Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) — 65: To Keep What You Spend
Islamic Perspectives - Muslim Journals
Arab News & Information - By Sheikh Muhammad
Al-Ghazali
Many people receive God's great bounty, but they are
mindful only of their own desires, careless about
others. They immerse themselves in pleasures at the
expense of the hungry. In their arrogance, they look
with disdain at others. God has warned believers
against such stupidity: "Believers! Do not let your
riches or your children make you oblivious of the
remembrance of God. Those who do so will surely be the
losers. Give, then, out of what We have provided for
you, before death comes to any of you, and then he
says, ‘My Lord, if You would grant me a delay for a
short while, I would give in charity and be one of the
righteous.'" (63: 9-10)
When we study the life of the Prophet (peace be upon
him), we are amazed at the great emphasis he
insistently placed on charity, and the strong words he
said against miserliness. We can say for certain that
all philosophies that discard faith and appeal to the
masses could only flourish in materialistic
environments and in blind individualism.
By contrast, every morning, as people went about their
work, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) reminded
them of these truths. Abu Hurayrah quotes the Prophet
as saying: "As people begin their day every morning,
two angels descend to the earth and pray: ‘Our Lord,
grant the one who spends in charity better
compensation and deal ruin to the miserly.'" In a
sacred, i.e. qudsi, Hadith the Prophet mentions that
God says: "My servant, spend on others and I will give
you more." The Prophet adds: "God's hand is full of
riches that are not diminished by spending; it
overflows day and night. Can you think of how much He
gave away since He created the heavens and the earth?
It did not decrease what He has."
The Prophet has clarified that charity is not accepted
by God unless it comes from legitimate earnings. God
has required His messengers in particular, and all
people in general, to make sure that they earn their
living in a legitimate way. He says to all prophets:
"Messengers! Eat of that which is wholesome, and do
good deeds." (23: 51) To all others, He says:
"Believers, eat of the wholesome things We have
provided for you, and give thanks to God, if it is
truly Him that you worship." (2: 172) These were the
teachings that produced a society in which the rich
are very kindly to the poor. They disdain the worship
of money and reject any gain that comes from
suspicious sources. The Prophet provided for them a
living example, showing them the right way to follow.
In relation to worldly riches and wealth, he combined
the two noble characteristics of a wealthy person who
is full of gratitude and a poor one who is always
patient in adversity.
Yes, indeed, he had wealth. God says to him in the
Qur'an: "Has He not found you an orphan and given you
a shelter? And found you in error, and guided you? And
found you poor and enriched you?" (93: 6-8) When he
was young, his wealth came from his profitable trading
for his wealthy wife. Later, his share of the spoils
of war was enormous, but he kept nothing of all this
for himself. He used it all to enable the poor to meet
their needs. He would give away everything he had. His
wives followed his example, and they would often give
whatever they had, and then discover that they had
left themselves nothing to buy their dinner.
During his last illness, he was concerned about a
small gold coin he had. He would not rest until it had
been given away to the poor. He wondered: "How can I
meet God if it remains with me?"
It is well known that whatever he owned could not be
inherited by any relatives of his. This is a rule that
applied to all prophets. Everything he left behind was
given away to charity. In his prayers he used to say:
"My Lord, give Muhammad's household provisions that
are just sufficient for their living." Therefore, when
he departed this life to be with God, he was almost
like the people of heaven in his attitude to the
riches and comforts of this world. He wanted nothing
of them.
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