Ten Virtues of a Mumin – (10) Generosity

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنبُلَةٍ مِّائَةُ حَبَّةٍ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ،

'The parable of those who expend their wealth in the way of God – fi sabilillah - is that as a grain of corn sprouts seven ears, and within each ear a hundred more grains; so God multiplies for whom He will; God is Embracing, Knowing...'

(Surat al-Baqara: 261)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

مَنْ رَزَقَهُ اللهُ وَلايَةَ عَلِيّ بنِ ابيطالب ص فَقَدْ أَصَابَ خَيْرَ الدُّنْيَا والآخِرةِ، ولا أشُكُّ لهُ بِالجَنةِ، وإنَّ في حُبِّ عَليٍّ وَوَلايَتِهِ عِشْرِينَ خَصْلَة، عَشَرةً مِنها في الدُّنيا وعَشَرةً في الآخرة* (1) الزهد (2) والحرص على العلم (3) والورع في الدين (4) والرغبة في العبادة (5) وتوبة نصوح (6) والقيام في الليل للصلوة (٧) والإياس من الخلق (8) والحفظ للقرآن (9) وبغض الدنيا (10) والسَّخاءُ بما يملك

He who is given the bounty (rizq - rozi) of the valaayat of Ali has attained the goodness of this world and the Hereafter, and I do not doubt that he will enter jannat. Ali’s love and valaayat entail twenty virtues: 10 in this world (dunya) and 10 in the Hereafter (aakherat). 1) renouncing materialism, 2) desire to seek knowledge, 3) piety and scrupulosity, 4) eagerness for worship, 5) sincere repentance, 6) waking up in the night for prayer, 7) putting your trust in God, not people, 8) memorizing the Quran, 9) aversion to this world (dunya), 10) generosity.

(Rasulullah SAW)

This article was written by Ra'sul Hududil Mayameen Janab Syedi Aziz Bhaisaheb Qutbuddin in 2016.

Rasulullah SA said, “he who is given the gift (rizq, rozi) of the walaayat of Ali has attained the goodness of this world and the Hereafter, and I do not doubt that he will enter Jannat.” Ali’s love and walaayat entail twenty virtues: 10 in this World (dunya) and 10 in the Hereafter (aakherat). The ten in this world are: 1) renouncing materialism; 2) desire to seek knowledge; 3) piety and scrupulosity; 4) eagerness and desire for worship; 5) sincere repentance; 6) waking up in the night for tahajjud prayers; 7) to put trust in God and not people; 8) memorizing the Quran Majeed; 9) aversion to this world; and 10) generosity.

This year during Ashara Mubaraka, Syedna Qutbuddin TUS narrated this Hadith and explained its many meanings and virtues. Syedna TUS introduced the Hadith saying that this is a bishaarat for the Shi’a of Amirul Mumineen SA. He added that in one sense, those with true walaayat would necessarily have these virtues. If for some reason one with walaayat does not possess these virtues, then upon hearing this bayaan he/she should make a firm commitment to acquire them. The tenth virtue is being generous with what one owns (al-sakhaa’u bima yamlik).

The Qu’an masterfully describes the balance one should strive to seek with regards to spending, “and do not keep your hand chained to your neck, nor open it completely, or you will sit blameworthy and denuded” (Surat al-Isra’: 29). With regards to this balance, our Hudaat Kiraam have advised us to spend our income in three ways: 1) on our family’s sustenance and wellbeing; 2) on good deeds for the sake of Allah (fi-sabilillah); 3) on investment and savings for difficult times.

Spending fi sabililalh is a broad category. On the one hand, it includes things that are compulsory such as zakaat and vajebaat, which are Allah Ta’ala’s right. But in addition, spending fi sabililalh includes spending in the khidmat and defense of Dawat, building a Masjid, qarzan hasana, helping mumineen, helping ‘Ibaadullah etc. – all these acts among many others garner much sawaab.

A key concept our Hudaat Kiraam emphasize is that the sustenance and rizq that we receive is from Allah Ta’ala – raaziq khuda chhe. Whatever we spend in His name he will refill and reward, just as water from a well is replenished each time that you draw from it. The understanding of this concept not only instills a sense of humility and gratitude for the sustenance received but also promotes and fosters confidence in spending for the sake of Allah Ta’ala.

The Qur’an narrates, in the Ayat quoted in this Sijill Article, the parable of those who spend fi-sabilillah,“the likeness of those who expend their wealth in the way of God – fi sabilillah - as a grain of corn sprouts seven ears, and within each ear a hundred more grains; so God multiplies for whom He will; God is Embracing, Knowing” (Surat al-Baqara: 261). The virtue of generosity for the sake of Allah Ta’ala results in the exponential multiplication of blessings both in this world as well as in the Hereafter.

There are numerous anecdotes about those who spent their wealth fi sabilillah and saw it multiplied, while also receiving the doa of Sahibuz-Zaman, (some of these anecdotes are narrated on MostBelovedSon.com). However, the reward in this world is but a fraction of the reward in the Hereafter. Our Mawali Tahereen have also stated that the reward for expending is very much related to the capacity of the person doing the good deed. If one who is earning 1000 Rs. gives 100 Rs. and one who is earning 100 Rs. gives 10 Rs., they both garner equal sawaab even though the former gave 100 Rs and the latter 10 Rs. This is Allah Ta’ala’s justice.

It is important to remember that generosity is not simply associated with wealth and money: being generous with one’s time is also a great virtue. Imam Husain SA left in the middle of a tawaaf in Baitullah (tatawwu’ tawaaf, not farizat) to help a Mumin.

Our Mawali Tahereen are exemplars of generosity. Amirul Mumineen SA spent all of his earnings from his farmlands on providing iftaar jaman to the people of Kufa in Shehrullah. Amirul Mumineen’s SA Dai Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA followed Maula Ali’s SA example and invited Mumineen all over the world for jaman twice a year. Syedna Abdeali Saifuddin RA nurtured 12,000 Mumineen – lodging and boarding – for an entire year when a drought afflicted Saurashtra. Bawamullah Khan Saheb QS kept a horse tied in the mehella for anyone who needed it to ride and return. The poet al-Farazdaq artfully expresses Imam Ali Zainul Aabedeen’s SA generosity, “he never said no except in his tashahhud (la ilaha illa Allah). If it weren’t for the tashahhud, his ‘no’ would have been a ‘yes’.”

Such is the generosity of our Awliya’ Kiraam. Their successor Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin TUS is a sea of generosity, like his predecessors. Once when Syedna Qutbuddin TUS was leaving Syedna Taher Saifuddin’s RA hazrat for some days, Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA said to a couple whom Syedna Qutbuddin TUS had helped, “Khuzaima jaase to tamaru kaun karse.”

May Allah Ta’ala grant us the tawfeeq, motivation and rozi so that we may be generous with what we own. May He grant us exponential reward for what we spend in His path. The Quranic Ayat quoted above explains that each act that is fi sabillilah garners exponential sawaab similar to how one grain or corn then produces seven ears of corn, and each ear in it of itself produces one hundred grains, and each grain produces seven ears etc. etc. etc. May we continue to follow the example and guidance of our Hudaat Kiraam and our Dai.

May Allah Ta’ala grant longest life to Aqa Moula TUS for continuing to guide us to attain the 10 virtues of the Shi’a of Amirul Mumineen SA. May we live up to the great blessing of being the Shi’a of Ali the children of Dawat ul Haqq and those who are on the path to salvation.

The ten virtues of a mumin in the Hereafter will be presented in Sijill 100 inshaallah.