Riyadh as-Salihin (The Meadows of the Righteous) from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter: Generosity, Magnanimity, and Spending in Avenues of Good
Out of Trust in Allah Almighty.
On the authority of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
That they slaughtered a sheep,
And the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked:
"What remains of it?"
She replied:
"Nothing remains of it except its shoulder."
He said:
"All of it remains except its shoulder."
Narrated by at-Tirmidhi.
The meaning is:
They gave it all in charity except for its shoulder.
So he said:
"It has been preserved for us in the Hereafter, except for its shoulder."
Among the lessons of the hadith:
Encouragement to give charity and to attach great importance to it,
And that a person should not consider what he spends in it to be too much.
It demonstrates the generosity of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and his household.
A servant's true wealth is what he sends forth and whose reward is stored with Allah.
Allah does not let the reward of anyone who does good deeds go to waste;
Rather, He preserves it and grants it to him in full on the Day of Resurrection.
On the authority of Asma' bint Abi Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with them both,
She said that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, told me:
"Do not tie up your provisions, lest Allah withhold provisions from you."
In another narration: "Spend, give generously, or bestow gifts,
And do not count your wealth, lest Allah withhold from you,
And do not hoard in vessels, lest Allah withhold His abundance from you."
Agreed upon.
"Infahi" (give generously) carries the same meaning as "anfiqi" (spend),
As does "andahi" (bestow).
"Do not tie up" means: do not hoard, tightly bind what you possess, or withhold what is in your hands,
"Lest it be tied up" means: lest sustenance be cut off from you.
"Do not count" means: do not cling to wealth, counting and hoarding it without spending it,
"Lest Allah count against you,"
Meaning He withholds sustenance from you and subjects you to a strict reckoning on the Day of Resurrection.
"Do not hoard in vessels" means: do not withhold your surplus wealth,
"Lest Allah withhold from you,"
Meaning Allah treats you with strictness and withholds His favor and bounty from you.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
An emphasis on and urging toward spending in charity.
A prohibition against withholding charity out of fear of depletion,
For that is among the greatest causes of cutting off blessing,
Because Allah, Glorified is He, rewards giving without measure.
It is of the justice of Allah Almighty that the recompense corresponds to the nature of the deed.
Whoever knows that Allah provides for him from where he does not expect,
It is his duty to spend and not meticulously calculate.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
That he heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"The likeness of the miser and the generous spender
Is that of two men wearing two coats of armor made of iron,
Covering them from their chests to their collarbones.
As for the spender,
Whenever he spends, it expands
Or lengthens over his skin until it covers his fingertips
And erases his footprints as he walks.
As for the miser,
Whenever he wishes to spend anything,
Every ring locks tightly in its place;
He tries to loosen it, but it does not expand."
Agreed upon.
"Al-Junnah" means the coat of armor.
The meaning is that whenever the spender gives, it expands and elongates
Until it trails behind him,
Covering his feet and erasing the traces of his steps.
"Taraqihima" is the plural of "tarquwah" (collarbone),
Which is the bone between the pit of the throat and the shoulder on either side.
"Sabaghat"
Means it extended and covered.
"Wafarat"
Means it became full and complete.
"Bananuhu"
Means his fingers or fingertips.
"Ta'fu atharahu"
Means it conceals his footprints and hides them so they do not show.
"Laziqat"
Means it contracted and clung tightly.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
Parables serve as evidence for the superiority of the charitable person over the miser.
Charity expiates sins,
Just as a trailing garment erases the footprints of its wearer as its hem sweeps over them.
A true promise to the charitable person of blessing and divine aid,
As well as concealment of faults and protection from affliction,
Because charity repels calamity.
The miser will be branded with his hoarded treasure in the Fire on the Day of Resurrection.
A promise from Allah that the miser will be exposed.
When the generous person intends to give charity,
His heart expands and his soul feels joyous and willing,
Whereas when the miser contemplates giving charity,
He becomes stingy, his chest tightens, and his hands clench.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever gives the equivalent of a date in charity from lawful earnings—
And Allah accepts only that which is good and lawful—
Allah accepts it with His right hand,
Then nurtures it for its owner just as one of you raises his foal,
Until it becomes like a mountain."
Agreed upon.
"Al-Faluw" is a young weaned foal.
"The equivalent" means its worth from good, lawful earnings
Free from deceit and deception.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
Allah does not accept charity unless it comes from pure and lawful wealth,
Because Allah Almighty is Pure and accepts only that which is pure.
Allah multiplies the charity given from lawful earnings
Until it becomes like a massive mountain.
Affirmation of the attribute of the two Hands for Allah,
And both of His Hands are right.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
From the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"While a man was walking in a barren desert,
He heard a voice in a cloud saying:
'Water the garden of so-and-so.'
Thereupon that cloud moved away
And poured its water over a stony volcanic tract.
Suddenly, one of the watercourses
Captured all of that water.
So he followed the water
And found a man standing in his garden,
Channeling the water with his shovel.
He asked him:
'O servant of Allah, what is your name?'
He replied: 'So-and-so,'
Giving the exact name he had heard from the cloud.
The man then asked:
'O servant of Allah,
Why do you ask me my name?'
He replied:
'I heard a voice in the cloud from which this water came, saying:
"Water the garden of so-and-so,"
Naming you.
What do you do with it?'
He said:
'Since you ask this,
I look at what it produces:
I give one-third of it in charity,
I and my family eat one-third,
And I return one-third back into it.' "
Narrated by Muslim.
"Al-Harrah"
Is land covered with black volcanic stones.
"Ash-Sharjah"
Is a stream or watercourse.
"Bi-falah"
Refers to a barren land devoid of water.
"Hadiqah"
Means an orchard or garden.
"What it produces"
Means its crops, grain, and fruit.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
Miraculous wonders occurred among past nations,
And we do not accept any of them as true
Except what has been authentically transmitted from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
The virtue of drawing closer to Allah Almighty by spending on one's family and the needy.
Certain angels are entrusted with provisions or clouds.
Affirmation of the miracles (karamat) of the righteous allies of Allah,
Who are those who believe and remain mindful of Allah.
Chapter: The Prohibition of Stinginess and Miserliness
Allah Almighty said:
"As for him who withholds, considers himself self-sufficient, and denies the best reward,
We will ease him toward hardship."
“His riches will not save him when he perisheth.” (92:11)
And Allah Almighty said:
"And whoever is saved from the greed of his soul—it is they who are the successful."
As for the hadiths,
A number of them have already been mentioned in the preceding chapter.
On the authority of Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him,
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Beware of injustice,
For injustice will be darknesses on the Day of Resurrection;
And beware of greed,
For greed destroyed those who came before you:
It drove them to shed each other's blood
And to violate each other's sanctities."
Narrated by Muslim.
Riyadh as-Salihin.