A man is greedy for wealth because he wants that he should leave behind him plenty of wealth and property for his children, so that they may be safe and secure after him. This is a good and virtuous intention. Islam considers it a duty of a Muslim that he should take care of his family and dependents, and keep them away from want and penury. If Islam wants you to be helpful in removing poverty and want from the homes of other, it also dislikes you to bring poverty and want in your homes.
It is mentioned in the hadith :
"To leave your inheritors rich and wealthy is much better than leaving them poor and needy, and being forced to beg before other."
(Bukhari)
Provision for the children and a guarantee for their future are duties of accepted importance. But how can it be proper if a man stakes his religion and character after these things It is sheer foolishness if a man sacrifices his position, decency and Allah's pleasure only for the purpose of leaving his income for his children.
Islam shows that like all other good things a man's wealth and children are a trial for him. If he is entangled in their love and forgets his duties and does not offer the expected sacrifices, then these good things and gifts become a trouble for him, nay, they become more dangerous and destructive.
"0 you who believe ! Truly, among your wives and your children are (some that are) enemies to yourselves : so beware of them! But if you forgive and overlook, and cover up (their faults), verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Your riches and your children may be but a trial: but in the presence of Allah, is the highest reward."
(Taghabun: 14, 15)
Yea, the man who does not go to jihad, because he likes the proximity of his wife, or the man who restrains his band from giving in charity because he wants to save his wealth for saving more and more for his children, be is showing ungratefulness to Allah for the good things of life that He has provided, and he thinks that they are really 'gifts' while actually they are a trial for him.
Khaula Bint Hakim says:
"One day the Prophet came out carrying his grandchild, and he was saying: 'You (children) become the means of miserliness, cowardice, ignorance and foolishness. And you are also the fragrance of Allah."
(Tirmizi)
It means that the person who preferred to be a miser, coward and fool on account of his child, he was in a loss, and a person who paid the dues of Allah and His slaves, he became successful. However, being niggardly in paying the dues and for hoarding for the children, a man's poverty and need do not end, it also does not guarantee his becoming a wealthy person; and such a man will not be able to proffer any excuse which will be acceptable.
Abdullah bin Masood narrates that the Prophet PBUH said:
"Allah has blessed two types of persons with plenty of wealth, property, and children. He will ask the persons of one of these groups: 'O Such and Such man I' He will reply: 'We are present, O our Lord! we are present.' He will ask: 'What have you done with the wealth and property with which I had blessed you ?' The slave will reply: 'That I have left for my sons, for 1 was afraid of his poverty'. The Lord will say: 'If you know the reality you will laugh less and cry more. The thing which you fear, I have sent it down on them."
He will ask another person : 'O Such and such man I' He will reply: 'I am present, O My Lord! I am present.' He will ask: 'Had I not blessed you with plenty of wealth and property ?' The slave will reply: 'Certainly, my Lord!' He will ask: 'What have you done with those blessings ?' He will reply: 'I spent it in the path of your obedience, and I left my children to your Mercy, Kindness and Benevolence.' Then God will say: 'Listen, If you know the reality, you will laugh more and cry less. The things on which you relied, I provided him with them'. "
(Tibrani)
Islam advises that man should first be kind to himself, then with his home people, then with his relatives and with all humans.
A man's being kind with his self means that he should meet all his permissible and proper needs by halal or permissible means, and should avoid haram or forbidden means. He should keep himself safe from the manifestations of poverty and starvation, for a man loses his dignity because of these conditions. The necessary standard of Muslim's honour is not maintained. But all these things should be done in between miserliness and wasteful spending. Muslims are allowed to keep so much wealth with them that it may suffice to meet their needs, and if they have not these means then they are poor and needy.
Abu Saeed Khudri narrates: .
” A man in a poor condition entered the Masjid-i-Naba,' (Prophet's Mosque). At that time the Prophet was commanding the people to give charity. When the people collected the donations, he gave two items of clothing to that man in poor condition. When for the second time the Prophet advised the people to give in charity, that seedy looking man threw one item of clothing. The Prophet said in anger: 'See this shabby-looking man, I had given him two pieces of clothing, and when I again advised people to give in charity, he threw his one piece.' The Prophet reproached him considerably."
The holy Prophet wanted to remove poverty, penury and want and obscenity from society, while some people did not care whether they were moving about without clothes or without footwear. If the people of this kind consider their such appearance as a manifestation of religious teachings, then it is not correct, because Islam makes it a duty for every Muslim to strive for so much wealth as may make him able to raise his head with dignity in society. Jabir has reported:
A man came to the Prophet with a piece of gold with him and said to the Prophet that he got it from a mine and requested him to accept it ; that it was in charity and that he had nothing else which he could give in charity. The Prophet turned his face a away. So he came from the right side, and again requested. This time also the Prophet turned his face away. So he came from the left side and pleaded. This time also the Prophet did not pay any attention. So he came from behind and repeated his request. The Prophet took it and threw it towards him so forceful that had it touched him it would have been painful
Then he said: 'Some of you come to give the entire property in charity. After this they go on begging before others, and the best charity is that which comes from a wealthy person'."
Who deserve First to Partake of your Wealth?
It is the duty of the Head of the family to find out what are the reasonable needs of his household. people, and he should meet them with generosity. It is not religiousness that a man should let his wife and children suffer for want of means and should spend his wealth for other purposes, however important they may be. Family relationships deserve more attention and preferable treatment over others.
The Prophet has said:
"One dinar is that which you spend in the cause of Allah, and one dinar is that which you spend for freeing a slave; and one dinar is that which you spend on your family. But of all these, the greatest reward will be given for the dinar which has been spent on the family."
(Muslim)
In the discussion on Sincerity this hadith had been quoted :
"What a Muslim spends on his family, for seeking the pleasure of Allah, is also counted as charity."
(Bukhari)
By this clear guidance Islam wants that the allotment of the expenditure should be in proportion to the benefits to society, for family is the foundation of a great society and the first brick. of its edifice. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to it first and to pay its dues fully.
In this teaching there is a warning for those who spend heartily and squander money carelessly outside their homes among their friends while at home they become a picture of poverty and helplessness.
The people who deserve more to be benefited from the excess wealth of a person are his relatives and kinsmen. It is their right that when the hand should be raised for giving in charity it should first be extended towards them. It also appeals to a sound intellect that when there are needy and poor persons in the vicinity of a person, then where is the sense in leaving them uncared for and extending the helping hand towards others? Such an action might generate a feeling of hatred and rancor in the hearts of the deprived persons, and they may feel that the ignorance shown in their respect is with a view to harming them and putting them to great loss. And if giving of pain and dissatisfaction is done consciously, then this kind of charity becomes troublesome for the giver.
A haditlt has it:
“O Community of Muhammed! By the Being Who has sent me with Truth, Allah cannot accept the charity of those persons whose relatives are in want of his kindness and help, and he is distributing it among others, leaving them. By the Being in Whose power is my life, on the Day of Judgment Allah will not look at such a man."
(Tibrani)
The wife of Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood, Zainab Saqafiah says: .. Allah's Messenger bas said :
'O Group of ladies Give in charity, even if you have to sell ornaments." She says : 'I went to Abdullah bin Masood and told him: 'You are a poor man and the Prophet has asked us to give in charity. You go to the Prophet and ask him whether this thing can be an alternative for charity, if so it is well, otherwise I will give in charity to others instead of to you.' Abdullah bin Masood said: 'You go and ask him.'
She says that on her way to see the Prophet, she met a woman from Ansar, who was also troubled with the same thoughts. They went together. As a precautionary measure they had to stop outside his room. When Hazrat Bilal came out of the room, she said to him: 'Go and ask the Prophet and tell him that two women have come to ask you whether looking after the husbands and nourishing their children can be an alternative to charity or not? And do not tell him who the women are.'
She says that Bilal went in the presence of the Prophet and asked him about her problem. The Prophet asked who the women were. He answered that one was a woman from the Ansar and another was Zainab. The Prophet asked: 'Which Zainab ?' He replied: 'The wife of Abdullah bin Masood.' The Prophet said: 'These two will get the reward of the relationship and also the reward for the charity.'
(Bukbari)
Allah’s Messenger has said:
"To spend on the poor is charity, and to spend on the relative gets the reward for double charity, one is charity itself, I and another for kindness to relatives." '
(Tinnizi) CHAPTER 16 PATIENCE Patience is Tower of Light
"Patience is a light." (Muslim)
In the intricate paths of life when difficulties and hardships confront a man, and the darkness of adversities and suffering becomes long, it is patience only that acts like a light for a Muslim, that keeps him safe from wandering here and there, and saves him from the muddy mire of disappointment, desperation and frustration. Patience is such a basic quality that a Muslim needs it to shape his life in this world and in the next. On this basis only he should attend to all his work. He should make it a torchlight for guiding his way, else he will be defeated in the field of life. He should prepare his self to tolerate the hardships and difficulties, and should not holler or raise hell. He should not sit waiting for the results, however late that may take. He should not run away from responsibilities, whatever they may be. No doubts and misgivings, no hardship of trouble should prompt his intellect to indulge in violence. He should have plenty of self-confidence. He should not be frightened by the dark clouds appearing on the horizon of life, even if they may be appearing continually, nay, he should be fully sure that these clouds of adversities and hardships will disappear, and the clear and bright atmosphere of success and glory will appear again. Therefore, the demand of wisdom and far- sightedness is that its coming should be awaited with patience, peace and conviction.
The Almighty God has stressed this point sufficiently that no man can escape tests and trials, so that man may be alert and ready at the time when these hardship and difficulties descend on him, and he should not be frightened by these heavenly and earthly tribulations, and need not be disappointed and disheartened.
"And verily We shall try you ill till We know those of you who still hard (in the cause of Allah) and the steadfast, and till We test your record."
(Muhammed: 31)
The poet has expressed the same idea in these words:
"We had anticipated the hardships of the night before their coming. So when they descended, there was no addition to our knowledge."
Undoubtedly if accidents and debacles are faced with a clear sight and full preparations, it will prove advantageous for man and this will help in stabilizing and consolidating his position.
Patience relies on two important realities. The first reality is concerned with the nature of this worldly life. Its details are: Allah has not made this world a house of peace and satisfaction or of rewards and recompense, but He has made it a house of trials. The time that a man spends in this world is really a time for unending experiences. He comes out of one trial in order to undergo another trial which is harder and different from the one through which he has already passed, that is man is tested once by one thing and again by its opposite, as iron is first heated in the fire and then it is put in the water. Similarly man is tested by favorable as well as opposing means.
When Allah blessed Hazrat Sulaiman with a grand and magnificent empire, he knew about these natural laws of the world. He had said:
"This is of the bounty of my Lord, that He may try me whether I give thanks or am ungrateful. Whoever gives thanks, he only gives thanks for (the good of) his Own soul,' and whoever is ungrateful (is ungrateful only to his own soul's hurt). For surely, my Lord is Absolute in independence, Bountiful."
(Nahl: 40)
The causes of trial through sadness and hardships are vague and unfixed. However, we can understand them properly by the example of the soldiers fighting in the battlefield. In the battlefield some groups are made to fight till they have to lose their valuable lives, so that the lives of other groups may be saved. The security of other sections is dependent on the remaining groups being made to fight in new battles. This strategy is followed in the wider interest of the country and for- greater advantages, by the great leadership of the army In this fighting the life of a man has no importance, because the problem is much wider.
Same is the position of luck or fate. A certain man is put to different kinds of trials, till he falls down defeated, as there is no other way for him, except that he should greet the hardship that has arrived with patience and submission. Since this life is a testing ground, we should strive hard for success in it.
What is the trial or examination of life? It is not words that they can be written, or talks to which attention may be paid. The questions of the examination are these hardships and difficulties which confront a man, and which open before him the path of fright, terror, and frustration. Examination is the name of the anti-reality defects which prompt a man to be jealous and nourisher of rancor against his sincere friend; examination is the name of the tyrannies for which a nation occupies the place of god and the other people offer their blood as sacrifice for retrieving their usurped rights.
The history of life on this earth from the first day tin today is very sorrowful. The right thing is that man should himself make his own way in this life, and he should be sure that the way to his destination is fun of thorns and filth.
The second reality is concerned with the nature and temperament of faith.
Faith is the name of the relationship between man and his Lord. As in the relationship of men, the true friendship and sincerity can only be judged when it is confronted with unfavorable and bitter conditions, when they have to deal with the hardships brought about by the vagaries of time, and when they are surrounded by various kinds of problems. At such a time a man's real worth and sincerity is known. Exactly similar is the case of faith. To find out the truth and sincerity about faith it is necessary that a Muslim be tried, he should be put in the crucible of fire to see whether he comes out glowing like the gold or whether he will be burnt away with the impurities.
"Do men imagine that they will be left (at ease) because they say, We believe, and will not be tested with affliction? Verily, We tested those who were before you. Thus Allah knows those who are sincere, and knows those who feign.
(Ankabut.. 2, 3) Undoubtedly, Allah's knowledge covers all manifest and concealed matters, and from this examination there will be no addition to His knowledge, because He knows all the conditions from the beginning till the end. The Divine knowledge cannot be made a basis for man's reckoning. His reckoning will be on the basis of his own personal deeds. If some criminals deny their crimes, then on the Day of Judgment in what way proof can be brought against them except by putting them to trial in this world and man's own parts of the body may give evidence against him?
About such people Quran has to say this:
“ And on the Day We gather them together.. We shall say to those who ascribed partners (to Allah).. Where are (now) those partners of your make-believe ? Then they will have no contention except that they will say.. By Allah, our Lord, we never were idolaters. See how they lie against themselves, and (how) the thing which they devised has failed them /"
(AI-An'am.. 22-24)
How can the reckoning of such criminals be taken in the light of the Divine knowledge? Their justifiable retribution will be proper only when all their misdeeds are placed before them. Their efforts and striving to create corruption and mischief among others and all their misdeeds will be repeated before them.
On these two bases the foundation of patience has been kept. And for this reason religion demands it, but he who shuts his eyes from realities by force of his nature is dumbfounded when he has to face hardships and his hands and feet become inactive when he has to fight difficulties. His rashness dislikes waiting and patience and he is unable to tolerate it, Therefore, when anything untoward happens, or he has to suffer some kind of failure, or when he meets with an accident, the earth with all its great vastness becomes narrow for him, and the conditions become exasperating for him. He wants to come out of these conditions in the twinkling of an eye, but it is obvious that in this effort he will not ; be successful for it is against the temperament of the world and the religion, It is proper for a Muslim to learn to be patient and to wait and to wait for long.
"Man is made of haste. I shall show' you my signs, but ask Me not to hasten,"
(AI-Ambiya.. 31)