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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DilWala" data-source="post: 10372297" data-attributes="member: 360501">By SHEIKH MUHAMMAD AL-GHAZALI                                                                                                 Published: Mar  10, 2011 21:59                 Updated: Mar  10, 2011 21:59                            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.</blockquote>

Verification: Haya warak paha keeyada? (haya wadi kireema paha)

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