Authentic Hadith pertaining to WEALTH & CHARITY Extracted from Imam Nawawi’s Reference “The Gardens of Righteousness” translated and presented by Shaykh Ahmad Darwish, Anne (Khadeijah) Stephens Allah.com Muhammad.com Mosque.com ©1984-2012 Darwish Family. All rights reserved BOOK 39 REALITY OF OUR WEALTH OUR WEALTH IS ON LOAN TO US |H 66 “Allah desired to test three people from the Children of Israel. One was a leper, another bald-headed and the other blind. So Allah sent to them an angel. First, the angel went to the leper and asked him, ‘What would you like best?’ He replied, ‘A good complexion with clear skin and the removal of my affliction because people dislike me on account of this.’ The angel passed his hands over him and his affliction left him and his skin was good. Then the angel asked, ‘What would you like most to possess?’ The man replied, ‘Camels’ and was given a camel ten months pregnant and the angel said, ‘May Allah bless it for you.’ Then the angel went to the bald-head man and asked, ‘What would you like best?’ He replied, ‘A fine head of hair, and the removal of my affliction because people dislike me on account of this.’ The angel passed his hands over him and his affliction was removed and he had a fine head of hair. Then the angel asked, ‘What would you like most to possess?’ The man replied, ‘Cows’. So he was given a pregnant cow and the angel said, ‘May Allah bless it for you.’ Next the angel went to the blind man and asked, ‘What would you like best?’ He replied, ‘That Allah restores my sight so that I may see people.’ The angel passed his hands over his eyes and Allah restored his sight. Then the angel asked, ‘What would you like most to possess?’ The man replied, ‘Goats’ and so he was given a pregnant nanny goat and the angel said, ‘May Allah bless it for you.’ The animals multiplied greatly, so that one had a valley full of camels. Another had a valley full of cattle and the other had a valley full of goats. Later, the angel returned disguised as a leper to the man who had once been a leper and said, ‘I am a poor man in need and have nothing to help me to continue my journey (pilgrimage) except Allah. I ask you in the Name of Allah who has given you a good complexion, clear skin and great wealth to give me a camel that might help me to reach my destination.’ The man replied, ‘I have many obligations.’ The angel said, ‘It seems that I recognize you. Aren't you the leper once disliked by people whom Allah enriched?’ The man replied, ‘I inherited my wealth from my forefathers.’ To this the angel said, ‘If you are lying, may Allah restore you to the condition in which you were.’ Then the angel returned disguised as a bald-headed man to the man who had been bald-headed and asked for help and he gave the same reply as the first. The angel turned to him and said, ‘If you are lying, may Allah restore you to the condition in which you were’. Next the angel returned to the man who had been blind disguised as a blind man and said to him, ‘I am a poor man and have nothing to help me to reach my destination (pilgrimage) except the help of Allah. I ask you in the Name of He who restored to you your sight to give me a goat so that I may reach my destination.’ The man replied, ‘Indeed, I was blind and Allah restored my sight to me. Take what you will and leave what you will, I will not restrict you – take whatever you wish in the Name of Allah, the Mighty, the Glorified.’ Upon this the angel said, ‘Keep all you have. All three of you were being tried. Indeed, Allah is pleased with you but He is angry with your companions.’" Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that he heard the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, say this. WEALTH IS NOT DECREASED BY GIVING CHARITY |H 607 “Wealth is not decreased by giving charity. Allah increases the honor of one who forgives, and the one who humbles himself for the sake of Allah so much that He raises them in rank.” Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said this. PROVISION |H 272 “Sa'ad thought he was superior to those who were not as affluent as he. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said: ‘You are helped and provided for because of the weak and poor among you.’” Bukhari with a chain up to Mus'ab the son of Sa'ad, son of Abi Waqqas who related this. CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME |H 928 “In the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage, Sa’ad was in so much pain that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, went to visit him. Sa’ad said, 'O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, you can see I am in a lot of pain. I am a wealthy man and my sole heir is my daughter. May I give two-thirds of my wealth in charity?' He replied, 'No.' 'Then one-half, O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him?' Again he said, 'No.' 'Well perhaps, one-third, O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him?' At this the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said, 'One-third, and one-third is a lot. It is better that you should leave her rich rather than dependent, begging people. Indeed, you will not spend anything seeking the Face of Allah and not receive a reward for it, even that which you put in the mouth of your wife.' Then Sa’ad said, 'O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, am I to be left behind in Mecca after my Companions leave?' He replied, 'You will not be left behind doing anything seeking the pleasure of Allah that you will not cause you to be raised in degree and rank. May you be left in order that some people will benefit from you and that some are harmed by you.' Then he supplicated (saying), 'O Allah, complete for my Companions their migration, and do not turn them back on their heels.' But the one to be pitied was Sa’ad son of Khaulah who died in Mecca, for whom the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, expressed mercy and compassion." Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to (Abu Ishaq) Sa’ad, the son of Abi Wakkas Malik son of Uhaib (one of the ten given the glad tidings of admission into Paradise) reported this. HELP THE WEAK |H 273 “Look for me among the weak, because you are helped and provided for on account of the weak among you.” Abu Daud with a chain up to Abu Darda' who related that he heard the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, say this. LEGITIMATE WEALTH AND THE THANKS OF A WEALTHY PERSON Allah, the Exalted says: “For him that gives and fears (Allah) and believes in the finest, We shall surely ease him to the Path of Easing.” 92:5-7 Koran “He who gives his wealth to be purified, and confers no favor upon anyone for recompense seeking only the Face of his Lord, the Most High, surely, he shall be satisfied.” 92:17-21 Koran “If you reveal your charity, it is good, but to give charity to the poor in private is better and will acquit you from some of your evil deeds. Allah is Knowledgeable of what you do.” 2:271 Koran “You shall not attain righteousness until you spend of what you love. Whatever you spend is known to Allah.” 3:92 Koran THE RICH AND THE WISE |H 574 “There are only two categories of people worthy of envy, they are: a man to whom Allah has given wealth so he spent it on the truth; and a man to whom Allah has given wisdom with which he judges and teaches.” Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to ibn Mas'ud who related that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said this. TWO ENVIABLE TYPES OF PEOPLE |H 575 “There are two kinds of people you should envy. The person to whom Allah has given the (knowledge of) Koran and he stands reading it in prayer during the day and night; and he to whom Allah has given wealth and spends it in the cause of Allah during the hours of the night and day.” Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to ibn Omar who related that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said this. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE WEALTHY TO SURPASS THE RICH |H 576 “The Emigrants said to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, ‘The wealthy will achieve high ranks and lasting bounties.’ The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, asked, ‘How is that?’ They answered, ‘They pray as we do and keep the fast as we do; but they spend in charity whereas we are unable, and they free slaves whereas we are unable.’ He said, ‘Shall I inform you of something whereby you will surpass those who are ahead of you and will keep you ahead of those who are behind you and no one will excel you unless he does what you do?’ They replied, ‘Indeed, O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him.’ He said, ‘Glorify (Subhan-Allah) and praise (Al Hamdu llilah) and exalt (Allahu Akbar) Allah thirty-three times after each prayer.’ Not long after they returned to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and said to him, ‘Our wealthy brethren have heard what we are doing and are now doing the same.’ ‘That is the Favor of Allah, He gives it to whomsoever He will’ replied the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him.” Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that some of the poor Emigrants came to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and he said this. CHARITY CHARITY SMALL OR LARGE |H 111 “When the verse enjoining charity was revealed we (the Companions) would carry loads on our backs so that we were able to earn something that we could give away in charity. One of us gave a substantial amount to charity but the hypocrites said that he had only done it to show off. When another gave a few pounds of dates and they said: "Allah is not in need of his dates." Thereupon it was revealed: 'As for those who taunt the believers who give charity voluntarily and scoff at those who give according to their means, Allah will scoff at them. Theirs shall be a painful punishment.' “9:79 Koran Abu Mas'ud Uqbah son of Amr Ansari who related this. EXALTING AND PRAISING ALLAH IS A FORM OF CHARITY |H 121 “The wealthy are the recipients of a great deal of merit. They pray as we pray and fast as we fast, but then they are able to give charity from the excess of their wealth. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said: ‘Hasn't Allah given you that which you can use as charity? The exaltation of Allah is charity (Subhan Allah), praising Allah (Al Hamdu Lillah) is charity, bearing witness to the Oneness of Allah (La Ilaha Ill Allah) is charity, bearing witness of the greatness of Allah (Allahu Akbar) is charity, encouraging good is charity, forbidding evil is charity, cohabiting with your wives is charity.’ Upon this they asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, does that mean that if one of us satisfies his desire he is rewarded?’ He replied: ‘If he satisfied his desire unlawfully wouldn't it be sinful? Therefore when he satisfies it lawfully it is deserving of a reward.’” Muslim with a chain up to Abu Dharr who related that some people said to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, this. WAYS OF CHARITY |H 142 “Charity is incumbent upon every Muslim. He was asked: ‘What if a person has nothing?’ He answered: ‘Then he should work with his hands to his own benefit and also give charity.’ He was asked: ‘What if he is unable to work?’ The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, replied: ‘Then he should help someone who is needy and poor.’ He was asked: ‘What if he is unable to do even that?’ The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, replied: ‘Then he should encourage others to do good.’ The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, was asked: ‘What if he lacks that also?’ He replied: ‘Then he should restrain himself from doing evil, that too is charity.’" Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Musa Ash'ari who related that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said this. INVITE NON-MUSLIMS TO ISLAM |H 209 “The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, appointed me (Mu'az) to be a governor saying: ‘A group of the People of the Book will come to you. Invite them to bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that I am His Messenger. Once they have accepted this tell them that Allah has prescribed for them five prayers during the day and night. Then when they have submitted to this, tell them that Allah has made it obligatory to pay the charity tax (zakat) which will be collected from the wealthy among them and distributed among the poor. After they have agreed to this do not take their most valuable possessions for this purpose. Guard yourself against the cry of one who is wronged, for between that cry and Allah there is no barrier!’" Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Mu'az who related this. COLLECTION OF ZAKAT, THE OBLIGATORY CHARITY |H 210 “The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, appointed a man from the tribe of Azd named ibn al-Lutbiyyah to be the collector of the obligatory charity (zakat). When he returned from his assignment he reported: ‘I have collected this and this for the obligatory charity, and this, and these have been given to me as gifts. Thereupon the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, ascended the pulpit, praised and glorified Allah and said: ‘ I appointed a man from among you to carry out one of the obligations Allah has entrusted to me. He has returned and said: This is yours and this has been given to me as a gift. If he is telling the truth why didn't he stay in the house of his father or mother so that his gifts came to him there? By Allah, if any one of you takes anything unrightfully he will meet Allah on the Day of Judgement carrying that thing. Do not let me see any of you meeting Allah carrying a grunting camel or a mooing cow or a bleating goat!’ Then he raised his arms so high that the white of his armpits became visible and he supplicated: O Allah, I have conveyed Your command. He repeated this thrice.” Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hamid Sa'idi who related this. NEEDY PEOPLE |H 247 “Whenever a needy person came to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, he would turn to those present and say: ‘Intercede for him, you will have your reward. Allah causes His Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, to say what He wants.’” It is also narrated: “That which He wills.” Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Musa Ash'ari who related this. CHARITY |H 249 “For each day on which the sun rises, charity is incumbent upon each limb of the human body. To bring about a just reconciliation between two parties is charity. Helping a person to mount his animal, or to load his baggage on to it is charity. A kind word is charity. Every step taken going to the mosque for prayer is charity. The removal of something causing an inconvenience from a street is charity.” Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said this. DEFINITION OF A POOR PERSON |H 265 “A poor person is not one who can be turned away with a date or two, or a few morsels. The one who is really poor is he, who, despite his poverty refrains from asking. A poor person is not the one who goes round asking people, who can be turned away with a morsel or two or a few dates. Indeed, it is one who does not have enough to suffice him, and does not disclose his poverty so that he might be given charity, neither does he stand up to ask.” Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said this. LOOK AFTER WIDOWS AND THE NEEDY |H 266 “He who works to support widows and the needy is like one who strives in the Cause of Allah.” (The narrator also said that he thought the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, added:) “and like the one who stands praying all night, never stopping, and like the one who fasts and never breaks it.” Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said this. UNINVITED GUESTS |H 267 “The worst food is the food served at a wedding feast to which those who would have liked to come are uninvited, and to which those who are invited do not wish to attend. He who declines the invitation disobeys Allah and His Messenger, praise and peace be upon him. The worst food is the food served at a wedding feast to which the rich are invited and from which the poor are excluded.” Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said this. THE HOLY FAMILY DO NOT EAT FROM DESIGNATED CHARITY |H 298 “Hasan son of Ali, the grandson of the Holy Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, picked up a date that had been designated for charity, and put it in his mouth. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, saw him do this and asked him to remove it saying, ‘Tut, tut, don't you know that we (the Holy family and their descendants) do not eat charity.’" We are also informed: “For us (the family of the Holy Prophet) charity is unlawful.” Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said: CHARITY SURPLUS FROM ONE'S NEEDS |H 528 “The upper hand (the giver) is better than the lower (the receiver); begin with your dependents, and the best charity is from your surplus. Whosoever abstains from asking will be shielded by Allah; and he who refrains - may Allah enrich him.” Bukhari with a chain up to Abu Hurairah who related that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said this. PERSISTENT ASKING |H 529 “Do not ask persistently. If I were to be asked for something and gave it reluctantly, there is no blessing in what I gave because of the manner in which it was asked.” Muslim with a chain up to Abu Sufyan who related that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said this. THE DISCIPLINE OF THE PROPHET, praise and peace be upon him |H 593 “The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, saw a dry date lying in the street and said, ‘If I were not afraid that it might have been meant for charity I would have eaten it.’" Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Anas who related this hadith. INDEX WEALTH & CHARITY BOOK 39 REALITY OF OUR WEALTH OUR WEALTH IS ON LOAN TO US WEALTH IS NOT DECREASED BY GIVING CHARITY PROVISION CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME HELP THE WEAK LEGITIMATE WEALTH AND THE THANKS OF A WEALTHY PERSON KORAN THE RICH AND THE WISE TWO ENVIABLE TYPES OF PEOPLE YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE WEALTHY TO SURPASS THE RICH CHARITY CHARITY SMALL OR LARGE EXALTING AND PRAISING ALLAH IS A FORM OF CHARITY WAYS OF CHARITY INVITE NON-MUSLIMS TO ISLAM COLLECTION OF ZAKAT, THE OBLIGATORY CHARITY NEEDY PEOPLE CHARITY DEFINITION OF A POOR PERSON LOOK AFTER WIDOWS AND THE NEEDY UNINVITED GUESTS THE HOLY FAMILY DO NOT EAT FROM DESIGNATED CHARITY CHARITY SURPLUS FROM ONE'S NEEDS PERSISTENT ASKING THE DISCIPLINE OF THE PROPHET, praise and peace be upon him