بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم
30-1-1438
The Theme of the Hadith: The broad Islamic concept of صدقة (Charity)
-> This Hadith shows us different types of charity available to every Muslim
-> It shows us the legality of competition among Muslims in performing acts of worship
-> It opens the door for the poor to reach a high degree in faith
-> Permissible acts with a good intention become acts of worship
-> The Hadith is one of many examples which demonstrate how eager the companions of the Prophet ﷺ were to perform acts of worship. They had a strong desire to do good.
-> This Hadith states that lack of money should not be a barrier between the poor and doing charity. Allah has opened different doors for الخير (good) which are equivalent to spending in charity.
The Explanation of the Hadith:
"أن ناساً مِّن أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قالوا للنبي صلى الله عليه و سلم:"
"Some people from the companions of the Messenger ﷺ said to him"
Some of the poor Companions (it is said that they are the Muhajireen who had left Makkah leaving all their properties and wealth behind) complained about the rewards of the rich companions (it is said that they are the Ansar). They did not come complaining for materialistic reasons, but religious matters. The rich were able to do much more acts of worship than them.
"يارسول الله، ذهب أهل الدثور بالأجور"
"O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! People of Ad-Duthur have taken away all the reward"
الدثور = الدّثر (A lot of money)
"يصلون كما نصلي، ويصومون كما نصوم، ويتصدقون بفضول أموالهم"
"They pray as we pray, and fast as we fast, but give charity from what is beyond their need of money"
There are:
1) Physical Acts of Worship - Both the poor and rich can perform these.
2) Financial Acts of Worship - Such as Jihad, going for Hajj, emancipating Slaves, equipping the army, giving charity. All these acts of worship are limited to the rich. This brought sadness to the poor companions of the Prophet ﷺ, and they were worried that they could not reach the status of the rich. This attitude has several indications:
-> The keenness of the companions to perform all acts of worship to please Allah. This should be our case as well. This keenness reached an extent that although there were instances where they may have been legally excused, they were still sad. An example of this is in the Battle of Tabuk - which Allah mentioned in Surah Tawbah [9:92]:
"Nor (is there blame) on those who came to you to be provided with mounts, and when you said: "I can find no mounts for you," they turned back, while their eyes overflowing with tears of grief that they could not find anything to spend (for Jihad)."
-> Competition to do good.
This competition reflected in the society in Madinah. The main two tribes in Madinah - AlAws and AlKhazraj used to compete with each other in performing acts of worship. Allah praised such competition amongst Muslims in Surah Al-Mutafiffeen [83:26]:
"The last of it is musk. So for this let the competitors compete."
This praise for competition is only restricted to religious matters. Allah discourages Muslims to compete amongst themselves for materialistic things, as doing so exposes a person to destruction.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"فوالله ما الفقر أخشى عليكم، ولكني أخشى أن تبسط الدنيا عليكم كما بسطت على من كان قبلكم، فتنافسوها كما تنافسوها ، فتهلككم كما أهلكتهم”
"By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you, but I fear that this world will be opened up with its wealth for you as it was opened to those before you; and you compete with one another over it as they did and eventually it will destroy you as it destroyed them". [Muslim]
The poor companions wanted to have what the rich had of good, without wanting it removed from them. This is not الحسد - it is الغبتة (Wishing to acquire what others have a good without wishing the loss of it from them). الحسد is to want the good others have, along with wishing the loss of that good from them. الغبتة is a feeling which is permissible in the matters of religion.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"لاَ حَسَدَ إِلاَّ فِي اثْنَتَيْنِ رَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مَالاً فَسَلَّطَهُ عَلَى هَلَكَتِهِ فِي الْحَقِّ، وَرَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ حِكْمَةً فَهْوَ يَقْضِي بِهَا وَيُعَلِّمُهَا"
"There is no envy except in two: a person whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in the right way, and a person whom Allah has given wisdom (i.e. religious knowledge) and he gives his decisions accordingly and teaches it to the others." [Bukhari]
The meaning of حسد here is الغبتة.
What did the Prophet ﷺ say in response?
"قال: " أو ليس قد جعل الله لكم ما تصدقون به"
"Has not Allah made things for you to give as charity?"
He, by his mercy and deep insight, realized what is in the hearts of those people, and treated the situation with wisdom. He showed them the broad concept of charity which was not known to the companions at that time. Charity is not restricted to paying money.
He then listed the several acts of charity, opening a wide door for poor people to perform acts which are equivalent to spending money:
"إن بكل تسبيحة صدقة، وكل تكبيرة صدقة، وكل تحميدة صدقة، وكل تهليلة صدقة، وأمر بالمعروف صدقة، ونهي عن المنكر صدقة"
"In every declaration of the glorification of Allah (i.e. saying Subhan Allah) there is a Sadaqah, and in every Takbir (i.e. saying Allahu Akbar) is a Sadaqah, and in every celebration of praise (saying Al-hamdu lillah) is a Sadaqah, and in every declaration that He is One (La ilaha illallah) is a Sadaqah, and in enjoining of good is a Sadaqah, and in forbidding evil is a Sadaqah,"
The acts do not cost a person anything, yet make rewards equal to the rich. This indicates the great Generosity of Allah; who expanded the scope of charity.
It also shows us the doctrine of wise Scholars with their students: When they close a door, they open other doors as an alternative.
This should also be used by parents with their children. When you close a door of evil for your child, you should open another door of good for him, as an alternative.
In another Hadith, the Prophet ﷺ expanded charity to include all righteous acts. He ﷺ said:
"كُلُّ مَعْرُوفٍ صَدَقَةٌ"
"Every act of goodness is (considered as) Sadaqah.” [Bukhari]
Imam An-Nawawi explained this Hadith saying: Every righteous deed will gain the reward awarded for Sadaqah.
There are two types of Charity:
1) Limited Charity
This is personal; its reward is limited to its doer.
In the Hadith the limited charity is ذكر الله (Remembrance of Allah) - سبحان الله، الحمد لله، لا اله الا الله، الله اكبر.
The Scholars said these phrases are referred to in the Qur'an, when Allah said in Surah Al-Kahf [18:46]:
"Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world. But the good righteous deeds (five compulsory prayers, deeds of Allah's obedience, good and nice talk, remembrance of Allah with glorification, praises and thanks, etc.), that last, are better with your Lord for rewards and better in respect of hope."
(سبحان الله and الحمد لله have already been discussed in previous Hadiths)
الله أكبر = Allah is the Greatest; there is nothing as great as Allah.
لا اله الا الله = This is the foundation of the faith of a Muslim
These are considered acts of charity which everyone can perform. If you do not have money to pay charity, pay another type of charity - الذكر.
If you remember Allah, you will be among those whom Allah mentioned in Surah Al-Ahzab [33:35]:
"......and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so - for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward."
Abu Darda said:
"أَلاَ أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِخَيْرِ، أَعْمَالِكُمْ وَأَرْفَعِهَا فِي دَرَجَاتِكُمْ وَأَزْكَاهَا عِنْدَ مَلِيكِكُمْ وَخَيْرٍ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِعْطَاءِ الذَّهَبِ وَالْوَرِقِ وَخَيْرٍ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْ تَلْقَوْا عَدُوَّكُمْ فَتَضْرِبُوا أَعْنَاقَهُمْ وَيَضْرِبُوا أَعْنَاقَكُمْ قَالُوا بَلَى . قَالَ ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى . قَالَ زِيَادُ بْنُ أَبِي زِيَادٍ وَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ مَا عَمِلَ ابْنُ آدَمَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ أَنْجَى لَهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّه"
"Shall I not tell you the best of your deeds, and those that give you the highest rank, and those that are the purest with your King, and are better for you than giving gold and silver, and better for you than meeting your enemy and striking their necks?" They said, "Of course." He said, "Remembrance (dhikr) of Allah." [Muwatta]
We have to accustom ourselves to remembering Allah all the time.
2) Transitive Charity
The benefits of this type of charity extends to others. There are different forms of it, and the Prophet ﷺ mentioned it in other Hadiths:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
" تَبَسُّمُكَ فِي وَجْهِ أَخِيكَ لَكَ صَدَقَةٌ وَأَمْرُكَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهْيُكَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ صَدَقَةٌ وَإِرْشَادُكَ الرَّجُلَ فِي أَرْضِ الضَّلاَلِ لَكَ صَدَقَةٌ وَبَصَرُكَ لِلرَّجُلِ الرَّدِيءِ الْبَصَرِ لَكَ صَدَقَةٌ وَإِمَاطَتُكَ الْحَجَرَ وَالشَّوْكَةَ وَالْعَظْمَ عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ لَكَ صَدَقَةٌ وَإِفْرَاغُكَ مِنْ دَلْوِكَ فِي دَلْوِ أَخِيكَ لَكَ صَدَقَةٌ "
"Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, commanding good and forbidding evil is charity, your giving directions to a man lost in the land is charity for you. Your seeing for a man with bad sight is a charity for you, your removal of a rock, a thorn or a bone from the road is charity for you. Your pouring what remains from your bucket into the bucket of your brother is charity for you." [At-Tirmithi #1956]
In this Hadith the transitive charity is: Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil. It benefits the entire society, and may be much better than spending money, because it is by this type of charity that Allah preferred this nation above all other nations. In Surah Aal-Imran [3:110]:
"You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah . If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient."
This charity has its own conditions and rulings. When it is practiced in society, the amount of evil will be reduced to its minimum.
"وفي بضع أحدكم صدقة"
"And when one of you has sexual intercourse (with his wife), he will gain a Sadaqah"
Charity is expanded to reach a very personal and biological need of a person - to fulfil ones sexual needs legally. When a man has it with his wife, they will gain Sadaqah. This shows us the great Generosity and Grace of Allah over His slaves.
This raised the astonishment of the companions:
"قالوا: يارسول الله أيأتى أحدنا شهوته، ويكون له فيها أجر؟"
"They said: 'O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, will one of us satisfy his desire, yet gain a reward?"
The Prophet ﷺ answered them by clarifying how such an act can be considered an act of charity which will be rewarded for:
"قال: " أرأيتم لو وضعها في حرام أكان عليه وزر؟ فكذلك إذا وضعها في الحلال كان له أجر"
"He said, "You see, if he were to satisfy it with something forbidden, would it not be a sin on his part? Similarly, if he were to satisfy it legally, he should be rewarded".
From the first impression, one thinks that if he performs this act he will get reward regardless of having an intention. But this is not correct according to most of the Scholars; it should be accompanied with an intention.
What should the intention be?
For example:
-> To protect himself from Haraam
-> To satisfy his wifes need
-> To have righteous children
Their opinion is supported by two evidences:
1) The Prophet ﷺ said:
"إِنَّكَ لَنْ تُنْفِقَ نَفَقَةً تَبْتَغِي بِهَا وَجْهَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا أُجِرْتَ عَلَيْهَا حَتَّى مَا تَجْعَلُ فِي فَمِ امْرَأَتِكَ"
"You will be rewarded for whatever you spend for Allah's sake even if it were a morsel which you put in your wife's mouth." [Bukhari #56]
2) In Surah An-Nisaa [4:114]:
"There is no good in most of their secret talks save (in) him who orders Sadaqah (charity in Allah's Cause), or Ma'ruf (Islamic Monotheism and all the good and righteous deeds which Allah has ordained), or conciliation between mankind, and he who does this, seeking the good Pleasure of Allah, We shall give him a great reward."
From this part of the Hadith, the Scholars derived a قاعدة (Ruling): Permissible Acts can be turned into Acts of Worship with the condition that the person has a good intention
You can turn any permissible act you perform in your daily life into acts of obedience if you have a good intention. You can be collecting rewards the moment you open your eyes in the morning until you go to sleep at night, if you have a good intention.
E.g. I eat and drink and do so in order to get strength to worship Allah. You will be rewarded for your eating and drinking.
E.g. For the wives who complain about the homework, husbands, cleaning, children, - if they do it for the sake of Allah, they will reward for everything they do. We have to train ourselves upon this kind of thinking.
The Hadith in this narration finished at this paragraph. But there is an additional part in another narration:
"....فرجع فقراء المهاجرين إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فقالو: سمع إخواننا أهل الأموال بما فعلنا، ففعلوا مثله؟"
"They returned to him and said: "Our brothers, the possessors of wealth, having heard what we are doing, have started doing the same."
Look at the competition amongst them for religious matters. So the rich had two roots of good: Remembering Allah and spending money, so they were still above the poor in good deeds.
"فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم “ذلك فضل الله يؤتيه من يشاء"
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "This is Grace of Allah which He gives to whom He wishes." [Agreed upon]
It is not you who distributes the رزق of Allah. He is the One who bestows it based on His wisdom. He is the All Just when He bestows others what He did not give you. He did it out of justice, knowledge, and wisdom. There are specific wisdoms behind giving.
In Surah An-Nahl [16:71]:
"And Allah has preferred some of you above others in wealth and properties..."
In Surah Zukhruf [43:32]:
"Is it they who would portion out the Mercy of your Lord? It is We Who portion out between them their livelihood in this world, and We raised some of them above others in ranks, so that some may employ others in their work. But the Mercy (Paradise) of your Lord (O Muhammad ﷺ) is better than the (wealth of this world) which they amass."
All are equal. The only criteria by which one is truly preferred over the other is: At-Taqwa.
Do not be like the people of Qarun. For some poorness is good, whereas richness is bad. And for others richness is good whereas poorness is bad.
In a Hadith Qudsi, Allah says:
"Among My Slaves there are those for whom nothing is better than richness, and if I were to impoverish them, they would be corrupted, and among My Slaves there are those for whom nothing is better than poverty, and if I were to make them rich, they would be corrupted. I manage (the affairs of) My Slaves, I am indeed the All-Aware of their circumstances.”
There are some Hadiths where the Prophet ﷺ mentioned the virtues of the poor:
"اطَّلَعْتُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ فَرَأَيْتُ أَكْثَرَ أَهْلِهَا الْفُقَرَاءَ.."
"I looked at Paradise and found poor people forming the majority of its inhabitants..." [Bukhari #3241]
Richness could be a test for you, and many people have failed in this test. You have poor people becoming rich and completely changing with regards to their religious commitment.
We should accept what Allah has given us and we should accept what Allah deprives us from, because it is all for our own benefit. He is the All-Wise and the All-Just. He knows what we do not know; He knows what benefits us. We should not feel any objection nor resentment to what Allah chooses for us.
We should not wish to have what others have of worldly matters. In Surah An-Nisa [4:32]:
"And wish not for the things in which Allah has made some of you to excel others. For men there is reward for what they have earned, (and likewise) for women there is reward for what they have earned, and ask Allah of His Bounty. Surely, Allah is Ever All-Knower of everything."
Qiyas (Analogy)
This Hadith is considered one of the Hadiths which demonstrate القياس (Analogy)
The main sources of Islamic law:
1) Qur'an
2) Sunnah
3) Ijmaa (Consensus)
4) Qiyas
Linguistically, Al-Qiyas is to compare a matter with its equal.
Religiously, it is equating a case which does not have a specific legal ruling with an original case that has a specific legal ruling by applying the ruling of the original case to the new one. Both these two cases are equal with regard to the effective legal cause.
Original Case (الأصل). - Ruling (الحكم) - Effective Legal Cause (العلة)
E.g. Drinking Alcohol Haraam Intoxicates / Causes Absence of Mind
New Case
E.g. Drugs
Drugs is a new case because there were no drugs at the time of the Prophet ﷺ - since it shares the same effective legal cause, we apply the ruling of the original case, and drugs become Haraam)
There are two main types of Qiyas:
1) قياس المثل - An analogy of resemblance
(As in the above example)
2) قياس العكس - Analogy of Opposite
It is issuing a matter by mentioning the ruling for its opposite because they are opposite behind the reason in their respective rulings. This is what is found at the end of the Hadith.
"Do you see if one satisfies it through Haraam, he will carry a burden? Likewise if he satisfied it through the Halal he will gain a reward"
Original Case (الأصل). - Ruling (الحكم) - Effective Legal Cause (العلة)
E.g. Legal Sexual Intercourse Halal Preserves Lineage
New Case
E.g. Adultery
Adultery corrupts the lineage. It is the opposite of legal sexual intercourse in its effective legal cause, so the ruling becomes Haraam.
Example from another Hadith:
This is قياس العكس
Original Case (الأصل) - Ruling (الحكم) - Effective Legal Cause (العلة)
Not Associating with Allah - Obligatory - Monotheism
New Case
Associating partners with Allah
Associating partners with Allah is Shirk, and it is opposite to not associating with Allah in its legal cause, so the ruling becomes the opposite: Haraam.
Good deeds in Islam come in different shapes and forms. There is no excuse for any Muslim to not perform an act of charity, regardless of how poor he is. We should compete with each other in performing good deeds in order that we gain reward from Allah. This kind of competition is not something we see in our societies; we only find worldly competition - which if the society insists on it, will lead to destruction, as the Prophet ﷺ mentioned. We should take the Salaf as examples for us.
This is amazing article and very informative. Please help the needy poor people and make your house in jannah. Donate Zakat to them they will pray for you. JazakAllah
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