On the authority of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him): Some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), “O Messenger of Allah, the affluent have made off with the rewards. They pray like we pray, fast like we fast and they also give in charity from their extra wealth.” He [the Prophet (peace be upon him)] said, “Has not Allah made things for you to do in charity? Verily, every tasbeehah is a charitable act, every takbeerah is a charitable act, every tahmeedah is a charitable act, every tahleelah is a charitable act, ordering good is a charitable act, forbidding evil is a charitable act, and you having sexual intercourse [with your wife] is a charitable act.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, when one of us fulfills his desire, he will have a reward for that?” He said, “Tell me, if he were to fulfill it unlawfully, would he bear that sin? Similarly, if he fulfills it lawfully, he will have a reward.” (Recorded by Muslim)
- “Some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said … “
- “They also give in charity from their extra wealth.”
- “Has not Allah made things for you to do in charity?”
- ” Verily, every tasbeehah & every takbeerah & every tahmeedah..
- “Ordering good is a charitable act, forbidding evil is a charitable act”
- “Having sexual intercourse with your wife is a charitable act.”
- “They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, when one of us fulfills his desire, he will have a reward for that?
- Other Points Related to This Hadith
General Comments About the Hadith: This hadith is important because it indicates the different types of charity that exist and shows that there are various and many types of good deeds available to every Muslim. It also shows that the good deeds are not simply the ritual acts of worship that are performed by all. Instead, there are numerous good deeds that are available to the one who seeks them.
1. “Some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said … “
This hadith is one of the many examples that demonstrate how eager the Companions were to perform acts that were pleasing to Allah. The poorer Companions did not display any jealousy toward their richer comrades with respect to this world. They did not complain that the richer Companions had nicer clothing, nicer camels or nicer housing. That was not their concern. Their concern was only that the richer Companions, due to their wealth, were able to perform many deeds that they were not able to perform. They heard the verses of the Quran and they knew the great importance of giving in charity for the sake of Allah. This is what made them sad. They feared that they were possibly not able to please Allah as much as the richer Companions were able to.
In the Quran, Allah gives another glaring example of how sad the poorer Companions were when they could not do something for the sake of Allah. The example in the Quran is that of jihad– going out and sacrificing one’s life and wealth for the sake of Allah. The poorer Companions were very sad that they did not have the means to make jihad for Allah’s sake. Note how Allah describes their situation:
“There is no blame on those who are weak or ill or who find no resources to spend [in jihad], if they are sincere and true to Allah and His Messenger. No ground can there be against the doers of good. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Nor [is there blame] on those who came to you to be provided with mounts, when you said, ‘I can find no mounts for you,’ they turned back, while their eyes overflowing with tears of grief that they could not find anything to spend [for jihad]” (9: 91-92).
This is the area in which believers compete. They do not compete for material things. That is not their purpose or goal in life. The Hereafter is their concern and not the petty things of this world. Instead of competing with each other for the things of this world, they race with each other for the sake of pleasing Allah more and entering Paradise. This is the true “healthy competition” that will benefit everyone. Allah says, “Verily, the pious will be in delight [Paradise], on thrones, looking [at all things]. You will recognize in their faces the brightness of delight. They will be given to drink of pure sealed wine. The last thereof will be the smell of musk. And for this let [all] those who strive who want to strive” (al-Mutaffifeen 22- 26).
lbn Rajah wrote, When the Companions heard Allah’s words, “So hasten toward all that is good” [al-Baqara 148 and,] “And march forth quickly in the way to forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as the heavens and earth” [ali-Imraan 134], they understood from it that it meant that each one of them should strive to be first [in doing good] before the others for
that noble place and for that lofty rank. If one of them saw someone else doing something he was not capable of, he feared that his comrade who did that act would outstrip him. He would then be grieved because he was out done. They would compete with each other for the ranks of the Hereafter and race to them. As Allah has said, “For that purpose, let those who
compete compete” [al-Mutafifoon 26]. Then came people after them who did the opposite. They began to compete for the despised world and fleeting pleasures.
Al-Hasan said, “If you see a man competing with you for this world, compete with him for the Hereafter.” Wuhaib ibn alWard said, “If you are able to outdo everyone in the race to Allah, do so.” One of the early pious people said, “If a person hears that someone else did more voluntary deeds for Allah than he did, he should grieve due to that.” Another one said, “If a person hears that another does more for the sake of Allah and due to that his heart then breaks and he dies, that would not be strange.”
Unfortunately, many times Muslims begin to compete with each other for worldly purposes. They even begin to hate each other due to what Allah has bestowed of this world upon some and not upon others. They become envious of the rich not because of the good deeds they can perform with their wealth but because of the pleasures that they are enjoying of this world. This is nothing to become jealous about. The pleasures of this world are fleeting. When Muslims begin to compete in such matters, they may be bringing about their own destruction. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you. But I fear that the world will be spread out before you as it was for the people before you. Then you shall compete in it as the people before you competed in it and it shall destroy you as it destroyed them.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
Furthermore, if a person is not using what Allah is giving him in the proper way, it may be a source of punishment for him and not a source of joy. He will be held responsible for all of the wealth that he gained and how he used it. It would be better for a person not to have wealth than to have wealth but to use it in an improper manner. The important question is who will enjoy the pleasures of the Hereafter. This is the concern of the true believers. The true believers, such as the Companions in this hadith, understand well the message of the following verses of the Quran directed toward those whose main concern is this life, “Nay, you prefer the life of this world although the Hereafter is better and more lasting” (al-Ala 1 6-17).
2. “They also give in charity from their extra wealth.”
The poor Companions specifically noted that the richer Companions give charity out of their wealth after having met their needs. Al-Mudaabaghi points out that this is an important principle. Many people are responsible for their own well-being or for the well-being of others. They are not allowed to squander their wealth or even use their wealth for good purposes if it hurts the people that they are responsible for. Hence, a person should give in charity that which is beyond both his needs and those for whom he is responsible. Giving away wealth that one needs to support oneself is either forbidden or disliked. It is forbidden for the one who will not have the patience to put up with that action he has performed. It is even disliked for the one who does have such patience.
This is based on the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him), “It is enough of a sin for a man to allow to be destroyed one who he is [financially] responsible for.” According to al-Husain, spending on those who one is financially responsible for is an obligation upon the person. Giving to people whom one is not financially responsible for is a supererogatory deed. Hence, the obligation takes precedence over the voluntary deed. Only if the obligatory deed is first fulfilled may one move on to the voluntary action.
In fact, when giving wealth to others, one should begin with those one is financially responsible for or those who rely on the person to meet their needs. In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The upper hand [that gives] is better than the lower hand [that receives]. One should start giving first to his dependents. The best object of charity is that which is given by a wealthy person. And whoever abstains from asking others for some financial help, Allah will give him and save him from asking others. And whoever is satisfied with what Allah has given him, Allah will make him self-sufficient.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim; the wording is that of alBukhari.)
3. “Has not Allah made things for you to do in charity?”
At that time, the poor Companions thought that the only form of charity was to give money to others. However, that is not the Islamic concept of charity. Charity implies doing good- to others or even to oneself. In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated,
Even the goodness that Allah does toward His servants is considered “charity” from Him. When discussing the shortening of the prayer during traveling, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “That is a charitable act [sadaqa] that Allah has bestowed upon you, so accept His charity.” (Recorded by Muslim.)
3.1 Two Types of Charity:
Other than the charity of giving part of one’s wealth to others, charity, in its broader Islamic concept, can be divided into two main categories. The first category consists of the acts of goodness and kindness that are done toward other human beings. Acts of goodness that are done directly toward oneself constitutes the second category. It should be noted that, in the long-run, the second category may also spill over and be beneficial to others, as shall be noted shortly.
The first category includes acts like ordering good and eradicating evil, calling others to the path of Allah, keeping oneself from harming others, teaching others about the religion, removing something harmful from the road and so forth. Ibn Raj ab points out that many times these types of “charity” are much more beneficial and important than the charity that involves giving up part of one’s wealth.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Your smiling at your brother is a charitable act for you. Your ordering good and eradicating evil is a charitable act. Your guiding a man in a land wherein he is lost is a charitable act. Your helping a man with bad eyesight to see is a charitable act. Your removing a stone, thorn or bone from the road is a charitable act. Your emptying your cup into the cup of your brother is a charitable act.”
An important act of charity that is available to everyone, no matter how poor or rich, is the act of refraining from harming others. Abu Dharr once asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) what he should do if he does not have the ability to perform some of the good deeds. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told him, “Keep your evil away from the people and that will be a charitable act from yourself upon yourself.” (Recorded by Muslim. Al-Bukhari has something similar with a different wording.)
It is easy to understand how an act of goodness toward another can be considered an act of charity. However, how is it that simply saying, “Subhaanallaah,” for example, can be considered an act of charity? There are two ways of viewing this. First, a person has a responsibility toward his own soul. He must behave properly toward it and do what is best for it. One of the best things he can do is to perform dhikr or words of remembrance of Allah. By doing so, he is performing an act of charity toward his own soul. Second, by performing such acts, the benefit in the long-run, Allah willing, will extend to others. Thus, he is improving his own self by such deeds. He is making himself more pious. The more pious he is, the more he will be willing to do that which will benefit others, including, perhaps, risking his own life and wealth in jihad for the sake of Allah. Hence, tending to his own soul is truly an act of charity on his part. Allah knows best.
3.2 Does This Simply Mean that the Reward for These Acts is Like the Reward for Charity?
Some of the commentators on this hadith point out that the meaning of this hadith is not that these deeds are to be considered acts of charity but that the reward for such deeds is like the reward for charity. The underlying basis for this interpretation is that the assumed words, “reward like charity” have been deleted in order to emphasize the similarity between the two. This interpretation has been given by Qadhi Iyaadh, al-Nawawi, al-Haitami, alMunaawi, al-Mudaabaghi and Sultaan.
This interpretation must be rejected. First, it goes against the clear meaning of what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said. He told them, “Has not Allah made things for you to do in charity?” Second, it requires taqdeer or the assumption that something is missing. In other words, it is implying that the
meaning is, for example, “The reward for every tasbeeha is like the reward for charity.” As has been noted before, taqdeer is only to be resorted to in cases of necessity. In this case, there is no call for it. Third, it does not take into consideration the all-encompassing nature of the Islamic concept of sadaqa (“charity”). As is clear from numerous hadith, “charity” does not simply include giving part of one’s wealth to another. “Charity” involves all of the positive acts that one does to others. These are all acts of charity that are opened to any Muslim, rich or poor, to perform.
4. ” Verily, every tasbeehah & every takbeerah & every tahmeedah & every tahleelah is a charitable act.”
In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned these four phrases that a Muslim should say and repeat throughout his life. According to many of the commentators on the Quran, it is these four phrases that are referred to as “lasting good righteous deeds” in the verse, “Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world. But the good righteous deeds that last are better with your Lord for rewards and better in respect of hope” (al-Kahf 46)
The meaning of subhaanallaah and al-hamdulillaah was given in detail in the commentary to Hadith Number 23. The statement allaahu akbar implies that Allah is greater than anything else in existence. There is nothing as important or great as Allah. The statement la ilaaha illa-llaah forms the foundation of the Muslim’s faith. It means that there is none who is to be worshipped except Allah.
All of a believer’s life revolves around the meaning of these four phrases. He constantly reminds himself that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. The only one who he worships and submits to is Allah. The only one he is seeking to please is Allah. Furthermore, Allah is greater than anything else, especially in the heart of the believer. The Muslim should constantly extol Allah’s greatness and recognize that He is above and beyond any shortcoming or blemish whatsoever. And, the Muslim should always be thankful and full of praise for Allah.
When these four phrases are the driving force in a person’s life, the person’s heart will become pure. He will translate into action the implications of these four phrases. He will begin to emulate the Prophet (peace be upon him) in being the most giving of all people and sacrificing the most for the sake of Allah. These are truly acts of charity for the person’s own benefit and for the benefit of others.
5. “Ordering good is a charitable act, forbidding evil is a charitable act”
One important deed that is available to those without wealth is the ordering of good and the eradicating of evil. The reward for this may be much greater than the reward for giving some of one’s wealth. It is this characteristic of ordering good and eradicating evil that has set this nation apart from all other peoples. Allah says, “You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, and you believe in Allah” (ali-Imraan 110). Ordering good and forbidding evil is one of those deeds whose benefits directly go beyond the person himself. In general, prayer, fasting and so forth directly benefit the individual alone. However, ordering good and eradicating evil is for the benefit of everyone. It is a communal obligation (fardh kifaayah) and, in general, communal obligations benefit the community as a whole. It is this aspect that has led some scholars to say that the performance of a communal obligation (fardh kifaayah) has more reward than an individual obligation (fardh ain).
Furthermore, al-Nawawi points out that ordering good and eradicating evil is, in general, a communal obligation and it can become an individual obligation under certain circumstances. He believes it difficult, however, to imagine it becoming simply a voluntary deed. Therefore, it must be considered more important and more rewarded than the words of dhikr. This is because, as shall be discussed in detail under Hadith Number 38, the reward for an obligatory deed is greater than that for a voluntary deed.
Perhaps due to the emphasis on individual freedom today, people do not seem to realize how great is the communal deed of ordering good and forbidding evil. One of the most important means by which to bring about societal peace and well-being– and the true protection of real individual rights and freedom- is the encouraging of good deeds and discouraging of evil deeds. When this attitude of encouraging what is right and discouraging what is wrong prevails throughout a society, the amount of evil is kept to a minimum, as can be seen in the example of the Prophet’s society in Madina. Hence, ordering good and eradicating evil is one of the greatest charities that one can perform on behalf of society as a whole.
6. “Having sexual intercourse with your wife is a charitable act.”
The apparent meaning of this hadith is that a person will be rewarded for having sexual intercourse with his wife even if the act was not accompanied by any virtuous intention. This is the understanding of some scholars, such as ibn Qutaiba. Other scholars, including ibn Rajah and al-Haitami, object to this conclusion and state that the reward only comes about if the person had a pious intention. For example, the person will be rewarded if he had intercourse with his wife with the intention of keeping himself and his wife free of illegal sexual acts. The person may have also intended to have a pious child as the result of his act.
Another hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) states, “No Muslim plants a plant or sows seeds and has a bird, human or animal eat from it except that it will be for him as a charitable act.” (Recorded by alBukhari and Muslim.) There is a hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that states, “A man’s spending upon his wife is charity (sadaqa).” (Recorded by alBukhari.)
These hadith also give the impression that regardless of intention, a person will get the reward of charity for what he planted or for providing for his wife. However, another narration of this hadith as found in Sahih Muslim clearly states that such is true when the person is seeking reward from Allah for that act. Another hadith found in al-Bukhari and Muslim also clearly restricts the reward for this act to the cases where the person has intended to please Allah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “You do not spend anything and desire by that Allah’s pleasure except that you will be rewarded for it, even [the food] that you put in your wife’s mouth.”
It seems that the reward for such permissible acts, such as fulfilling one’s desire with one’s wife, or obligatory acts, such as supporting one’s family, is conditional upon the intention behind the act. If the intention is to do what is permissible instead of forbidden or to fulfill one’s obligation as laid down by Allah, the act will be rewarded by Allah. However, if the act is performed with no such thoughts in one’s mind, there may be no reward for the act and it would simply be a permissible act without any concurrent punishment or reward.
This is ibn Rajab’s and al-Haitami’s conclusion and it seems to be supported by the particularizing hadith just mentioned above. lbn Rajab further supports his conclusion by referring to the verse in the Quran, “There is no good in most of their secret talks save (in) him who orders charity or righteousness or conciliation between mankind; and he does this seeking the good pleasure of Allah. We shall give him a great reward” (al-Nisaa 114). In this verse, Allah refers to the act as good but restricts the reward by the condition that Allah’s pleasure is sought by the act. This implies that the act would not be rewarded if there was no good intention or if the intention is bad. After making the above conclusion, ibn Rajab then presents the following interesting quote from Abu Sulaimaan al-Daaraani, “If a person does a good act without any intention in it, his intention to choose Islam over all other religions would be sufficient for him.” In other words, the person will be rewarded even for those worldly acts without intention simply due to his willingly entering Islam and choosing to follow that proper way of life. Allah knows best.
6.1 A Permissible Act may be Transformed into an Act Rewarded by Allah
Al-Nawawi wrote, [This hadith] contains evidence that permissible acts can become acts of obedience due to sound intentions. For example, sexual intercourse can become an act of worship if the person intended to fulfill the right of his wife and to treat her well as Allah has commanded him, or for the sake of seeking a pious son, or to keep himself chaste or his wife chaste, keeping them both from looking at what is forbidden, thinking about that or considering that or due to any other pious intention.
The same is true for eating, drinking and other permissible as well as necessary acts of life. If a person approaches them in the proper way, with the intention to do what is pure and legal and avoid what is forbidden, they may all be acts by which he may attain Allah’s pleasure. Such is the great mercy of Allah that He may reward humans for doing what they need to do simply because they make sure that they do it in the proper, legal manner. Al-Haitami points out that such actions can even become acts of charity if their benefits accrue to others, as is the case described here.
7. “They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, when one of us fulfills his desire, he will have a reward for that?’ … “
These Companions were surprised that simply by fulfilling one’s desires one would be rewarded. The Prophet (peace be upon him) responded in a way that made it clear to all of them how that could be the case. In the same way that one is punished for doing something forbidden, one is rewarded for doing something permissible (with the intent that it a permissible act).
8. Other Points Related to This Hadith
(1) The path to pleasing Allah is very wide and affording. If a person is not able or good at performing one type of good deed that is pleasing to Allah, he may be able to fulfill other important deeds that are just as pleasing to Allah. The important point is that one should not miss the opportunity to please Allah by performing the deeds that are within his ability.
(2) Virtually everyone has the ability to perform some acts of “charity”. There is no excuse for any Muslim not to perform the simple acts of charity that may bring him great reward from Allah.
(3) A Muslim should never overlook any good deed. Even a deed such as smiling when meeting one’s brother is very pleasing to Allah and will be recorded for the person as an act of charity.
(4) Every believer should take advantage of the good deeds that are within his capability. He does not have to worry about the good deeds that are beyond his means. Instead, he must look to see what it is he is capable of and perform those deeds. Perhaps the deed that the person is able to perform, although he may not realize its importance, is more pleasing to Allah than the deeds that are beyond his means.
(5) It is permissible to have a desire for the good that other people possess. For example, a poor person or an ignorant person may be desirous of having the wealth or knowledge of others; but this want is not permissible if it is accompanied with a malicious intent. For example, it is not allowed for a person to wish for what another person has while also wishing that the other person no longer have that good. This type of envy goes against the spirit of brotherhood in Islam.
(6) Sultan points out that this hadith demonstrates that the Companions put into the practice what they learned from the Prophet (peace be upon him). When they heard about good deeds such as charity, they gave in charity. However, some of them did not have the means to do so. So they brought that matter to the attention of the Prophet (peace be upon him), saying that they were not able to perform those deeds as the people of wealth were able.
(7) The one who orders good and eradicates evil should recall that his deed is first and foremost an act of charity for others. His intention should be to better others. He should not have the intention of commanding others or putting himself in authority over others. He is doing an act of goodness toward others and this point he should always keep in mind.
(8) If they are done with the proper intention, permissible deeds can become rewarded acts that take one closer to Allah.
(9) This hadith demonstrates that it is permissible to ask a scholar the reasoning for his statement. In this hadith, the Companions questioned the Prophet (peace be upon him) as to how fulfilling one’s desires could lead one to being rewarded from Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not object to their request for an explanation. Instead, he showed them the evidence or the reasoning behind his statement.
(10) Sultan also points out that presenting one’s evidence for an opinion makes it easier for the people to accept and believe in one’s statement. Therefore, the scholars should be willing to give their evidence when questioned and should not feel that this is an insult to their status.
(11) Al-Haitami points out that this hadith demonstrates that the rich person who is thankful to Allah and gives out of his excess wealth is in a superior position to the poor person who is patient, all other things being equal. The Prophet (peace be upon him) showed the poor Companions deeds that they could perform to bring them close in reward to the richer Companions. However, when the richer Companions performed the same deeds, the Prophet (peace be upon him) had to explain to the poorer Companions that such was Allah’s grace that He bestows upon whom He wills. He further states, as ibn Daqeeq al-Eid stated, that if a poor person and rich person are equal in performing the obligatory deeds but the rich person gives in charity while the poor person simply makes more remembrance of Allah, the place of the rich person will be superior as his voluntary deeds benefit others. Some argue that being poor is better because the person develops patience and purity.
Al-Haitami counters that by saying that a rich person also experiences thankfulness to Allah as well as purifying himself from greed, lusts, boasting and so forth. Al-Haitami closes his argument by saying that the Prophet (peace be upon him) began as a poor and patient person but he ended his mission rich (able to fulfill his needs) and thankful. In general, Allah brings the life of the messengers and prophets to an end while they are in their best state of worship and closeness to Allah. This is a further sign that the place of a rich person who is thankful and giving is better than being poor person who is patient, all other things held equal. He also states that the poor person will get the reward for patience as well as for his intention to do good if he had wealth. However, the rich person will be rewarded for his actual acts of charity and his thankfulness.
The intention of a poor person cannot be considered something definitive while the acts of the rich person are definitive. In other words, although a poor person may claim– even to himself- that if he had wealth he would spend it in a proper way, only Allah knows for certain if that intention is completely true or not. The important point that one can conclude from al-Haitami’s discussion is that, from an Islamic perspective, there is no virtue necessarily in being poor and there is no sin in being wealthy. Indeed, being wealthy can be a much more virtuous position. It is good for Muslims to make money so that they may support themselves, their families and give the excess in charity for the sake of Allah. Allah knows best.
(12) In many societies there is friction or hatred between the rich or upper classes and the poor or lower classes. Taataay points out that Islam has removed all such hatred and friction from society. This is because rich believers do not exploit their wealth and use it extravagantly as is done in non-Islamic environments. Instead, they use their wealth in the proper manner and they also distribute to the poor and needy. Hence, the existence of the rich is a means by which the needs of the less fortunate are met.
(13) This hadith also demonstrates that there is nothing shameful in the sexual act itself, as many Christians have believed. However, Islam stresses that the sexual urges be satisfied in the proper manner, according to the laws revealed by the Creator Himself and not according to the lusts and whims of society.
Summary of the Hadith:
• Everyone has some acts of charity available to him. For example, the words of dhikr are acts of charity as is ordering good and eradicating evil.
• Every permissible deed that a person performs with the proper intention will be considered an act of charity for him and he will be rewarded for it.
• Punishment from Allah is the result of doing what is forbidden.
Books of Muslims 