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THE
GENEROSITY OF GOD’S MESSENGER
God’s
Messenger is, in the whole of creation, the most polished
mirror, in which God Almighty’s Names and Attributes are
reflected to the highest degree. Being a perfect
manifestation of God’s Names and Attributes and an
embodiment of the Qur’an and Islam, he is the greatest
and most decisive and comprehensive proof of God’s
Existence and Unity and the truth of Islam and the
Qur’an. One who saw him remembered God automatically.
Each virtue he had was the reflection of a Name or
Attribute of God, and is a proof of his Prophethood. Like
his mildness and forbearance, his generosity is also
another dimension of his excellent, matchless personality
and a reflection and proof of his Prophethood.
The
people of Arabia were renowned for their generosity even
in the pre-Islamic period of Ignorance. When we look at
their poetry belonging to that time, we see that they were
proud of their generosity. However, their generosity was
not for the sake of God or for an altruistic motive;
rather, it was the cause of self-pride. But the generosity
of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was
for another motive - purely for God’s sake. He never
mentioned, and did not like to have mentioned, his
generosity, and when a poet praised him for his
generosity, he attributed whatever good he had or did, to
God’s enabling him to have or do it. He never attributed
his virtues and good deeds to himself.
God’s
Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, liked to
distribute whatever he had. He engaged in trade until his
Prophethood and had considerable wealth. After Prophethood
he and his wealthy wife Khadija spent everything they had
in the way of God. When Khadija, may God be pleased with
her, died, they had no money to buy a shroud, and God’s
Messenger had to borrow money in order to bury the first
person to embrace Islam and its first supporter.1
If
God’s Messenger had so desired, he could have been the
richest man in Makka, but he rejected such offers without
hesitation. In addition, God ordained in the Qur’an that
one-fifth of war spoils should be at the free disposal of
God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings.
However, he never thought of spending it on himself or his
family. He lived a life of austerity as did his family who
had to manage on scanty provision. In distribution of war
spoils, he always preferred the others over his family
members. His share in the spoils of the Battle of Hunayn
consisted of 40,000 sheep, 24,000 camels and 16 tons of
silver. Safwan ibn Umayya, from whom God’s Messenger had
borrowed some weapons before the battle, gazed upon the
spoils with greed and bewilderment. Aware of Safwan’s
desire, the Messenger gave him as many camels as he
wanted. Astounded with the generosity of God’s
Messenger, Safwan ran to his people and announced; ‘O my
people! Accept Islam without hesitation. For Muhammad
gives in such a way that only a man who is never afraid of
poverty and has a perfect reliance on God can give.’ The
generosity of God’s Messenger sufficed for the guidance
of Safwan and his people, who had been among the most
bitter enemies of Islam until just before that day.2
God’s
Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, regarded
himself a traveler in the world. Once he said: What
connection do I have with the world! I am like a traveler
who is shaded under a tree and then continues on his way.3
According
to God’s Messenger, the world is like a tree under which
people are shaded. No one can live forever in the world,
so people must make in the world the necessary preparation
for the second part of the journey which will end either
in Paradise or in Hell. The mission of God’s Messenger
was to guide people to truth, so he would spend whatever
he had, his life and his possessions, to this end. As
mentioned before, once ‘Umar saw him lying on a rough
mat and wept. When the Messenger asked him why he was
weeping, ‘Umar replied:
O
Messenger of God! While kings sleep in soft feather
beds, you are lying on a rough mat. You are the
Messenger of God and therefore deserve more than any
other people an easy life. Do you not agree that
the luxuries of the world should be theirs but those
of the Hereafter ours? God’s Messenger
answered.4
Islam
does not approve of monastic life. It came to secure
justice and the well-being of mankind, but warns people
against over-indulgence. It is for this reason that many
Muslims have chosen an ascetic life. Although the Muslims
generally became rich after the death of God’s
Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, some like the
Caliphs Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Ali preferred an austere
life. This was partly because they felt the need to live
as the poorest of their people live and partly because
they strictly followed the Prophet’s example. Once,
during his Caliphate, Abu Bakr was offered a glass of cold
water to break his fast with during Ramadan. He took the
glass to his lips and suddenly began to weep. When asked
the reason, he answered: ‘One day, God’s Messenger
drunk such a glass of cold water offered to him and wept,
saying: God says: ‘On that day, you will be questioned
concerning every bounty.’ We will also be questioned
concerning this water. I remembered that and wept.’5
In
the early days of his Caliphate, Abu Bakr made his living
by milking the sheep of a woman. Sometime later he was
assigned a small salary. While on his death-bed, he gave a
pitcher to those around him to be submitted to the new
Caliph after his death. ‘Umar succeeded him and, when he
broke the pitcher, some coins came out, together with a
letter, which read:
‘I
lived according to the living standards of the
poorest of Madina, and put in this pitcher the
amount left of my salary. Therefore, these coins
belong to the Public Treasury and must be returned
there.’ On reading the letter, ‘Umar wept and
remarked: ‘You have left an unbearable burden upon
those who succeed you, O Abu Bakr!’6
God’s
Messenger was, in the words of Anas, ‘the comeliest and
most generous of people’.7 Jabir ibn Samura
reports:
We
were once sitting in the mosque. The full moon was
shining above us. God’s Messenger entered. I
looked first at the moon and then at the face of
God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings.
I swear by God that the Messenger’s face was
brighter than the moon.8
He
refused no one and, as Farazdak said, did not say ‘No’
except in reciting the declaration of belief in the
sitting position of prayer. Had it not been for the
recitation of this confession, he would never have said
‘No’.
Once,
a Bedouin came to God’s Messenger and asked him for
something. The Messenger gave him what he asked for. The
Bedouin continued to ask and the Messenger gave him until
he had nothing left to give. When the Bedouin asked again,
he promised to give it later when he had it. Angered by
the rudeness of the Bedouin, ‘Umar said to God’s
Messenger: ‘You were asked and you gave; again you were
asked and you gave; you were asked once more and you
promised!’ ‘Umar meant that the Messenger should not
make things so difficult for himself.
God’s
Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, did not
approve of what ‘Umar said. ‘Abdullah ibn Hudafa
al-Sahmi stood up and said: ‘O God’s Messenger, give
and do not be afraid that the Owner of the Seat of Honor
will make you poor!’ Pleased with the words of Ibn
Hudafa al-Sahmi, the Messenger declared: I was commanded
to do so!9
He
never refused a request, for it was he who said:
The
generous are near to God, near to Paradise, near to
people, but distant from the Fire. The miserly are
distant from God, distant from Paradise, distant
from people, but near to the Fire.10
Again,
he said:
O
people! Surely God has chosen for you Islam as
religion, so better your practice of Islam through
generosity and good manners.11
The
mercifulness of God’s Messenger rose up as moisture into
the sky, and then ‘rained’ as generosity to make
hardened hearts propitious for the growing of ‘good
trees whose roots are firm and whose branches are in the
heavens, and which yield their fruits every season by the
leave of their Lord’.
1.
I. Kathir, al-Bidaya, 3.158-9.
2. I. Hisham, 4.135; I. Hajar, al-Isaba, 2.187;
Muslim, “Fada’il,” 57.
3. Bukhari, “Riqaq,” 3.
4. Bukhari, “Tafsir,” 2; Muslim, “Talaq,” 31.
5. Muslim, “Ashriba,” 140; Abu Nu‘aym, “Hilya,”
1.30.
6. Tabari, “Tarikh,” 4.252.
7. Muslim, “Fada’il,” 48; Bukhari, “Manaqib,”
23.
8. Suyuti, al-Khasa’is, 1.123; Hindi, Kanz
al-‘Ummal, 7.168.
9. I. Kathir, 6.63.
10. Tirmidhi, “Birr,” 40.
11. Hindi, 6.571.
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