give those with weak faith from the money of Zakah with the aim of winning their hearts. A person may embrace Islam for worldly gains, but then when he tastes the sweetness of faith, he loves it and becomes a true Muslim.
554/11 - ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) distributed some wealth and I said to him: ‘O Messenger of Allah, do you not think that there are other people who are more deserving than these whom you gave?’ He said: ‘They left me no alternative but that they either beg of me importunately or regard me as a miser, and I am not a miser.’” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) It shows the Prophet’s noble manners, patience, and forbearance and how he would turn away from the ignorant (i.e. he would not react to their ignorance).
2) Miserliness is not a trait of the prophets or pious people. Indeed, a believer should be generous.
555/12 - Jubayr ibn Mut‘im (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that while he was walking with the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) on the way back from the Battle of Hunayn, a few Bedouins caught hold of him and began to demand their shares. They forced him to a tree and someone snatched away his cloak (which got entangled in that thorny tree). Thereupon, the Prophet said: “Give me back my cloak. Were I to have camels equal to the number of these trees, I would distribute them all among you, and you would not find me a miser or a liar or a coward.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
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1) The leader of Muslims (the Prophet) is free from any blameworthy trait. This is how any person who serves as a role model for people should be; he must follow the Prophet’s example to this end.
2) It shows how the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach people by example. He would follow knowledge by deeds.
3) Guidance and good manners have deep impact upon people’s hearts.
556/13 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Charity never diminishes wealth, and Allah does not increase the one who pardons others except in honor, and no one humbles himself seeking the pleasure of Allah except that Allah Almighty will raise him in rank.” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) Charity does not decrease one’s wealth, for Allah Almighty blesses that wealth and compensates him for what was spent of it.
2) The believer trusts his Lord and is certain of His promise that He will compensate him with goodness and blessing.
557/14 - Abu Kabshah ‘Umar ibn Sa‘d al-Anmāri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: “I swear by Allah regarding three (qualities) which I am going to tell you about. Remember them well: The wealth of a man will not diminish by charity; Allah augments the honor of a man who endures injustice inflicted upon him patiently; and he who opens a gate of begging, Allah opens to him a gate of poverty - or he said a word similar to that. Remember well what I am going to tell you: The world is for four kinds of people:
1. One whom Allah has given wealth and knowledge so he fears his Lord with regards to his wealth and uses it in upholding kinship ties and acknowledges the right of Allah on him in it. He is in the best rank. 2. One whom Allah has given knowledge but no wealth, and he is sincere in his intention and says: ‘Had I possessed wealth, I would have acted like so-and-so (meaning the first).’ If that is his intention, then his reward is the same as that of the first. 3. One whom Allah has given wealth but no knowledge and he squanders his wealth ignorantly, does not fear Allah in respect to it, does not discharge the obligations of kinship, and does not acknowledge the rights of Allah in his wealth. He is in the worst rank. 4. One whom Allah has given neither wealth nor knowledge and he says: ‘Had I possessed wealth, I would have acted like so-and-so (meaning the third).’ If this is his intention, then both will bear equal sin.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; he classified it as Hasan Sahīh (sound and authentic)]
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1) This is sure information said by the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): that charity does not decrease wealth, but in fact increases it.
2) Knowledge is the measure in all matters. Those whom Allah Almighty gives useful knowledge know how to manage their affairs rightly; and those who are deprived of knowledge walk confusedly in life. This is an encouragement to seek beneficial knowledge.
558/15 - ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that they slaughtered a sheep, and the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) asked: “What is left of it?” She replied: “Nothing is left except its shoulder.” He said: “All of it is left except its shoulder.” [Al-Tirmidhi; he classified it as Sahīh (authentic)]
It means: they gave all of it in charity except for the shoulder. That is why he said: It will all remain for us in the Hereafter, save for the shoulder.
1) It shows the generosity of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and his family.
2) What remains of a person’s wealth is the part he gives in charity and so its reward is kept in store with Allah Almighty.
3) It presents the Prophet’s approach in correcting wrong concepts and standards in people’s lives.
559/16 - Asmā’ bint Abu Bakr Al-Siddīq (may Allah be pleased with her and her father) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: ‘Do not withhold (what you have), lest your sustenance will be withheld from you.’”
In another version: “Spend (in charity), and do not keep account, lest Allah count it against you, and do not hoard, lest Allah withhold from you.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) We are prohibited from withholding charity fearing we will run out of money. This constitutes distrust of Allah Almighty.
2) A person is recompensed by something similar to his action. So, whoever withholds the right of Allah, he will be punished by suffering straitened circumstances.
560/17 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: “The example of a miser and a spender is that of two men wearing an iron armor covering their breasts up to their collarbones. Whenever the spender spends, his armor expands until it becomes so wide that it covers his fingertips and removes his traces. As for the miser, whenever he thinks of spending, every ring of the armor sticks to its place (against his body) and he tries to loosen it, but it does not loosen.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) Charity conceals sins, just as a long garment conceals its wearer’s trace on the ground when he walks.
2) Spending and charity produces a sense of joy and relief.
561/18 - He also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “He who gives in charity the value of a date that was lawfully earned - and Allah only accepts that which was lawfully earned - Allah will accept it with His right hand and nurture it for him, just as one of you nurtures his foal until it becomes the size of a mountain.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) Allah is good and only accepts what is good. So, the person giving charity should make sure that what he is giving in charity was lawfully earned.
2) It points out the promise of Allah Almighty to multiply charity given out of lawfully earned money until it becomes like a mountain. This is indeed one of the fruits of lawful earning.
562/19 - He also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “While a man was walking through a barren land, he heard a voice coming out of a cloud, saying: ‘Irrigate the garden of so-and- so.’ Thereupon, the cloud drifted in a certain direction and discharged its water over a rocky plain. The streamlets flowed into a channel. The man followed this channel until it reached a garden and he saw a man standing in his garden working with his spade to change the course of the water. He asked him: ‘O slave of Allah, what is your name?’ He told his name, which was the same that he heard from the cloud. The owner of the garden then asked him: ‘O slave of Allah, why did you ask my name?’ He replied: ‘I heard a voice from a cloud which poured down this water, saying: “Irrigate the garden of so-and-so.” I would like to know what you do with it.’ He said: ‘Now since you asked me, I will tell you. I estimate the produce of the garden and give out one-third of it in charity, spend one-third on myself and my family, and invest one-third back into the garden.’” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) Spending on one’s dependents and giving to the needy are deeds dear to Allah Almighty and pleasing to Him.
2) Allah Almighty endows the sincere believers with special mercy, exclusively given to them apart from all other people.
3) It affirms the miraculous incidents that happen to the pious servants of Allah in this Ummah and in the past nations, whom Allah Almighty describes as: {Those who believed and feared Allah.}