Help The Needy

Help The Needy

Helping the victims of the areas, affected by recent Earth quakes, Floods and rains is the human and moral duty of all. Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) said:

Translation: and help ye one another unto righteousness and pious duty. (Surah Al-Maeda: 2)

One can fulfill the needs of someone with the help of charities and the starvation of impoverished gets disposed. Hence it is also a pillar of Deen', and Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) declared spending in the cause of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala), as a test and a standard for His love.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi Wa sallam) said: "Hidden charities pacify the anger of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) and apparent (open) charities will work as a shield from the Hell fire." Charities save people from injurious deaths, evades off misfortunes and increases one's age. Further the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi Wa sallam) said: "Charities don't lessens the wealth but instead it increases." (Mustadrak Alas Sahihain' Hadith No: 6491)

Hadhrat Imam Hasan (May Allah SWT be well pleased with him) says: "Whosoever spent in the cause of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala), they earned respect and against this, whosoever showed misery, they earned disrespect." Hadhrat Imam Zain Ul A'beideen (May Allah SWT be well pleased with him) says: "In whosoever you find this attribute that he gives those who ask for is not a generous person but the generous is those who discharge their duties imposed on them by Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) before they are asked for and even don't possess greed of being famous instead they execute their noble deed with a complete belief of receiving great reward from Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala)."

A great saint says that you give your alms even to those who are deserving and undeserving, so that Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) bestows you even with the commodities which you deserve and those you are undeserving. Hadhrat Rabee bin Haseem (May Allah SWT shower His mercy upon him) never use to give piece of broken bread or broken item or used cloth to any beggar since he says that, "I feel shame that on the Day of Judgement my A'amaal Nama (account of deeds) is presented before Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) and my whole account is full of useless items, which I gave them in the cause of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala)."

Anecdote: Leader of women, Hadhrat Syedna Bi Bi Fatima (May Allah SWT be well pleased with her) once felt sick. Hadhrat Syedna Ali (May Allah SWT be well pleased with him) asked her, "What is that your heart wishes for?" Bi Bi Fatima (May Allah SWT be well pleased with her) said: "Pomegranate" Since Hadhrat Ali is the chief of ascetics, how come money will be there with him. He purchased a pomegranate on debt. While on his way back to home, a beggar met him and said: "Oh Ali (May Allah SWT be well pleased with him)! I'm very sick and my heart wishes to eat pomegranate." On this Hadhrat Ali thought for few minutes that if I give this to the beggar than Fatima (May Allah SWT be well pleased with her) will get deprived of it and if I don't give it to the beggar than what I shall I do with it, keeping it with me. Finally He (May Allah SWT be well pleased with him) decided that whatever may happen, I should give the pomegranate in the name of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala). Hence at the same moment he broke the pomegranate and fed the beggar. Soon after the beggar ate that pomegranate he became well. Later when he (May Allah SWT be well pleased with him) came back home he was happy to see that Hadhrat Syeda Fatima (May Allah SWT be well pleased with her) too got well. Hadhrat Ali (May Allah SWT be well pleased with him) started narrating the whole tale regretfully.

Hadhrat Syeda Fatima (May Allah SWT be well pleased with her) said: "The same moment when you fed that beggar with pomegranate subsequently here the desire of eating a pomegranate got out of my heart. I felt, as if I ate that pomegranate." Within no span of time, Hadhrat Salman Farsi (May Allah SWT be well pleased with him) approached them with a covered tray. Hadhrat Ali asked him, "What is this?" He replied: "Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) send this to you from the Heaven of His beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi Wa sallam)." When Hadhrat Ali saw it, he could only find nine (9) pomegranates in it. He said that it doesn't belong to me. Hadhrat Salman Farsi (May Allah SWT be well pleased with him) enquired from him, "How did you come to know?" He said: "Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) kept the reward of one good deed equivalent to ten in this world, and here I only see nine." Hadhrat Salman Farsi (May Allah SWT be well pleased with him) laughed at this and took out that left out pomegranate from his pocket and placed it in the tray and said: "I've hidden that pomegranate for your trial."

Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Mus'ood (May Allah SWT be well pleased with him) says: "A person who gives one Dirham as charity, while he/she is healthy is far better than giving 100 Dirham's while one is sick, and giving one Dirham by one's own hand is better than giving 1000 Dirham's on his name after his/her dismissal."

Anecdote: Hadhrat Abu Sahl (May Allah SWT shower His mercy upon him) never use to give charity or alms in one's hand, instead, he use to place it on the ground and the needy use to pick it themselves. His disciples asked him about the same. He replied: "I don't like that while giving alms, my hand should be above a hand of a Muslim and his hand below the hand of mine."

Anecdote: Hadhrat Muhammad bin Alyan Naswi (May Allah SWT shower His mercy upon him) says: "The generosity of a generous is only pure when one assumes his/her donation as worthless and the one taker of it as superior and be thankful to him/her."

From: Mawaiz Hasana by Hadhrat Muhaddith E Deccan Abul Hasanaat Syed Abdullah Shah Naqshbandi (May Allah SWT shower His mercy upon him)