Our social:

TAG: charity

Necessary vs Unnecessary Speaking

Assalaamualaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhuh:

The following are hadith regarding unnecessary talking. We should heed the sayings of our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He also mentioned occasions when we should SPEAK. Please note these hadith and examples as well.

When to Speak:

  • In Matters of Justice
  • Speaking the Truth
  • Remembering Allah
  • Speaking Out Against Oppression & Evil

When and What not to Speak

  • Excessive Talking
  • Talking what does not concern oneself

**Therefore, one must control one’s tongue**

Prophetic Hadith on Speaking:

In Matters of Justice
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
Charity is due on every joint of a person, every day the sun rises. Administering of justice between two men is also a charity. And assisting a man to ride upon his beast, or helping him load his luggage upon it, is a charity; and a good word is a charity; and every step that you take towards the Prayer is a charity, and removing of harmful things from the pathway is a charity.
[Sahih Muslim: 1677]

Speaking the Truth
Bayhaqi from Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) with the words,
“There is no charity more beloved to Allah from speaking the truth.”
This was declared rigorously authentic by Ibn Hibban.

Al-Hadith al-Nabawi (s.a.w)

Hadith:Haj for another
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Sulayman ibn Yasar that Abdullah ibn Abbas said, “Al-Fadl ibn Abbas was riding behind the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when a woman from the Khathama tribe came to him to ask him for a fatwa. Al-Fadl began to look at her, and she at him, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, turned Fadl’s face away to the other side. The woman said, ‘Messenger of Allah, Allah’s making the hajj obligatory finds my father a very old man, unable to stay firm on his riding-beast. Can I do hajj for him?’, and he said, ‘Yes.’ This was during the farewell hajj.”
(Malik’s Muwatta, Book 20, Number 20.28.98)

Hadith: Love of the Sunnah
Narrated Anas ibn Malik

Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said to me: My son, if you are in a position to pass your morning and evening keeping your heart free from malice against anyone, then act according to it (this high ideal). He then said: My son, and that is my Sunnah and he who loves my Sunnah, in fact loves me and he who loves me, will be with me in Paradise.
Transmitted by Tirmidhi.

Hadith: Charity
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
There came a person to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and asked: Messenger of Allah, which charity is the best? Upon this he said: That you should give charity (in a state when you are) healthy, closefisted, haunted by the fear of poverty and hoping to become rich (charity in such a state of health and mind is the best). And you must not defer (charity to such a length) that you are about to die and would be saying: This is for so and so, and this is for so and so. Lo, it has already come into (the possession of so and so).
(Hadith number in Sahih Muslim [Arabic only]: 1713 )

Hadith :Friendship
Narrated Abu Said Al Khudri

The Prophet delivered a sermon and said, “Allah gave a choice to one of (His) slaves either to choose this world or what is with Him in the Hereafter. He chose the latter.” Abu Bakr wept. I said to myself, “Why is this Sheikh weeping, if Allah gave choice to one (of His) slaves either to choose this world or what is with Him in the Hereafter and he chose the latter?” And that slave was Allah’s Apostle himself. Abu Bakr knew more than us. The Prophet said,”O Abu Bakr! Don’t weep. The Prophet added: Abu Bakr has favored me much with his property and company. If I were to take a Khalil from mankind I would certainly have taken Abu Bakr but the Islamic brotherhood and friendship is sufficient. Close all the gates in the mosque except that of Abu Bakr.
(Bukhari Vol 1 Number 455)

Good Deeds That We Can Do Every Day To Increase Our Hasanaat

Praise be to Allah.

If Allah helps him to do righteous deeds, the Muslim can earn a great deal of reward.

There are many different kinds of righteous deeds that can be done by rich and poor, old and young, male and female, depending on each person’s circumstances, ambition and energy, after the help of Allah.

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)”

[al-Nahl 16:97]

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Hasten to do good deeds before there come tribulations like pieces of a dark night, when a man will be a believer in the morning and a kaafir by evening, or he will be a believer in the evening and a kaafir by morning, selling his religious commitment for worldly gain.” Narrated by Muslim, 118.

The kinds of good deeds that a person can do every day include the following:

1 – Praying in congregation in the mosque
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to the mosque in the morning and evening, Allah will prepare for him an honorable place in Paradise every time he goes and comes.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 631; Muslim, 669.

2 – Attending funerals and offering the funeral prayer
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever attends a funeral until he offers the (funeral) prayer will have one qiraat (of reward) and whoever attends until the burial is done will have two qiraats.” It was said: “What are the two qiraats?” He said: “Like two great mountains.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1261; Muslim, 945

The Story Of Alqamah

At the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), there was a young man named Alqamah. He was very diligent in obeying Allah by engaging in prayer and fasting and spending in charity.

Then he fell ill and his illness became serious.

His wife went to the Prophet and said, “My husband, Alqamah, is on his deathbed. I therefore came to tell you, Messenger of Allah, about his condition.”

The Prophet (then) sent for Ammar or Suhaib and Bilal, and told them to go to him (Alqamah) and have him repeat the Shahadah. Thereupon they went to him and found him in the agony of death.

They asked him to say, “La illaha illa Allah,” but his tongue was unable to pronounce it.

At that, they came and told the Messenger of Allah that he was unable to repeat the Shahadah.

The Prophet asked, “Is either of his parents alive?”
He was told, “Messenger of Allah, his mother is, but she is very old.”

The Prophet sent her a message that if it was convenient for her (that is, is she was able to go out), she should come to him; otherwise she should stay in her house and the Prophet would come to her.

The Prophets messenger came to her and informed her of the Prophets message.

She said, “May my life be a ransom for him, it is my pleasure to go to him!”
She then stood up, leaning on her walking stick, and came to the Prophet and greeted him.

Why Pay Zakat

ZAKAT (almsgiving) is a required charity of a Muslim. It is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is given by free Muslims (not slaves), who have a certain amount of wealth. “…And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and give Zakat, and lend to Allah a goodly loan. And whatever good you send before you for yourselves (i.e. Nawafil non-obligatory acts of worship: prayers, charity, fasting, Haj and ‘Umrah), you will certainly find it with Allah, better and greater in reward. And seek Forgiveness of Allah. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most-Merciful.” (Qur’an 73:20).

In the verse quoted above, and at numerous other places in the Qur’an, Muslims are directed to pay Zakat from their wealth. Zakat in Islam is a method of wealth redistribution. It makes wealth circulate in the body of the nation.

The Qur’an demands that individuals take material responsibility for poverty and suffering in the Muslim community (Ummah). That is why the Qur’anic revelation demands that each person give up a certain amount of material wealth to support the poor, the indigent, the sick, and the suffering. Generally, charity in Islam is of two types: voluntary and obligatory. A Muslim should pay a certain percentage of his wealth every year; this is Zakat, which is obligatory charity. Other than Zakat, any other money a Muslim spends for the sake of Allah is voluntary charity (Sadaqa). All Muslims, rich or poor are to pay charity proportionally. Muslims should acquire wealth with the intention of spending it on their own needs, and the needs of others.Allah says: “And whatsoever you spend of anything (in the cause of Allah), He will replace it. He is the Best of those who grants sustenance.” (Qur’an 34:39)

There are also many warnings against those who do not spend for the sake of Allah:

“And spend something (in charity) out of the substance which We have bestowed on you, before death should come to any of you and he should say, O my Lord! Why did You not give me respite for a little while? I should then have given (largely) in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of good? But to no soul will Allah grant respite when the time appointed (for it) has come; and Allah is well-acquainted with (all) that yoy do.” (Qur’an 63:11).

The Muslim, who gives out Zakat, affirms the truth that nothing is dearer to him in life than the love of Allah and that he is fully prepared to sacrifice everything for Allah’s sake.

There is no burden of obligation on one who receives Zakat, and there must be a sense of thankfulness and gratitude on the part of the giver, since he has been enabled by the recipient to discharge his obligation that he owes to Allah and society.

Zakat is the wealth given in the way of Allah to obtain purity of heart and to obtain the blessings of Allah. The root of the word Zakat in Arabic has two meanings:”purity” and “growth.”

“Take alms from their wealth (O Prophet!) in order to purify them with it.” (Qur’an 9:103)

The word (zakat) was specifically used for the wealth a Muslim gives to those in authority to meet the collective requirements of a state. It is evident from the Qur’an that like prayer, Zakat has always remained an essential ingredient of the Shari ‘ah (Islamic legislation) given to Prophets of Allah.

Zakat also pleases Allah and strengthens one’s soul: “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 smites it and it brings forth its fruit twofold. And if the rainstorm smite it not, then the shower. Allah is Seer of what you do.” (Qur’an 2:265)

Your Richness Before Your Poverty

One day we might not have anything, and the next day we might have much more than we need. One day, a person has a great job and a fat pay check, yet the next day, something happens and he does not have that job anymore and loses his source of income. So, the wise person uses his richness before he becomes poor. He invests for his future.

As for the investments of this world, then the Muslims and non-Muslims are somewhat same, in the sense they both invest in it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) would store staple food items up to a year. Sometimes he would store barley and grain for a whole year for his family. This is obviously something Halaal as the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself did it, and we should do it too. We should make sure we have enough money for our family, so we do not turn beggars. There is no doubt that this is part of our Shariah.

But while we do this, let us not forget that we should also invest for the hereafter. Should we not think about investing money so we can pluck its fruits in the hereafter, where we will need it far more than currently in this world? We should invest for the real future – in our life after death.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) once asked his companions, “Who amongst you loves his inheritors’ money more than his own money?”

A father, for example, will love his own money more than his son’s money. This is something natural. Every person will love his own money more than other people’s money.

The Companions said, “O Messenger of Allah, all of us love our own money more than we love the money of our inheritors. We all love our own money. We guard it and protect it more than the money of our inheritors.”

Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Verily, the money that you spend in charity is your money, and the money that you leave behind is the money of your inheritors.” (Al-Bukhari, 4/217)

Ponder over that Hadith for a while. How true it is. Do we not realize that all our lifelong savings enough to feed generations of people will be of no benefit to us? It will all be our inheritors’ money. But the money we spend in our lifetime for the sake of Allah will be ours permanently.

Remember that feeding your family is a type of worship if you are doing it for the sake of Allah.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whatever you spend in Allah’s Cause, you will get reward for it, even for the morsel of food which you put in your wife’s mouth.” (Al-Bukhari)

Now everybody feeds his family. But will everybody be rewarded? No. Because only the one who does it remembering Allah, thinking about Allah, and doing it for the sake of Allah will be rewarded.

Ask yourself if the last time you went shopping, was Allah in your mind? Did you think of doing this for Allah? When you picked up the milk and the bread, was your heart thinking,

“O Allah, I am buying this food through Halaal money, and this is Halaal food, because I want to feed my family and this is an obligation that You have put upon me, therefore, I am doing it for your sake.” Who amongst us has this in the mind?

When we say, “Money that is spent for the sake of Allah,” we are not just talking about Zakat and charity. They are among the most virtuous deeds no doubt. But do not forget that the majority of income we spend can all be for the sake of Allah if we have the right intention. Such consciousness of Allah all the time will also prevent us from extravagance and wasting our money.

The Gates of Paradise

Paradise has gates through which the believers, like the angels, will enter:

“‘Adn [Eden – everlasting gardens] of Paradise, whose doors will open for them” [38:50]

“…And angels shall enter unto them from every gate [with the salutation]: “Peace be unto you for that you persevered in patience! How excellent is the final home!” [13:23-24]

Allah (swt) has told us that these gates will be opened when the believers reach them, and they will be welcomed by the angels with greetings of peace:

“…til, when they reach it, its gates will be opened, and its keepers will say, “Salaamun ‘alaykum! You have done well, so enter here to abide therein.” [39:73]

The number of gates in Paradise is eight, one of which is called ar-Rayyaan, which is exclusively for those who fast.

al-Bukhaari and Muslim report from Sahl ibn Sa’eedi that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said,

“In Paradise there are eight gates, one of which is called ar-Rayyaan. No one will enter it except those who fast, and when they have entered it will be locked behind them and no one else will enter it”. [Ibn Katheer, an-Nihaayah, 2/214]

10 Gems For A Good Life

1. Wake up in the last third of the night to beg forgiveness from Allah.
“…and those who pray and beg Allah’s Pardon in the last hours of the night.” (Qur’an, 3:17)

2. At least once in a while, seclude yourself from people in order to contemplate.
“Those who remember Allah standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth…” (Qur’an, 3:191)

3. Stay in the company of the righteous.
“And keep yourself patiently with those who call on their Lord…” (Qur’an, 18:28)

4. Remember Allah often.
“Remember Allah with much remembrance.” (Qur’an, 33:41)

5. Pray two units of prayer with sincerity and devotion.?
“Those who offer their prayer with all solemnity and full submissiveness.” (Qur’an, 23:2)

6. Recite the Qur’an with understanding and reflection.
“Do they not then consider the Qur’an carefully?” (Qur ‘an, 4:82)

7. Fast on a hot, dry day.
“He abandons his food, drink, and desire — all for Me.”

8. Give charity secretly.
“Until the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand has spent.”

9. Provide relief and aid to the afflicted Muslim.
“Whoever gives relief to a Muslim from one of the vicissitudes of this life, Allah will relieve him from a calamity that is from doing the calamities of the Day of Judgment.”

10. Be as abstemious and abstinent as possible in this fleeting world.?
“The Hereafter is better and more lasting.” (Qur’an 87: 17)

– Excerpt from ‘Don’t Be Sad, IIPH

A Beautiful Advice To The People Of This World

Alluring to people is the love of women and sons, and mountains of gold and silver and fine horses and cattle and land. These are the glamours of the life of this world. The hereafter is best in ALLAH’s sight. Should I tell you about something which is better than these things? For those who believe and do right, there will be for them gardens of paradise, beneath which rivers will flow. I give you the good news of being there.

ALLAH has made a trade with the believers that in return for their wealth and their own selves, He will give them a home in His paradise, gardens of happiness beneath which rivers flow, to stay in there forever. A repayment from their Lord, for their good deeds. They will have therein pure friends, and ALLAH will make them enter cool shades. The promise of ALLAH is true, and whose word can be truer than ALLAH’s?

Whoever does good deeds whether male or female and is a believer — they will enter a garden whose width is the width of the sky and the earth. An excellent reward for the doers of right. ALLAH will be pleased with them and they will be pleased with ALLAH. ALLAH will remove whatever of ill-feeling that is in their hearts, and they will be as brethren, facing each other. They will say: O ALLAH! All Glory and thanks be to You, for guiding us to this. We would not have found the way had it not been that You had guided us. It will be said to them: This is the garden of which you are made heirs in return for what you did. Enter there in peace and comfort. Their greetings in it will be: Peace; and they will say: Praise be to ALLAH, the LORD OF THE WORLDS. They will enter there along with those who did good from their parents, spouses and children. The angels will come to them from every gate. They will stay in there by their Lord’s permission. They will be wearing bracelets of gold and pearls, and their clothes therein will be of silk. I give you the good news of entering there.

It has been reported by Abu Sa’id, AbdALLAH, and Omar b. Muhammad (May ALLAH be pleased with them) that ALLAH’s Messenger ( May peace and blessings be upon him ) had said: On the day of resurrection death would be brought in the form of a white colored ram, and placed between hell and heaven. Then it would be slaughtered, and it would be said : O people of paradise, no death for you. O people of hell, no death for you. (The people would stay in their dwelling places forever). This would increase the delight of the people of paradise, and increase the grief of the people of hell. ( Muslim – May ALLAH have mercy on him).

Spending On One’s Family Comes First

 

Spending on the family is highly recommended. Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said: “Of the c you spend in the way of Allah, the dinar you spend for the freedom of slave, the dinar you give away in charity to the poor, and the dinar you spend on your wife and children, the highest in respect of reward is the one you spend on your family.” (Sahih Muslim)

Mother of the believers, Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) once asked the Prophet (peace be upon him), “Shall I get a reward if I spend on the children (from my first husband Abu Salamah)? They cannot be left uncared for, running about here and there (in search of a living). They are after all are my children. He answered: “Yes, you will have reward for whatever you spend on them.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Ibn Mas’ud Al-Badri relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said; When a person spends on his family, hoping for reward, the same is counted as charity on his part. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: “It is indeed a sin for a person to hold back the sustenance of one who is dependent depend on him.” (Sahih Muslim)

Abu Hurairah relates that Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said, “Everyday, two angels descend, one of them saying; Allah, bestow a (good) return upon the spender: and the other saying: Allah, Destroy the goods of the miser.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

In another Hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The upper hand (the giver) is better than the lower hand (the receiver) and start (your generosity) with your dependents; and the best kind of charity is from your surplus; and one who wants to become virtuous, Allah will make him so, and one who desires abundance will be given so by Allah. (Al-Bukhari)

Page 1 of 3123