Righteousness is Built Through Giving

Qur’an
Hadith

“If I had the equivalent of the mountain of Uhud in gold, three days would not pass before I would have spent all of it.”

One day, the Prophet(saw) was standing between two mountains, and in the valley between them was an entire herd of camels as far as the eye could see. A Bedouin stood beside the Prophet (saw) and asked if they all belonged to him(saw). The Prophet (saw) said they did and asked the Bedouin if he liked them. When the Bedouin said yes, the Prophet (saw) told him to take them all. When the Bedouin returned to his people he said, “O my people, surrender to Allah. I have come to you from the best of people, Muhammad (saw), for verily he gives a giving of someone who does not fear poverty.”

One day the Prophet (saw) saw Saydina Bilal with dates appearing hesitant to give. He (saw) said, “Bilal, spend, spend! How can you ever fear poverty when you worship the Possessor of the Throne (Arsh)?

Give Like the Unrestricted Wind
  • Prophet Muhammad (saw) gave like the unrestricted wind: quickly, consistently, encompassing everything. He gave in abundance, never hesitating.
  • The Prophet’s (saw) state (hal), his essence (haqq) was that he was remarkably generous in his giving, and the time when he would peak in his generosity was in the month of Ramadan.
Charity is Proof of Pure Surrender to Allah (swt)
  • When you give from what Allah (swt) has given you and you give everything that Allah (swt) has given you it is proof of the truth of your iman.

    • Sadaqa is part of a mosaic of surrender to the Divine that we are all trying to embody.

  • We stand and pray five times a day in a form that is not logical; there is no scientific, logical reasoning for the way we pray other than pure surrender to Allah (swt) (ubudiyya).
  • A large part of our existence is having material possessions: money, things. An essential element of our status as a servant of Allah (mu’min billah) revolves around the idea of giving: Allah You have given me, I give in Your Way (Fisabilillah).
  • Allah (swt) says: O you who believe! Spend of that which We have provided for you, before a day comes then there will be no bargaining nor friendship, nor intercession. (2:254)
Righteousness is Predicated Upon Giving
  • You can’t attain righteousness until you spend from that which you love; that is how righteousness is cultivated.
  • Miserliness and belief will never come together in the heart of a Believer. You can’t say you are a believer while at the same time you are miserly and don’t give.
  • The essence of what it means to be a Muslim, a mu’min, a servant, is to give everything in this world and to not live with anything in this world (dunya) that is going to burden you in the Hereafter (Akhira).
  • Prophet Muhammad (saw) said,”When the son of Adam dies, he is cut off from everything except three things.” One of those things is on-going charity; what you have given in this life (dunya).
  • Every single day a servant wakes up, two angels descend and they look at all of us and make du’a to Allah (swt): “O Allah, give to the ones who give, and decrease from those who withhold.” Even the decrease is mercy if our money and belongings are a source of fitna in our Afterlife (Akhira).
Save Yourself From Hellfire
  • Every servant will stand in front of Allah (swt) on the Day of Judgment and there will be nothing in between you and Allah (swt). Everything is gone. There is only you and Allah (swt). You look to your right and you see what you put forward; you look to your left and you see what you put forward and you look in front of you and you see Hellfire (Jahannam). Put a barrier between yourself and Hellfire even with a piece of date.
  • Sayda ‘Aisha said, “Don’t belittle any type of giving.” Whether a tissue, a penny; give it Fisabilillah.
  • When we die we will say, “Ya Allah, let me go back and let me exact righteousness in that which I have left behind.” Once you are dead, there is no going back once Allah(swt) has taken the soul.
Giving Poses a Deep Question of One’s Theology (Aqida) and Belief (Iman)
  • When you give with an open heart, you show Allah (swt) that you are confident that Allah is Al-Razzaq; when you commit evil for money, you are denying Al-Razzaq.
  • Fortify yourself theologically and spiritually. Demonstrate that you believe in Allah, in Al-Razzaq, in the Arsh.
  • Give from what you love, as Abu Darda gave his garden, as the son of Saydina Umar gave his fish, and gave his camel when he realized it had entered his heart.
  • Don’t fear poverty. Allah has said: Do not kill your children for fear of poverty. (17:31).
  • Give abundantly, especially during Ramadan.
Allah (swt) is the First Recipient of What is Given
  • Sayda ‘Aisha would dip every charity she gave into musk because in her heart she was giving it to Allah.
  • Prophet Muhammad (saw) said,”Those who give charity the equivalent of a date from their good earnings, Allah(swt) accepts it with His Right Hand and he invests it for you until you come in the Afterlife and you see it the equivalent of a mountain by the Grace of Allah.”
Everything is From Allah (swt) who is Al-Razzaq
  • Everything we have is from Allah (swt). Nothing is from our own efforts. It is Allah Who gives want or plenty.
  • Allah (swt) says: Who among you will loan to Allah a beautiful loan? 2:245 Charity (sadaqa) is spoken of in the form of a loan. When you are giving money, Allah (swt) is saying you are loaning it to Me, and I will give it back to you.
  • In a Hadith Qudsi, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Allah (swt) said, ‘Spend O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you.’
Du’a

We ask Allah (saw) to accept our worship from us in the blessed month of Ramadan.
We ask Allah (saw0 to increase us and to elevate our ranks and to forgive our sins and our shortcomings, and to shower us with His Everlasting Grace.
We ask you Allah to have mercy upon this Ummah and to have mercy upon this community, our families, and to bring relief to all our brothers and sisters across the world who are in dire need of Your ease. Ya Allah, help them.

Questions
  • What fears prevent me from giving more generously and consistently?
  • What am I willing to give to attain righteousness?
  • How will I use the remaining days of Ramadan to demonstrate I believe in Al-Razzaq?