Merits of Generosity

If a man has got no wealth, he should remain contended and curtail his greed. If anybody has got wealth, he should adopt Isar (sacrifice for other) generosity and benevelence and should keep away from a narrow-mindedness and miserliness, as generosity is the conduct of the prophets and it is root of salvation. The Prophet illustrated it by saying: Generosity is a tree of Paradise. Its branches are hanging towards the earth. If a man catches a branch therefrom it will take him to Paradise. The Prophet said: Gebriel told me that God said: This religion (Islam) I have proposed for Myself. Generosity and good conduct increase its grandeur. So honour Islam by these two qualities. The Prophet said: God does not accept one as His friend who has not got generosity and good conduct. The Prophet was once asked; O Prophet of God, which action is good? He said: Patience and generosity. He said: God loves two qualities - good conduct and generosity. God hates two conducts - Bad conduct and miserliness. When God wishes good of a man, He engages him in good works of public utility. The Prophet was once asked: Give me clue to such action for which I can go to Paradise. He said: The actions which give power is feeding food, spreading peace and sweet talks. The Prophet said: Generosity is a tree of Paradise. He who is generous takes hold of one of its branches. He does not give it up till he enters Paradise. Miserliness is a tree of Hell. He who is miser, takes hold of one of its branches and he does not leave it till he enters Hell. The Prophet said: God says: Search good from My kind people, you will then live under their care, as I have placed My mercy among them. Don't search good of those who are hard-hearted, as I have placed My displeasure among them. The Prophet said: Forgive the faults of the benevolent man as God keeps his faults concealed by His hands. The Prophet said: Mercy descends on a man who gives food so soon that a knife cannot be inflicted on the neck of a camel with greater speed. The Prophet said: God is benevolent and He loves good conduct and hates bad conduct. Hazrat Anas reported that if any person begged anything of the Prophet in the name of Islam, he gave it to him. One day a man bagged something of the Prophet who ordered goats for him. The open space between two valleys was filled up with goats of Zakat. He gave all the goats to him. He came back to his clan and said: O my clan, accept Islam. Mohammad gives such charity that he does not fear poverty. The Prophet said: God makes some men prosperous with riches, so that they may do good to the people. He who shows miserliness in doing good to the people. God takes it from him and gives it to others.

The Prophet said: Everything has got its fruit. The fruit of beneveloence is salvation. He said: The food of a benevolent man is cure. The food of a miser is disease. He said: He who is a giver of excess gift bears the sufferings of many people. He who cannot bear them loses that gift. Jesus Christ said: Take such thing in excess which cannot be destroyed by the fire of Hell. He was asked: What is it ? He said: To do good. The prophet said Paradise is an abode of charity. He also said: The charitable man is near God, near people, near paradise and distant from Hell. The miser is distant from God, distant from people, distant from Paradise and near Hell. The Prophet said: Do good to all whether in want or not. If you do good to the people, you will remove really your wants. If you do not do it, you will fall in want. The Prophet said: Those who are included within 'Abdal' pious men, will not enter paradise for only prayer and fasting but will enter Paradise for their generosity, purity of heart and for the benefit, of advising the people. The Prophet said: God created some matters for the good of the people- (1) He made dear to the people doing good to others, (2) He made dear to the people those who do good to others, (3) He turned the faces of those who want good to those who do good. They give charity to them without difficulty as rain-water falling in some dry place brings it back to life and its inhabitants.

The Prophet said: Every good act is an act of charity. What a man spends for himself and his family is regarded as an act of charity. He who saves his honour is an act- of charity. It becomes the duty of God to give rewards to one who spends. The Prophet said: Every good act is charity. He who guides to a good act will get the rewards of one who does that good act. The Prophet said: To good to a man, rich or poor is an act of charity. Moses got revelation: Don't kill Sagiras he is a charitable man.

Wise sayings: A sage said: spend worldly riches when they come to you, as they will not come to an end. Hazrat Hasan said on a question of Caliph Muwayiah: The meaning of manhood is to save one's life and religion, to treat well with a guest, to argue in a good manner and to proceed to one's duty. The meaning of courage is to remove the sufferings of a neighbour and to have patience in place of patience. The meaning of generosity is to do good before asking, to give charity in time and to treat well with a beggar along with charity. Zainal Abedin, son of Hazrat Hussain, said: He is not a benevolent, man who gives in charity when asked for. The benevolent man is he who, in obedience to God's command, pays the dues of those to whom they are due before asking and he is not eager to get their gratefulness, as he believes firmly that he will get fully rewards from God. Hazrat Hasan Basari was asked: What is generosity? He said: Your charity of wealth in the way of God is called generosity. He was asked: What is miserliness? He replied: Not to spend your wealth in the way of God is miserliness. He was asked: What is misuse of money? He said: To spend for greed of passion is misuse. The saint jafar Sadeq said: There is no greater wealth than wisdom, no greater danger than ignorance and no greater helper than mutual consolation. Beware, God says, I am the great giver, honorable. No miser can come near Me'. Miserliness is included within infidelity and the infidels are in Hell. Benevolence and honour appertain to faith and the believers are in Paradise. Hazrat Hasan Basari said: 'It is the height of generosity to give in charity of one's hard earned money.’