The Book of Miscellany

كتاب المقدمات

Chapter 58: Encouraging Livelihood by (working with) Hands and Abstaining from Begging

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "(Prophet) Dawud (ﷺ) ate only out of that which he earned through his manual work."[Al-Bukhari].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "(Prophet) Zakariyya (ﷺ) was a carpenter."[Muslim].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No food is better to man than that which he earns through his manual work. Dawud (ﷺ), the Prophet of Allah, ate only out of his earnings from his manual work."[Al- Bukhari].

Chapter 59: Excellence of Generosity and Spending in a Good cause with Reliance on Allah

Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Envy is permitted only in two cases: A man whom Allah gives wealth, and he disposes of it rightfully, and a man to whom Allah gives knowledge which he applies and teaches it."[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked, "Who of you loves the wealth of his heir more than his own wealth?" The Companions said: "O Messenger of Allah! There is none of us but loves his own wealth more." He (ﷺ) said, "His wealth is that which he has sent forward, but that which he retains belongs to his heir."[Al-Bukhari].

'Adi bin Hatim (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Protect yourself from Hell-fire even by giving a piece of date as charity."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) never said 'no' to anyone who asked him for anything.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Everyday two angels descend and one of them says, 'O Allah! Compensate (more) to the person who gives (in charity)'; while the other one says, 'O Allah! Destroy the one who withholds (charity, etc)".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, says, 'Spend, O son of Adam, you will also be spent upon."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'as (May Allah be pleased with them) reported

A man asked Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), "Which act in Islam is the best?" He (ﷺ) replied, "To feed (the poor and the needy) and to greet those whom you know and those you do not know."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'as (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There are forty kinds of virtue, the highest of which is to gift a (milch) she goat. He who practises any of these virtues, expecting its reward (from Allah) and believing on the verity of the promise made for it, will enter Jannah."[Al-Bukhari].

Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "O son of Adam, if you spend the surplus, it will be better for you; and if you retain it, it will be bad for you. You will not be reprimanded for keeping what is enough for your need. Begin with those who are your dependents, and the upper hand (i.e., the one that spends in the way of Allah) is better than the lower hand (i.e., the one that receives charity.)"[Muslim].

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked a thing by one who is about to accept Islam, he would give it. A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and he gave him a herd of sheep scattered between two mountains. When he returned to his people, he said to them: "O my people! Embrace Islam because Muhammad gives like one who has no fear of poverty." Some people would embrace Islam only for worldly gains, but soon Islam becomes dearer to them than the world with all what it contains.[Muslim].

'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) distributed some wealth and I said to him, "O Messenger of Allah! Do you not think that there are other people who are more deserving than these whom you gave." He (ﷺ) said, "They had, in fact, left no alternative for me except either they should beg of me importunately or they would regard me as a miser; but I am not a miser."[Muslim].

Jubair bin Mut'im (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

While I was walking with the Prophet (ﷺ) on his return from the battle of Hunain, a few bedouins caught hold of him and began to demand their shares. They forced him to a tree and someone snatched away his cloak (which got entangled in that thorny tree). The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Give my cloak back to me. Were I to have camels equal to the number of these trees, I would have distributed them all among you, and you would not have found me a miser, or a liar, or a coward."[Al-Bukhari].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Wealth is not diminished by giving (in charity). Allah augments the honour of one who forgives; and one who displays humbleness towards another seeking the pleasure of Allah, Allah exalts him in ranks."[Muslim].

Abu Kabshah 'Amr bin Sa'd (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I swear by Allah for three (qualities) which I am going to tell you about. Remember them well:(1) The wealth of a man will not diminish by Sadaqah (charity).(2) Allah augments the honour of a man who endures an oppression patiently.(3) He who opens a gate of begging, Allah opens a gate of poverty (or he said a word similar to it)."He (ﷺ) also said, "Remember well what I am going to tell you: The world is for four kinds of people. (1) One upon whom Allah has bestowed wealth and knowledge and so he fears his Rubb in respect to them, joins the ties of blood relationship and acknowledges the Rights of Allah on him (and fulfills them); this type will have the best position (in Jannah). (2) One upon whom Allah has conferred knowledge but no wealth, and he is sincere in his intention and says: 'Had I possessed wealth, I would have acted like so-and-so.' If that is his intention, his reward is the same as that of the other. (3) One whom Allah has given wealth but no knowledge and he squanders his wealth ignorantly, does not fear Allah in respect to it, does not discharge the obligations of kinship and does not acknowledge the Rights of Allah. Such a person will be in the worst position (in the Hereafter). (4) One upon whom Allah has bestowed neither wealth nor knowledge and he says: 'Had I possessed wealth, I would have acted like so-and-so (i.e., he would squander his wealth).' If this is his intention, both will have equal sin."[At- Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan Sahih].

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had slaughtered a sheep and distributed major portions of its meat. Then he (ﷺ) asked, "Is there anything left?" She replied, "Nothing, except the shoulder." Thereupon he said, "All of it is left except its shoulder."[At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Sahih].

Asma' bint Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with her) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, "Do not hoard; otherwise, Allah will withhold from you."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: "The case of a miserly man and a generous man who gives in charity is similar to that of two persons who are clad in armour from their breasts up to their collar bones. When the generous man gives in charity, his armour expands so much as to cover his fingertips and toes. When the miser intends to spend something the armour contracts and every ring of it sticks to the place where it is (sinks into his flesh). He tries to loosen it but it does not expand."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].