Forty Hadiths on the Virtue of Charity
From Al-Harith Al-Ash'ari
The Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
Indeed, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, commanded John son of Zechariah, peace be upon them both,
with five commandments.
To act upon them,
and to command the Children of Israel to act upon them.
And he was about to delay.
So Jesus said to him:
You have indeed been commanded with five commandments to act upon them,
and to command the Children of Israel to act upon them.
So either you convey them,
or I shall convey them.
He said:
My brother,
I fear that if you precede me,
I may be punished or swallowed by the earth.
He said:
So John gathered the Children of Israel in the House of the Sacred,
until the mosque was filled.
Then he sat on the elevated platform.
He praised Allah and lauded Him.
Then he said:
Indeed, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, commanded me with five commandments
to act upon them,
and commanded you to act upon them.
The first of them
is to worship Allah and associate nothing with Him.
For the likeness of that
is like a man who bought a slave from his own wealth with silver or gold,
and the slave began to work
and render his produce to someone other than his master.
So which of you would be pleased for his slave to be like that?
And indeed, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, created you and provided for you.
So worship Him and associate nothing with Him.
And He commanded you with prayer.
Indeed, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, turns His face towards His servant's face as long as he does not look away.
So when you pray, do not look away.
And He commanded you with fasting.
For the likeness of that
is like a man who has a pouch of musk
among a group of people, all of whom can smell the musk.
And indeed, the breath of the fasting person is more fragrant to Allah than the scent of musk.
And He commanded you with charity.
For the likeness of that is like a man captured by the enemy,
and his hands were tied to his neck,
and he was brought forward to have his neck struck.
He said:
Do you have a way for me to ransom myself from you?
So he began to ransom himself from them with little and much.
Until he ransomed himself.
And He commands you to remember Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, often.
And indeed, that is
like a man pursued by an enemy, rushing after him.
He came to a strong fortress and fortified himself within it.
And indeed, the servant is most fortified against Satan
when he is in the remembrance of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.
He said,
And the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
And I command you with five things,
Allah has commanded me with them:
Unity,
and listening and obeying,
and migration,
and striving in the cause of Allah.
For whoever leaves the unity by a handspan
has removed the rope of Islam from his neck,
unless he returns.
And whoever calls with the call of ignorance,
he will be among the fuel of Hellfire.
They said, "O Messenger of Allah,
even if he fasts and prays?"
He said,
"Even if he fasts and prays,
and claims to be a Muslim.
So call the Muslims by their names,
as Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has named them:
Muslims, believers,
servants of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic."
Narrated by Ahmad and Tirmidhi,
and authenticated by Al-Albani.