Fath al-Rabbani

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah Almighty accepts charities and receives them in His right hand, then He continues to increase them just as one of you raises a foal, a she-camel, or a calf, until a morsel becomes as great as the mountain of Uhud. In his narration, Waki’ said: The confirmation of this statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is found in these verses of the Noble Qur’an: Allah accepts the repentance of His servants and takes their charities. () And Allah destroys usury and increases charities. ()

It is also narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever among the believers gives charity from lawful and pure earnings—and Allah Almighty accepts only that which is pure, and only this lawful earning ascends towards the sky—then Allah Almighty takes this (charity) in His hand and keeps increasing it just as one of you raises his mare or calf, until a single date becomes as large as a great mountain.

Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) has also narrated a similar type of hadith from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: The example of the miser and the one who gives charity is like two men upon whom are two iron coats of armor, and their hands are tied up to their collarbones. When the charitable person intends to give charity, his coat expands so much that it begins to erase the marks of his feet. But when the miserly person intends to give charity, each ring of his coat contracts and becomes tightly bound upon him. Then I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: Then he tries his utmost to loosen his coat, but it does not become wide.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with him), he says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When the sun rises, two angels are sent on its both sides, they announce to everything on the face of the earth except jinn and mankind, making them hear: O people! Come towards your Lord, surely a little that suffices is better than abundance that makes one heedless. Similarly, when the sun sets, at that time also two angels are sent on its both sides and, making the rest of the inhabitants of the earth except jinn and mankind hear, they announce: O Allah! Grant a substitute to the one who spends in Your way, and destroy the wealth of the miser.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, stated: Allah Almighty said: O son of Adam! Spend (in My way), I will spend on you. Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Allah’s right hand is full and always giving, and nothing spent during the night and day can diminish it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: A man was in a desert when he heard a voice in the cloud: (Cloud!) Go and water the garden of such-and-such man. The cloud moved to one side and rained on a solid piece of land. When this man reached there, he saw that all the water had gathered and, flowing through various channels, had formed a large stream. This man walked along with the water and, going further, saw a man standing in his garden, watering his plants with a shovel. He asked: O servant of Allah! What is your name? He gave the same name that he had heard in the cloud. The garden owner said: O servant of Allah! Why do you ask my name? He said: The cloud from which this water came, I heard a voice in it, mentioning your name and saying to go and water his garden. Therefore, now tell me, do you do any special deed because of which Allah’s special mercy continues to reach you? The garden owner said: Since you have asked, then listen! I give one third of the total income of this garden in charity in the way of Allah, one third is for me and my family to eat, and one third I spend on this garden.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says: A man from Banu Tamim came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! I am quite wealthy and I have a large family, children, and I often have many guests; now tell me how should I spend my wealth or what should I do? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Pay the zakat of your wealth, this pure act will purify you; likewise, maintain ties of kinship with your relatives, and you should also be aware of the rights of the beggar, the neighbor, and the needy. He said: O Messenger of Allah! Please clarify these matters for me briefly. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Give your relatives, the needy, and travelers their rights, and avoid extravagance. Upon hearing this, he said: O Messenger of Allah! Is it sufficient for me that when I pay zakat to your envoy, will I have fulfilled my responsibility before Allah and His Messenger? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Yes, when you pay zakat to my envoy, you will be absolved of it and you will receive its reward; however, whoever changes it (unlawfully), its sin will be upon him alone.