Our mother ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her
O ‘A’ishah, do not hoard, lest Allah withhold from you.
Cultivating the habit of spending in the way of Allah.
And showing kindness to the poor and the needy.
It possesses several dimensions.
Do not stop merely at encouraging people to give charity.
It merely adds to that.
by nurturing them in the purification of their souls.
By adorning oneself with the etiquette of charity and showing kindness to all of creation.
And when we live alongside that beautiful life
Regarding the Prophetic biography (Seerah) of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
With ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
We find the depth of the spiritual training regarding charity and its proper etiquette.
During the life of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
In the company of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
He is a model of what the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was like.
Among the ways he nurtured his Companions was by teaching them to give charity and show kindness to people.
We covered this in a previous article.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
He taught 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, the principle for identifying the needy.
And do not consider any act of charity to be insignificant.
Then you bring forth whatever is feasible.
Even if it were but half a date.
And today
We shall examine the upbringing and moral cultivation imparted by the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
for ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
upon a profound etiquette from among the etiquettes of charity.
He has a connection to the poor in one respect.
And through the purification of the soul, from another perspective.
And thirdly, regarding one's relationship with Allah.
How magnificent was the upbringing provided by the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
for his Ummah regarding the virtues of character.
And the purification of the souls.
Among the observations regarding the pedagogical method of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
to his wives
He utilizes the events that occur before him involving them.
He would guide them according to the requirements of the situation, without any affectation.
Among those formative educational events
What was narrated by 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
She said
Once, a person in need came to me.
And I have the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
So I ordered that something be given to him.
Then I called for him.
So I looked at him.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
Do you not wish for nothing to enter or leave your house except with your knowledge?
I said, "Yes."
He said
Gently now, O ‘A’ishah.
It cannot be enumerated.
Then Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, will keep an account of it for you.
It was recorded by al-Nasa'i.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, directed her in this hadith.
toward a profound etiquette that is deeply connected to the soul.
It is the giving without measure.
Such a sentiment could only emanate from a noble soul.
I have rid myself of the clinging remnants of stinginess and greed.
O ‘A’ishah
It cannot be enumerated.
Enumeration is the act of counting.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, forbade ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
That you count what you give out in charity.
She knew precisely what had left her house in the form of charity.
And what is its prescribed amount?
Ibn al-Mulaqqin, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
Enumerating a thing.
Knowing its value, its weight, or its quantity.
However,
What is it that compels a person to keep count of their charitable acts?
And he counts it out at the time of distributing the zakat.
And why does he want to know what he has spent and how much he has given?
Here, the impurities of stinginess and greed begin to emerge.
Which afflict the soul.
Which a person may not initially perceive.
Yet it grows until it makes him stingy.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, intended
Our mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, drew attention to this impurity.
Before she could gain control over herself.
It is therefore difficult to rid oneself of them.
Ibn Qarquol, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
That is, do not rely solely on yourself when determining the extent of your spending.
And in another hadith
Do not withhold [your wealth], lest Allah withhold from you.
And finally
Do not hoard [your wealth], lest Allah withhold from you.
All of this is a metaphor for withholding and stinginess.
And whoever follows that.
The one who calculates and counts his charity at the time of giving it.
He fears that his wealth will diminish and decrease in the future.
He intends to spend with careful calculation.
And he stores up for himself according to his account.
Al-Khattabi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
This is because it encompasses what it encompasses.
For the purpose of preservation and storing up for the future.
It will be reckoned against them through the severance of blessings and the withholding of increase.
Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, stated:
The meaning is
That he forbade withholding charity out of fear of poverty.
For that is among the greatest causes for severing the source of blessing.
For Allah rewards those who give without measure.
And he who is not brought to account when the recompense is due.
It is not held against him when he gives.
And whoever knows that Allah will provide for him from where he does not expect.
His right is that he should give without keeping count.
Furthermore, the one who keeps count of his own acts of charity tends to overestimate them.
He believes that he has given a great deal in charity.
Ibn al-Mulaqqin, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
The meaning
You cannot count what you give.
So you should seek to increase it.
This then becomes a cause for its severance.
Then Allah shall keep an account of it for you.
The recompense is of the same nature as the deed.
For the one who is meticulous in calculating his zakat,
Allah keeps an account of what He bestows upon him.
Al-Tibi, may Allah have mercy on him, stated:
And the statement
Then Allah shall record it against you.
It is susceptible to two interpretations.
One of the two.
He retains the means of sustenance with Him.
And he diminishes it by severing the blessing.
Until it becomes for you a counted thing.
And the latter.
That He will hold you to account for it in the Hereafter.
And in this Prophetic guidance
It serves as a means of cultivating our relationship with Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.
By maintaining a good opinion of Him and having firm trust in His promise.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, swore oaths regarding certain matters.
Among these is his statement
Wealth never decreases on account of charity.
It was recorded by al-Tabarani.
So, whoever thinks that by spending on the poor
His wealth will diminish.
He has harbored an evil assumption about Allah.
Indeed, Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,
He rewards those who spend seeking only His countenance.
Through an increase in giving and blessings.
Allah the Almighty says:
“And the likeness of those who spend their wealth in search of Allah's pleasure, and for the strengthening of their souls, is as the likeness of a garden on a height. The rainstorm smiteth it and it bringeth forth its fruit twofold. And if the rainstorm smite it not, then the shower. Allah is Seer of what ye do.” (2:265)
Seeking the pleasure of Allah.
And as a means of firming the heart.
And as a means of strengthening their own souls.
It is like a garden
Like a garden
upon a high ground which a downpour has struck
So it yielded its fruit.
It yielded its fruit twofold.
“And the likeness of those who spend their wealth in search of Allah's pleasure, and for the strengthening of their souls, is as the likeness of a garden on a height. The rainstorm smiteth it and it bringeth forth its fruit twofold. And if the rainstorm smite it not, then the shower. Allah is Seer of what ye do.” (2:265)
So he requested
And Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.
And the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
For Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him.
Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, spent [in the way of Allah].
And do not fear any reduction in provision from the Possessor of the Throne.
It was recorded by al-Tabarani.
This is the month of spending and providing solace to those in need.
Shall we, then, be among those who spend without measure?
We shall continue in our next meeting, if Allah wills.
And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
Our mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her.