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True & False Charity

True & False CharityO Ummatul Muslimeen! Do you know how a true Muh'min can acquire ethical virtues by avoiding  vices? Disposition [khulq] is a state of the soul that inclines it to action without the need of thought or reflection.

O Ummatul Muslimeen! Do you know how a true Muh'min can acquire ethical virtues by avoiding  vices? Disposition [khulq] is a state of the soul that inclines it to action without the need of thought or reflection. For instance, someone who has the disposition of generosity is induced by it to give and expend generously without any preliminary thoughts and without reflecting on the preponderants on each side. He or she acts as if it were one of his or her natural acts, like seeing and hearing. In the same way, a soul that is chaste, for which the attribute of chastity has become a disposition, preserves itself with such ease as if that were part of his or her natural behaviour. Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala informs us in verse 261 of Surah Al-Baqara:

"The likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allah's Way is as the likeness of a grain which has grown seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains."

And  in verse 274 of Surah Al-Baqara we are told:

"Those who spend their wealth by night and day, by stealth and openly, verily their reward is with their Lord, and no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve."

Beloved people of Imaan! We recapitulate the beauty of charity (i.e. unselfish giving of one's self or one's goods) before we come to its opposite, i.e., the selfish grasping greed of Ribah (usury) against those in need or distress. Charity instead of impoverishing you will enrich you: you will have more happiness and less fear. The Most Noble and Glorious Qur'an sets a very high standard for charity. (1) It must be in the Way of Almighty Allah. (2) It must expect no reward in this world. (3) It must not be followed by references or reminders to the act of charity. (4) Still less should any annoyance or injury be caused to the recipients, e.g., by boasting that the giver relieved the person in the hour of need.

O you who believe! Kindness and the spirit which turns a blind eye to other people's faults or shortcomings is the essence of charity: these things are better than charity if charity is spoilt by tricks that do harm. At the same time, while no reward is to be expected, there is abundant reward from Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala - material, moral, and spiritual - according to His own good pleasure and plan. If we spend in the Way of Almighty Allah, it is not as if our Glorious Creator and Maker was in need of our charity. On the contrary our shortcomings are so great that we require His utmost forbearance before any good that we can do can merit His Praise or reward. Our motives are so mixed that our best may really be very poor if judged by a very strict standard.

Ummatal Qur'an! False charity, "to be seen of men," is really no charity. It is worse, for it betokens a disbelief in Almighty Allah Most Exalted and the Hereafter. "Allah seeth well whatever ye do" [Verse 265 Surah Al-Baqara]. It is compared to a hard barren rock on which by chance has fallen a little soil. Good rain, which renders fertile soil more fruitful, washes away the little soil which this rock had, and exposes its nakedness. What good can hypocrites derive from the little wealth they may have amassed? True charity is like a field with good soil on a high situation. It catches good showers of rain, the moisture penetrates the soil, and yet its elevated situation keeps it well-drained, and healthy favourable conditions increase its output enormously.

Ya Ayyuhal Muslimoon! But supposing even that the rain is not abundant, it catches a dew and makes the most of any little moisture it can get, and that is sufficient for it. So a man or woman of true charity is spiritually healthy; he or she is best situated to attract the bounties of Almighty Allah Jallah Wa'ala, which he or she does not hoard selfishly but circulates freely. In lean times such a person still produces good works, and is content with what he or she has and looks to Almighty Allah's pleasure and the strengthening of his or her soul. Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala commands us in verse 267 of Surah Al-Baqara:

"O ye who believe! Give of the good things
which ye have (honourably) earned..........."

Ih'watal Imaan! The truly spiritual nature of charity having been explained in three parables in verses 261, 264 and 265 of Surah Al-Baqara a fourth parable is now added in verse 266 of Surah Al-Baqara, explaining its bearing on the whole of our life. Suppose we had a beautiful garden well-watered and fertile, with delightful views of streams, and a haven of rest for mind and body; suppose old age were creeping in on us, and our children were either too young to look after themselves or too feeble in health; how should we feel if a sudden whirlwind came with lightning or fire in its train, and burnt it up, thus blasting all our hopes for the present and for the future, and destroying the result of all our labour and savings in the past?

Faya Ayyuhan nas! Well, this life of ours is a probation. We may work hard, we may save, we may have good luck. We may make ourselves a goodly pleasance, and have ample means of support for ourselves and our children. A great whirlwind charged with lightning and fire comes and burns the whole show. We are too old to begin again: our children are too young or feeble to help us to repair the mischief. Our chance is lost, because we did not provide against such a contingency. The whirlwind is the "wrath to come" : the provision against it is a life of true charity and righteousness, which is the only source of true and lasting happiness in this world and the next. Without it we are subject to all the vicissitudes of this uncertain life. We may even spoil our so called "charity" by insisting on the obligation which others owe to us or by doing some harm, because our motives are not pure. Verse 267 of Surah Al-Baqara:

"O ye who believe! Give of the good things
which ye have (honourably) earned..........."

Ummatal Qur'an! According to the English proverb " Charity covers a multitude of sins". Such a sentiment is strongly disapproved in Islam. Charity has value only if (1) something good and valuable is given, (2) which has been honourably earned or acquired by the giver, or (3) which is produced in nature and can be referred to as a bounty of Almighty Allah Most Exalted. (1) may include such things as are of use and value to others though they may be of less use to us or superfluous to us on account of having acquired something more suitable for our station in life: for example, discarded clothes, or an old used motor car; but if the car engine is so far gone that it is dangerous to use, then the gift is worse than useless; it is positively harmful, and the giver is a wrongdoer. (2) applies to fraudulent company promoters, who earn great credit by giving away in charity some of their ill-gotten gains, or to robbers (even if they call themselves by high-sounding names) who "rob Peter to pay Paul".

People of Imaan! Islam will have nothing to do with tainted property. Its economic code requires that every grain should be honest and honourable. Even "charity" would not cover or destroy the taint. (3) lays down a test in cases of a doubtful gain. Can we refer to it as a gift of Almighty Allah? Obviously the produce of honest labour or agriculture can be so referred to. In modern commerce and speculation there is much of quite the contrary character, and charity will not cover the taint.

Ya Ibad Allah! Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala informs us in verse 271 of Surah Al-Baqara that it is better to seek no publicity in charity. But if it is known there is no harm. If it is for public purposes, it must necessarily be known, and a pedantic show of concealment may itself be a fault. The harm of publicity lies in motives of ostentation. We can better reach the really deserving poor by quietly seeking for them. The spiritual benefit ensures to our own souls, provided our motives are pure, and we are really seeking the good Pleasure of Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala.

And Almighty Allah knows best.

The Truth is from Almighty Allah Most Exalted.
The errors are mine and I stand to be corrected.
 
Baarak Allaahu Feekum wa sal-Allahu wa-sallam 'alaa
Nabiyyinaa Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam.

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