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الفتح الربانی
Fath al-Rabbani
مسائل الفقر والغنىIssues of Poverty and Wealth
بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي فَضْلِ الْفُقَرَاءِ الْمَسَاكِينِ والتَّرْغِيْبِ فِي حُبِّهِمْ وَمُجَالَسَتِهِمْChapter on what has been narrated regarding the virtue of the poor and needy, and encouragement to love and sit with them
Hadith 9328
اُردوEn
وَعَنْهُ أَيْضًا قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ ((الْتَقَى مُؤْمِنَانِ عَلَى بَابِ الْجَنَّةِ مُؤْمِنٌ غَنِيٌّ وَمُؤْمِنٌ فَقِيرٌ كَانَا فِي الدُّنْيَا فَأُدْخِلَ الْفَقِيرُ الْجَنَّةَ وَحُبِسَ الْغَنِيُّ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُحْبَسَ ثُمَّ أُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَلَقِيَهُ الْفَقِيرُ فَيَقُولُ أَيْ أَخِي مَا ذَا حَبَسَكَ وَاللَّهِ لَقَدِ احْتُبِسْتَ حَتَّى خِفْتُ عَلَيْكَ فَيَقُولُ أَيْ أَخِي إِنِّي حُبِسْتُ بَعْدَكَ مَحْبَسًا فَظِيعًا كَرِيهًا وَمَا وَصَلْتُ إِلَيْكَ حَتَّى سَالَ مِنِّي الْعَرَقُ مَا لَوْ وَرَدَهُ أَلْفُ بَعِيرٍ كُلُّهَا آكِلَةُ حَمْضٍ لَصَدَرَتْ عَنْهُ رِوَاءً))
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Two believers will meet at the gate of Paradise, one will be wealthy and the other poor; they will have been friends in the world. The poor one will be admitted into Paradise, and the wealthy one will be held back for as long as Allah wills. Then, when he is admitted into Paradise and meets the poor one, the poor one will say: O my brother! What kept you back? By Allah, you were held back for so long that I began to fear for you. He will say: O my brother! After you, I was kept at such a place that was very terrifying and unpleasant, and until I reached you, I sweated so much that if a thousand camels that eat the hamd plant came to drink it, they would have drunk their fill and returned satisfied.
Brief Explanation
Benefits: … Ḥamḍ: This is a salty and sour plant that stands upright on a stalk, and for livestock it is as pleasant a fodder as fruit is for humans. Eating this plant makes the animals thirsty.
It is necessary to reflect upon the ahadith mentioned in this chapter; in them, neither any particular poor person nor any particular rich person has been made the subject.
The reality is that wealth and property are a great blessing, but fulfilling the requirements of this blessing is a very difficult task, and it has been observed in practice that as wealth increases, corruption and disorder arise in one’s temperament. This decision will not be made in the light of anyone’s opinion, but in the light of the Shari‘ah texts, as to what rights are imposed upon the wealthy. Consider just one example:
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu is the most virtuous of the Ummah; in greatness and merit, neither Sayyiduna Salman, nor Sayyiduna Suhayb, nor Sayyiduna Bilal can compare to him. Keep in mind another point: Sayyiduna Abu Sufyan radi Allahu anhu, after twenty or twenty-one years of enmity towards Islam, became Muslim at the time of the conquest of Makkah. Yet, this too is the grace of Allah Most Generous, that ultimately he was granted guidance. Every Muslim should accept Sayyiduna Abu Sufyan radi Allahu anhu as a Companion (Sahabi). However, when Sayyiduna Salman, Sayyiduna Suhayb, and Sayyiduna Bilal, keeping in view Abu Sufyan’s enmity towards Islam and the sufferings he caused, commented that the swords of Allah had not fulfilled their right in striking down the neck of the enemy of Allah, what they meant was that it would have been better if Abu Sufyan had been killed before accepting Islam. In reality, this comment was not appropriate according to the principles of the Shari‘ah. On this basis, when Sayyiduna Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu merely said to these poor Companions, “Do you say such a thing about a noble and elder of Quraysh (have some consideration)?” the words of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu were extremely appropriate. But the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, considering the feelings of the poor Companions, addressed Sayyiduna Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu with a warning, saying: “O Abu Bakr! Perhaps you have angered them, and if you have angered them, then your Lord will also be angry with you.” Hearing this, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu returned to them and said: “O our brothers! Perhaps you are angry with me?” They replied: “No, O Abu Bakr! May Allah forgive you.”
In this blessed hadith, only this aspect was considered, that the feelings of people like Sayyiduna Bilal radi Allahu anhu should not be hurt. From this, we should realize what the rights of the poor and needy are. Are these rights being fulfilled today? Merely giving charity and alms will not fulfill this right; Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu also used to give much charity. Our society is no longer Islamic; we do not consider Islamic teachings to be a source of pride for ourselves. Islam is not just the performance of prayer and the journeys of Hajj and ‘Umrah. The greatest virtue of Islam is that it seeks to purify the heart from every kind of impurity and bring about such purity that every Islamic command becomes easy to accept.
But alas! In our society, the standard of respect and honor, affection and love, and friendship and companionship is no longer anyone’s faith and conviction, nor Islam and submission. Rather, we either maintain the friendships of our elders or make someone’s wealth, property, and status the criterion. When meeting those afflicted with poverty, destitution, and hardship, we cannot even show a smile on our faces, but when a worldly person or landlord comes to our home, rose petals will be scattered to welcome him, a formal manner will be adopted, and hospitality will be extended beyond our means. In any case, doing so is not any excellence for a person as a human being, let alone as a Muslim.
It is necessary to reflect upon the ahadith mentioned in this chapter; in them, neither any particular poor person nor any particular rich person has been made the subject.
The reality is that wealth and property are a great blessing, but fulfilling the requirements of this blessing is a very difficult task, and it has been observed in practice that as wealth increases, corruption and disorder arise in one’s temperament. This decision will not be made in the light of anyone’s opinion, but in the light of the Shari‘ah texts, as to what rights are imposed upon the wealthy. Consider just one example:
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu is the most virtuous of the Ummah; in greatness and merit, neither Sayyiduna Salman, nor Sayyiduna Suhayb, nor Sayyiduna Bilal can compare to him. Keep in mind another point: Sayyiduna Abu Sufyan radi Allahu anhu, after twenty or twenty-one years of enmity towards Islam, became Muslim at the time of the conquest of Makkah. Yet, this too is the grace of Allah Most Generous, that ultimately he was granted guidance. Every Muslim should accept Sayyiduna Abu Sufyan radi Allahu anhu as a Companion (Sahabi). However, when Sayyiduna Salman, Sayyiduna Suhayb, and Sayyiduna Bilal, keeping in view Abu Sufyan’s enmity towards Islam and the sufferings he caused, commented that the swords of Allah had not fulfilled their right in striking down the neck of the enemy of Allah, what they meant was that it would have been better if Abu Sufyan had been killed before accepting Islam. In reality, this comment was not appropriate according to the principles of the Shari‘ah. On this basis, when Sayyiduna Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu merely said to these poor Companions, “Do you say such a thing about a noble and elder of Quraysh (have some consideration)?” the words of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu were extremely appropriate. But the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, considering the feelings of the poor Companions, addressed Sayyiduna Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu with a warning, saying: “O Abu Bakr! Perhaps you have angered them, and if you have angered them, then your Lord will also be angry with you.” Hearing this, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu returned to them and said: “O our brothers! Perhaps you are angry with me?” They replied: “No, O Abu Bakr! May Allah forgive you.”
In this blessed hadith, only this aspect was considered, that the feelings of people like Sayyiduna Bilal radi Allahu anhu should not be hurt. From this, we should realize what the rights of the poor and needy are. Are these rights being fulfilled today? Merely giving charity and alms will not fulfill this right; Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu also used to give much charity. Our society is no longer Islamic; we do not consider Islamic teachings to be a source of pride for ourselves. Islam is not just the performance of prayer and the journeys of Hajj and ‘Umrah. The greatest virtue of Islam is that it seeks to purify the heart from every kind of impurity and bring about such purity that every Islamic command becomes easy to accept.
But alas! In our society, the standard of respect and honor, affection and love, and friendship and companionship is no longer anyone’s faith and conviction, nor Islam and submission. Rather, we either maintain the friendships of our elders or make someone’s wealth, property, and status the criterion. When meeting those afflicted with poverty, destitution, and hardship, we cannot even show a smile on our faces, but when a worldly person or landlord comes to our home, rose petals will be scattered to welcome him, a formal manner will be adopted, and hospitality will be extended beyond our means. In any case, doing so is not any excellence for a person as a human being, let alone as a Muslim.
