Imam Al-Nawawi’s Riyad-us-Saliheen

Chapter 60 : Excellence of Generosity and Spending in a Good cause with Reliance on Allah

Allah, the Exalted, says:

“And whatsoever you spend of anything (in Allah’s Cause), He will replace it.” (34:39)

“And whatever you spend in good, it is for yourselves, when you spend not except seeking Allah’s Countenance. And whatever you spend in good, it will be repaid to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.” (2:272)

“And whatever you spend in good, surely Allah knows it well.” (2:273)

544. Ibn Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Envy is permitted only in two cases: A man whom Allah gives wealth, and he disposes of it rightfully, and a man to whom Allah gives knowledge which he applies and teaches it.”

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

545. Ibn Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) asked, “Who of you loves the wealth of his heir more than his own wealth?” The Companions said: “O Messenger of Allah! There is none of us but loves his own wealth more.” He (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “His wealth is that which he has sent forward, but that which he retains belongs to his heir.”

[Al-Bukhari].

546. `Adi bin Hatim (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Protect yourself from Hell-fire even by giving a piece of date as charity.”

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

547. Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) never said `no’ to anyone who asked him for anything.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

548. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Everyday two angels descend and one of them says, `O Allah! Compensate (more) to the person who gives (in charity)’; while the other one says, `O Allah! Destroy the one who withholds (charity, etc)”.

[Al-Bukhari ].

549. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Allah, the Exalted, says, `Spend, O son of Adam, you will also be spent upon.”

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

550. `Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`as (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: A man asked Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam), “Which act in Islam is the best?” He (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) replied, “To feed (the poor and the needy) and to greet those whom you know and those you do not know.”

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

551. `Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`as (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “There are forty kinds of virtue, the highest of which is to gift a (milch) she goat. He who practises any of these virtues, expecting its reward (from Allah) and believing on the verity of the promise made for it, will enter Jannah.”

[Al-Bukhari].

552. Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “O son of Adam, if you spend the surplus, it will be better for you; and if you retain it, it will be bad for you. You will not be reprimanded for keeping what is enough for your need. Begin with those who are your dependents, and the upper hand (i.e., the one that spends in the way of Allah) is better than the lower hand (i.e., the one that receives charity.)”

[Muslim].

553. Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) was asked a thing by one who is about to accept Islam but he would give it. A man came to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and he gave him a herd of sheep scattered between two mountains. When he returned to his people, he said to them: “O my people! Embrace Islam because Muhammad gives like one who has no fear of poverty.” Some people would embrace Islam only for worldly gains, but soon Islam becomes dearer to them than the world with all what it contains.

[Muslim].

554. `Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) 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 (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “They had, in fact, left no alternative for me except either they should beg of me importunately or they would regard me as a miser; but I am not a miser.”

[Muslim].

555. Jubair bin Mut`im (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: While I was walking with the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) on his return from the battle of Hunain, 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). The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Give my cloak back to me. Were I to have camels equal to the number of these trees, I would have distributed them all among you, and you would not have found me a miser, or a liar, or a coward.”

[Al-Bukhari].

556. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Wealth is not diminished by giving (in charity). Allah augments the honour of one who forgives; and one who displays humbleness towards another seeking the pleasure of Allah, Allah exalts him in ranks.”

[Muslim].

557. Abu Kabshah `Amr bin Sa`d (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “I swear by Allah for three (qualities) which I am going to tell you about. Remember them well:

(1) The wealth of a man will not diminish by Sadaqah (charity).

(2) Allah augments the honour of a man who endures an oppression patiently.

(3) He who opens a gate of begging, Allah opens a gate of poverty (or he said a word similar to it).”

He (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) also said, “Remember well what I am going to tell you: The world is for four kinds of people. (1) One upon whom Allah has bestowed wealth and knowledge and so he fears his Rubb in respect to them, joins the ties of blood relationship and acknowledges the Rights of Allah on him (and fulfills them); this type will have the best position (in Jannah). (2) One upon whom Allah has conferred 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.’ If that is his intention, his reward is the same as that of the other. (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. Such a person will be in the worst position (in the Hereafter). (4) One upon whom Allah has bestowed neither wealth nor knowledge and he says: `Had I possessed wealth, I would have acted like so-and-so (i.e., he would squander his wealth).’ If this is his intention, both will have equal sin.”

[At-Tirmidhi].

558. `Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) had slaughtered a sheep and distributed major portions of its meat. Then he (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) asked, “Is there anything left?” She replied, “Nothing, except the shoulder.” Thereupon he said, “All of it is left except its shoulder.”

[At-Tirmidhi].

559. Asma’ bint Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said to me, “Do not hoard; otherwise, Allah will withhold from you.”

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

560. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) saying: “The case of a miserly man and a generous man who gives in charity is similar to that of two persons who are clad in armour from their breasts up to their collar bones. When the generous man gives in charity, his armour expands so much as to cover his fingertips and toes. When the miser intends to spend something the armour contracts and every ring of it sticks to the place where it is (sinks into his flesh). He tries to loosen it but it does not expand.”

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

561. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “He who gives in charity the value of a date which he legally earned, and Allah accepts only that which is pure, Allah accepts it with His Right Hand and fosters it for him, as one of you fosters his mare, until it becomes like a mountain.”

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

562. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) 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. This man followed the channel until it reached a garden and he saw the owner of the garden standing in its center, working with his spade spreading the water (changing 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 do you do with it.” He said: “Now that you asked me, I will tell you. I estimate the produce of the garden and distribute one-third of it in charity, I spend one-third on myself and my family and invest one-third back into the garden.”

[Muslim].