Twelfth Ramadan Lecture Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi, 1443 A.H.
I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the outcast.
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
Praise is to Allah, the Lord of Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, He is the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth; and that Muhammad, our master, is His servant, messenger, and last prophet.
O Allah, confer Your Salat (prayers) and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad just as You conferred Your Salat (prayers) and blessings upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahedeen.
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you, as well as the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
O Allah, guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are the All-Hearing and the All-knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Most Relenting and the Most Merciful.
The Holy Quran introduces Zakat and Infaq in the same context of Taqwa and its requirements, and as we have mentioned in the previous lecture, that is often accompanied with [the mention of] Salat: The command for establishing Salat in the Holy Quran is often accompanied with the command for Zakat and Infaq. This occurs a lot in the Holy Quran.
It is well known that Zakat is one of the pillars of Islam, as it is a great obligation and important task, one of the most important obligations prescribed by Allah (Glory be to Him). In addition, it is, as we have mentioned, one of the characteristics of Muttaqin, as well as one of the requirements of faith and Taqwa, which leads to great and good results when paid (just as the case with good deeds and key obligations) and to bad consequences on the person in this life and the Hereafter and on his/her relationship with Allah when neglected or denied.
The Holy Quran frequently mention Allah's saying, {'And establish Salat and give Zakat'}, a command from Allah (Glory be to Him) calling us to establish Salat and give Zakat.
{'And give Zakat''} means that the person should rush to give Zakat when Zakat is due—that is when his/her money reach Nisab threshold. So, when that is the case, you need to move swiftly and willingly to pay it with due care, and don’t wait for others to come and take it forcibly and against your will, especially if you were trying to evade paying Zakat before.
{'And establish Salat '}: As we are commanded to take care of performing Salat and in a rewardable way, we are also commanded to seek to give Zakat.
Of what comes in this context is what the Holy Quran says, {'And establish Salat and give Zakat'}; {'And establish Salat and give Zakat and loan Allah a goodly loan'}—so that also includes Infaq in the cause of Allah and in what He has commanded and encouraged to—{'Whatever good you send forth for yourselves, you will find it with Allah far better and more rewarding'}[Al-Muzzammil 73:20].
Allah in these blessed verses makes us conscious of the fact that what we present of rewardable Salat, Zakat, Infaq, and good deeds is for our own good, since Allah stands in need of no one of us in nothing of our deeds (Salat, Zakat, Infaq). He is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy. Therefore, we benefit ourselves from what we do and spend and from our Salat and Zakat, and all of that is for our own good in its educational effects that we do need at the psychological level, in the march and reality of our life. Indeed, it is we who do need these things, and they are for our own good: They are beneficial to us in what we need at the psychological level, the practical level, the level of the reality and the circumstances of life, and the level of the Hereafter, the Hereafter in what comes in the eternal afterlife.
{'Whatever good you send forth for yourselves'}: It is for yourself! If a person gets affected by stinginess and greed and, as a result, keeps away [from acts of generosity] because s/he considers himself/herself offering something to others out of his/her pocket (s/he considers himself/herself losing, and what he offers as a finical burden, fine, loss, something that went wasted without being benefited from because s/he gave it here or there according to where Allah pointed out), this is a mistaken view.
You must rest assured that everything that you send forth (Zakat, alms, or spending in the cause of Allah) you send it forth for yourself. It is added to your record of good deeds and ensures you what is greatly important without any comparison. Indeed, there is no comparison that can be made between spending on yourself for meeting some material needs on the one hand and what you will get when giving Zakat, alms, and Infaq in the cause of Allah—you will get what is more important and what adds to your record that guarantees you great results in this life and the great, great, great goodness in the Hereafter. In some circumstances and at crucial times, the reward for what you spend could be a palace in Jannah and could make you gain an important and great thing in the Jannah of Eternity. You will secure your eternal future through what you add of good deeds, from spending to spending. All of that will grant you eternal happiness and great life, in addition to its immediate benefits in this world, which will become clear to us through what we will talk about.
In the Holy Quran, in addition to the direct order {‘And establish Salat, and pay Zakat’}, {‘And pay Zakat’}, which was repeated over and over again, it is also mentioned among the faith-based characteristics of believers and Muttaqin. Even in this case, it is also paired with Salat, which indicates that it is of the requirements of Taqwa and faith. Allah says, {‘Those who establish Salat and pay Zakat’}[Al-Naml 27:3]. It is repeated in the Holy Quran—{‘[Those] who establish Salat’}—and it is paired with Allah’s saying {‘And pay Zakat’}. One of these is Allah’s saying, {‘[Those] who establish Salat and pay Zakat and who have faith in the Hereafter’}[Al-Naml 27:3]. These are of the characteristics of the believers and the Muttaqin, and they are of the requirements of faith and Taqwa.
The expression of {‘and pay’}—which comes in the present form of the verb—indicates continuity. They are not of those who sometimes cannot decide to pay Zakat before listening to a lot of sermons, encouragements, orders, and warnings or being come after; however, if they are ignored and not come after, or if they are not involved in considerable give-and-take and embarrassment as well as rebuke, they will take the chance to evade payment of Zakat. It is unfortunate that this is the case of many people when dealing with a great pillar of the pillars of Islam as well as of the pillars of Allah (Glory be to Him), even though it is a must for their salvation. Evading paying it, falling short of paying it, and being sly in it are reasons for not accepting their [people who evade] Salat, fasting, [good] deeds, and righteous deeds. (They do not get accepted.) That is because that causes a person to be away from Taqwa and to be away from the state of keeping to Taqwa.
We notice that this is true for many people. That is, the percentage of those who give Zakat among those who perform Salat, and of course, they do not establish a rewardable Salat, for they don't feel its effect on their soul—most people try to pay some of their Zakat and withhold some: They do not pay Zakat in full. This is unacceptable. Allah (Glory be to Him) considers that you still have sins and burdens, and you cause Allah’s rage to fall on you. Furthermore, this behaviour cannot be justified (when you keep a portion of Zakat for yourself and pay only a portion of it). Maybe, only few (too few) people (those who are believers and Muttaqin) hasten [to pay it] with desire, with a sense of responsibility, with devotion to Allah (Glory be to Him), and with consciousness of the importance of paying Zakat and its results of goodness and blessings. Therefore, they pay it all, and they are careful that they do not keep a penny, not even little for them to use [in personal purposes]. They realize the importance of paying it all, without delaying or postponing, and they hasten to that [paying Zakat].
About paying Zakat of crops, {‘And give its due [Zakat] on the day of its harvest’}[Al-an’am 6:141]: Hasten and hurry. About the one-year period, when trade money and what is alike passes one year, hasten without delay or evasion. Evasion is a reprehensible and unjustified act, but it also expresses a shortage in belief, being far from Taqwa, misperception, and being affected by the whisper of Shaytan, about whom Allah says, {‘The Devil threatens you with [the prospect of] poverty and bids you to the shameful deed’}[Al-Baqarah 2:268]. The whispers of Shaytan with which he makes some people picture that if they gave Zakat, they would go broke, be in trouble, and lose everything. That is not how it should be thought of at all.
Of what we recited in the lecture about Salat and the establishment of Salat revealed to the prophets (Peace be upon them), Allah (Almighty) says, {‘And We inspired them to do good deeds and to establish Salat and pay Zakat’}[Al-Anbya 21:73]. {‘And pay Zakat’}, Allah pairs it with Salat as He does in many verses and many instructions, with the same emphasis and required sustainability: {‘And pay Zakat’}. Because of the importance of this matter, it is specifically mentioned with much emphasis. It is a great means of nearness that draws a person nearer to Allah (Glory be to Him) if s/he renders Zakat properly. It is one of the undoubtable things prescribed by Allah in all His messages and for all His prophets (Peace be upon them) throughout history. It is a matter of great, faith-based value and positive effect, and it is a great means of nearness to Allah (Glory be to Him).
One of the most important effects for Zakat is its educational effect as people are in need of what helps them purify and heal their souls. People need it, for if a human soul gets defiled, corrupted, or wicked, it changes to the degree that s/he feels hardship in doing goodness and tends very much towards his/her desires, towards wicked deeds, and towards sins (Allah forbid).
A person is in need of doing what helps and benefits him/her to purify the soul, discipline it, make it righteous, and improve good feelings in it. This is possible; Allah (Glory be to Him) made it possible, and He orders us, leads us, and guides us to what helps us cleanse, purify, and increase our kind, positive feelings in our souls. This helps us to move in good deeds with desire, and [helps us] to avoid bad deeds, abhor them, hate them, despise them, and avoid tending to them. This is a great, important thing: On the one hand, it is high self-transcendence for the person and great honour for him/her, and on the other hand, it is very beneficial for the person at the practical level. That is because a person naturally moves with desire, dignity, and comfort in good, great deeds; also, the soul rises with its purity, with its return to the natural quality, and with purifying the instinct of bad, evil impurities and residues. It turns with great desire (because of this cleansing, righteousness, and purity) into good deeds.
That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) says about the command of Zakat, {‘Take from their wealth [O Prophet] charity to cleanse and purify them’}[At-Tawbah 9:103]. Zakat has its educational value and good effect at the level of self-discipline and it purifies it [the soul] of impurities and residues that represent an obstacle that keeps people away from many [good] deeds.
Some people, for example, notice a bad and unusual change towards some good deeds: His/her soul evades them although they are great, righteous deeds and see them as heavy burdens, or s/he finds it hard to do most things which are not mainly hard (The difficulty was in his/her soul). These impurities and residues have made the soul wicked and affected it, so it needs to be purified.
Among the benefits of Zakat, charity, and Infaq in general is that they, besides Salat and other important matters that Allah has guided us to, help to cleanse the soul of a believer. On this, He says, {‘Take from their wealth [O Prophet] alms to cleanse and purify them’}, so they have this very important effect: cleanliness and purification (soul cleanliness and purification), and this is a very important matter. Many are the impurities and residues that make the person’s soul wicked in a way that results an increase in the bad feelings in his/her consciousness, such as ambitions, whims, desires, and wicked tendencies, as well as materialism—the bad things that hugely affect the person and his/her deeds.
Furthermore, about warnings for not paying Zakat or falling short of paying it, it is considered of the major sins that render a person’s good deeds (all s/he has done) into nothing, and then none of the good deeds s/he does gets accepted, including his/her Salat and fasting; all of that does not get accepted.
In addition to that, it [not paying Zakat] can lead you into Jahannam (Allah forbid), and cause Allah’s wrath and anger to the person. What a horrible, terrifying matter!
That is why warning in the Holy Quran includes this issue. Indeed, there is comprehensive warning, which is repeated in the Quran, to the disobedient. {‘And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger will certainly be in the Fire of Hell’}[Al-Jinn 72:23]. {‘And who disobeys Allah’}–this expression is repeated in the Holy Quran as warning for the disobedient. And the person who does not pay Zakat, pays part of it while using the other part, or withholds it, is of the disobedient who are addressed by Allah’s warning, because s/he has become a person who is disobedient to Allah (Glory be to Him).
Allah (Almighty) also says, {‘And woe is to the polytheists; those who do not pay Zakat’}[Fussilat 41:6-7]. {‘Those who do not pay Zakat’}, woe is to them. When Allah says woe, He refers to His horrible torment that He prepared for them. It's terrible! So, all those who do not pay Zakat or those who pay part of it while using the other part should fear Allah, be mindful of Him, and fear His torment and woe. {‘And woe’}—when Allah says it, what a horrible torment it means! And what a horrible punishment it indicates: {‘And Allah is severe in punishment’}[Ali Imran 3:11].
About the main reasons for going into Fire, [comes the question] {‘What drove you into Saqar?’}[Al-Muddaththir 74:42]. The people of Jannah ask the people of Jahannam, ‘What is it that involved you in such a horrible, terrifying dilemma, which represents an eternal loss?’ {‘They will reply, “We were not of those who prayed, nor did we feed the poor”’}[Al-Muddaththir 74:43-44]. In addition, one of the most important things in Zakat is taking care of the poor and the needy; a considerable portion from Zakat is for them. So, when people withhold it, they withhold a right whose people get harmed, and that [Fire] is for such a result: {‘Nor did we feed the poor’}.
There is a Hadith narrated about the Messenger (PBUH&F), stressing how Zakat is essential for Salat (even in accepting deeds) that it is a must for accepting Salat. The Prophet (PBUH&F) said, ‘No Salat is complete except with Zakat .’ S/he whose Zakat is due, but s/he does not pay it, his/her Salat is not complete nor accepted. In another narration, [the prophets said,] ‘Not a Salat is accepted unless with Zakat, and alms is not accepted from who deals unfaithfully.’ Also, another Hadith by the Messenger (PBUH&F) says, ‘He who does not pay Zakat, and he who deals with usury are at war with me in this life and in the Hereafter.’
We notice how great emphasis is placed on Zakat and its importance, as well as its role in increasing blessings, wealth, and rain. One of the main reasons of draught, lack of rain, lack of blessings, and water scarcity is stinginess in paying Zakat, not paying Zakat. This is a serious issue, and it causes the person to end up a loser.
That is why we say to those who are too stingy to pay Zakat because of their material ambitions, horrible greed, terrible stinginess, and their obsession with money to an insane level, even by material calculations or material interests, if you do want goodness and blessings, then be mindful of Allah when paying Zakat and do not be stingy with paying Zakat. When nonpayment of Zakat becomes a phenomenon among many farmers, and they start to consider it a loss that they should evade, that is a serious issue that can lead to (to a great level) the removal of blessings and so losing the blessings of heavens and the rain they [farmers] are in need of (everyone needs it). This causes great sufferings to people.
As we suffer from great draught in our country, there is no doubt that among the main reasons is falling short of paying Zakat—it is among the main reasons. So, to repent and turn to Allah (Glory be to Him), we do need to take great care of paying Zakat. However to our astonishment, some people, when told to pay Zakat, feel as if they were told to get their souls out of their bodies! What a huge problem this is for them!
As it is for Zakat, Infaq is also paired with Salat and goes parallel with Salat in terms of its importance as it is a great means of drawing near to Allah (Glory be to Him) and plays an important role in obtaining great reward, bounty, and status to Allah (Almighty). It [spending] has also an educational effect. Zakat is linked to Nisab: Nisab of what is planted on the earth, Nisab of trade money and what is alike to it, and Nisab in livestock according to specific, known numbers. A person who is assigned to pay Zakat has to know [these numbers] and to respond to relative authorities, which clarify to him/her, follow him/her, and help him/her to pay his/her Zakat.
On the other hand, Infaq is a wide circle, wider than Zakat. Part of Infaq is related to spending in the cause of Allah (Almighty), and there is a lot of encouragement [regarding Infaq] in the Holy Quran, such as Allah’s saying, {‘Spend in the cause of Allah and do not let your own hands throw you into destruction [by withholding]. And do good, for Allah certainly loves the good-doers’}[Al-Baqarah 2:195]. {‘Spend in the cause of Allah’} is a command from Allah (Glory be to Him) to spend in His cause, and it includes Jihad for His sake and all that is related to it. This is a main aspect which is also included in Jihad with wealth. The Holy Quran repeats this command a lot, Allah’s command of {‘Carry out Jihad with your wealth and your lives in the cause of Allah’}[Al-Tawbah 10:41]. In addition, it is among our responsibilities: Infaq [spending] in the cause of Allah is among our religious and faith-based responsibilities and commitments. It is not paired with specific Nisab, nor is it connected to a specific Nisab; it depends on the person’s state of living, circumstances, and capabilities. A person whose circumstances are fair [can spend] according to his/her state, and who lives in plenty [can spend] according to his/her state, and even a person with modest capabilities should hasten according to his/her state. This matter is related to a person’s circumstances and state, but it is also of the responsibilities and of the religious and faith-based commitments. That is because we have to carry out Jihad in the cause of Allah, and our Jihad in the cause of Allah is with wealth (as confirmed in many verses in the Holy Quran) and with soul. And our commitment that is related to wealth, as we have mentioned, depends on our state and circumstances.
The Ummah and our people face lots of challenges in this critical period, which is one of the most important periods of Jihad in the cause of Allah with soul and money. Indeed, stinginess leads to destruction, for in case the Ummah is stingy, it will be weak; its Jihad will be weakened if supply is insufficient or not available. This means that Jihad will stop and the Ummah will be defeated and controlled by its enemies. In other words, the Ummah’s stinginess, denial of its responsibilities, and greed to pay money for what Allah has ordered causes its total destruction, the dominance of the enemies, its destruction in religion and in life. It is a very serious issue.
Infaq is often accompanied with Salat; more than that, it is linked to faith itself at times—faith is a more general and bigger issue than Salat. (However, this does not minimize the value or importance of Salat, but faith is still the main title.) So, Infaq is sometimes linked to the title of faith, and this highlights its importance.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says about Infaq, {‘those who establish Salat and spend [freely] out of the gifts We have given them for sustenance’}[Al-Araf 8:3]. This shows how Infaq is associated with Salat and uses a [verb] form that indicates continuity: {‘and spend [freely] out of the gifts We have given them for sustenance’}. So, they continuously spend because that has to do with fulfilling a constant responsibility: Jihad in the cause of Allah (Glory be to Him).
Allah also says, {‘Believe in Allah and His messenger and spend out of that in which He has made you successors’}[Al-Hadid 57: 7]; He connects between Infaq [spending] and faith in order to highlight the importance of Infaq. {‘And spend out of that in which He has made you successors’}: the sustenance Allah has given you is a blessing from Him; you and what you have belong to Allah (Glory be to Him). He is the possessor of you, your sustenance, the heavens, and the earth; He has made you successors in what He has given you so that you use it according to your responsibilities—this [Infaq] is part of these responsibilities.
{‘For those who have believed among you and spent, there will be a great reward’’}[Al-Hadid 57: 7]; those are the ones who will gain benefits: Great and tremendous rewards, part of which is in life (blessings, compensation, great care in many things, etc.) and the other is in their eternal, splendid, and important future in the Hereafter.
The verse where Allah says,{‘Who is it that will lend to Allah a good loan which Allah will multiply[many times over] for them, and they will have honourable reward’ }[Al-Hadid 57: 11], makes the person feel shy of Allah; it has deep meaning and great significance. Allah (Glory be to Him) knows of the miserliness, stinginess, greed, and tight-fistedness of lots of people about money—how difficult it is for them to spend. He offers them a guarantee that He will compensate what they spend, replace it, bestow great reward upon them, and grant them very much more than what they spend, in addition to generous reward (generous in the sense that it is extreme in its range and high in its quality and that it will be presented in a way that reflects respect and dignity). What do we want more than that?! Allah calls it a ‘loan’ and uses this title to assure us that He will give us more and more that is better, nicer, and more beneficial than what we spend.
{'Who is it that will lend to Allah a good loan’}: Your spending should be given in accordance with Allah’s teachings, faith-based motive, and lawfully gained money; in a way that is full of devotion and respect and that seeks nearness to Allah; and in a way that is free from evil-provoking causes, reminders of generosity, hurtfulness, and deed-voiding causes. {‘Allah will multiply [many times over] for them’}: Allah (Glory be to Him) will give us much more –{‘they will have honourable reward’}.
Allah says about alms (actually, there are alms other than Zakat that are given to the poor and needy), {'Indeed, those men and women who give in charity, and lend to Allah a goodly loan will have it multiplied for them, and they will have a honourable good reward '}[Al-Hadid 57:18]—the same phrase 'multiplied and honorable reward'. What do you want more than obtaining a Allah’s reward that is great and generous (that is generous in its abundance and in its honour which it provides you with)?
This demonstrates the importance of spending and its association with Salat in some verses and faith in other ones. Spending has a relationship to faith in regards with many aspects, and it serves as a faith-based criterion that manifests the truthfulness of your faith: In this criterion, trust in Allah comes first. He commands you to spend, and He at the same time gives you His word to multiply your spending, which He calls 'loan'. He gives you a firm promise that He will multiply what you spend and will generously reward it. If the person is still stingy even after this guarantee and true promise from Allah, Who never breaks His promise, what does that mean? It means that s/he does not have trust in Allah's promise—s/he does not have trust in Allah's promise
On the contrary, if the person responds with trust in Allah's promise, this shows his/her strong faith. However, stinginess indicates lack of trust in Allah's promise and manifests a defect and problem in one's faith. Allah says, {'And whatsoever you spend of anything [in Allah's Cause], He will replace it. And He is the Best of providers'}[Saba 34: 39]—a firm promise! Don't you trust the promise of Allah?!
With regard to spending in the cause of Allah, some of it goes to the military preparation, {'Prepare against them what you [believers]can of [military] power'} [Al-Anfal 8:60]. Even at the personal level, when you prepare yourself, buying a weapon or ammunition to fight in the cause of Allah, it falls into the category of Infaq [spending] in His cause. To encourage doing this, at the end of the verse, {'Prepare against them what you [believers] can of [military] power'}, Allah says, {' Whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be paid to you in full and you will not be wronged'} [Al-Anfal 8:60].
In addition, the relationship between Infaq and faith is that Infaq is one of the main deeds of faith. You cannot reach to the level of true faith, have the characteristics of the believers and Muttaqin, and be among the righteous unless you spend: {'You will never achieve righteousness until you donate some of what you cherish. And whatever you give is certainly well known to Allah'} [Ali’ Imran 3: 92].
Besides, Infaq is a proof of your appreciation of Allah’s blessings given to you, response to Allah's blessings, and sincere intention to thank Allah (Glory be to Him): {‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more'} [Ibrahim 14:7]. All what you have, such as money, potentials, and all what Allah has bestowed upon you—whatever level this provision is, according to the people’s varying abilities—is from Allah, to Whom you must be thankful. Part of thankfulness is Infaq: Do you spend and simultaneously thank Allah the Beneficent and the Generous, to Whom belongs all the blessings you have: {'Whatever blessings you have are from Allah'} [An-Nahl 16:53].
In contrast, the state of stinginess that keeps you away from spending is a state of ingratitude and lack of appreciation of the blessings of Allah –this is a very important issue.
In addition, one of the most important motives that have to do with the faith-based aspects of Infaq is the spiritual effect that makes spending distinctive in self-stabilization and faith-based values and meanings in the person's soul: {'as an affirmation of their own faith'}[Al-Baqarah 2:265]—seeking nearness to Allah and high rank as well as in purifying his/her soul from stinginess so that his/her soul does not become an evil soul, where stinginess gets deeply rooted. It is a very serious state, which is a combination between stinginess and greed about money.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his souls, it is those who will be the successful'}[At-Taghabun 64:16]. The state of stinginess is very serious because it is the reason behind lots of abuses and crimes that the person may reach to due to his/her intense, enormous greed and his/her hysteric materialistic ambitions—extravagant and overriding ambitions and very great greed. This is a result of covetousness, stinginess towards other people's rights, and greed that causes him/her to take, eat, deal with, and collect unlawful money, which eventually leads him/her to eternal Hell (Allah forbid). However, Infaq [spending] has a positive spiritual effect that protects his/her soul from being stingy—it is a very important issue that every person is in need of.
When it comes to seeking the great reward that Allah has promised, one of the most important deeds for obtaining nearness to Allah and in terms of reward and bounty that has to do with what Allah grants you in your future in the Hereafter and with what reflects well on your life, is Infaq, starting from spending in the cause of Allah:
{'The parable of those who spend their wealths in the way of Allah is that of a grain that has germinated seven ears; in each ear are a hundred grains. For Allah multiplies for whom He wills. And Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowin.Those who spend their wealth in the cause of Allah and do not follow their charity with reminders of their generosity or hurtful words—they will get their reward from their Lord, and there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve'}[Al_ Baqara 2: 261-262].
Allah multiplies the reward for spending in the cause of Allah to a marvelous extent that astonishes the person. Indeed, a person cannot but astonished at such tremendous and generously multiplied reward: The minimum level of the multiplication reaches to seven hundred times. If a person, for example, spends one thousand rials, his/her reward will be multiplied as if s/he has spent seven hundred thousand rials. Similarly, if a merchant spends one million, his/her reward multiplies to seven hundred million rials! The multiplication of reward is enormously great—this is the minimum level!
After that, Allah says, {'And Allah multiplies [the reward even more] to whoever He wills'}. The multiplication [of the reward] may be counted because of some factors and considerations, such as the nature of the circumstances in which a person has spent [his\her wealth], the level of his/her devotion to Allah (Glory be to Him), the distance between him/her and nullifiers and spoilers, and his/her Istiqama and its level—the circumstances during the time of Infaq and his/her devotion to Allah (Glory be to Him). Also, there are other points of consideration that cause the rewards to be multiplied to way more than that. Some narrations say, ' Until the morsel becomes like the mountain of Uhud.' That means that a morsel becomes like a big mountain [in its reward].
A believer is required to seek the great reward that Allah has promised, because the believer hopes to have Allah's favour, wants to get what is with Allah, and is aware of the value of what Allah offers, which is very attractive. Although Allah offers us a very tempting offer, how can a person not long for it?! If s/he does not want it, then s/he is weak in faith, does not place his/her hope in Allah (Glory be to Him), or does not trust His promise.
All of this is of great importance. In addition, Infaq has its social effects among the members of society. To whom is the main part of Infaq directed? It is directed to society, {‘Say, “Whatever donations you give are for parents, relatives, orphans, the poor, and [needy] travelers"'}[Al-Baqarah 2:215]. Who are mentioned are these [needy] groups of society, starting from the human’s family environment (his/her relatives, for s/he has to maintain connection with them, sympathize with the poor of them, and support the needy). Then the circle expands in the social sphere to orphans, the needy, needy travelers, and the poor, so s/he should give them. This has a great impact on the community.
Indeed, the first [impact] is a faith-based, humanitarian phenomenon. The state of compassion and charity among the people of society, and the state of sympathy and mercy are a faith-based state and of the requirements of faith. Allah says about His believing slaves, {‘compassionate with one another’}[Al-Fath 48:29], and He also says about them, {‘and [those] enjoined upon one another patience and enjoined upon one another compassion’}[Al-Balad 90:17]. So, they, beside the faith-based aspect, have the humanitarian aspect: They have a living conscience, humanitarian sympathy, and the motive of faith, and together they present a state of consolation and charity among them. Hence, they sympathize with the poor and the needy and feel bad for the circumstances of one another. So, their consciences are not dead, and they don’t have insensitive emotions so that they can see the humanitarian tragic conditions among them without caring for each other: One eats and gets stuffed, while s/he sees the other hungry, striving, searching for what to eat (even in garbage). S/he sees his/her neighbors suffer and do not even have the basic subsistence, while s/he keeps eating. S/he may even get sick for how much s/he eats, and that causes him/her health problems. S/he is full, while hungry people surround him/her; s/he generally sees states of distress, hardship, poverty, and suffering affect many people, but s/he does not care, as if it were a rock or a solid stone in place of his/her heart, so they have no feelings.
The state of faith is different; it is a state of compassion, and, as we said, it is a state of combining living conscience, humanitarian feelings, and faith-based motives. So, all motives result compassion, sympathy, and being in pain for the conditions of the miserable, the hungry, and sufferers. Therefore, the person turns to console them with all respect, love, keenness, and desire. The state of faith may even raise the human sometimes to the state of Ithar [preferring others over him/herself, even in hard times]: {‘And they give food—despite their desire for it’}[Al-Insan 76:8].
This educational effect has its importance as a humanitarian, faith-based phenomenon that has a great impact on compassion among the people in society and, therefore, on brotherhood, and love among the people in society as well as on pushing back a lot of corruption and harm.
When a person who is poor, miserable, and destitute notices the others around (who are rich and have big wealth and financial means) paying no attention to his/her miserable condition, being careless about his/her great suffering, neglecting his/her hunger as well as his/her family’s, paying no attention to his/her too difficult situation even at the level of Zakat and the level of doing good and righteousness, his/her [the poor person] heart will be full of negative feelings towards them [indifferent rich people]. Moreover, s/he will think of them as too stingy, greedy, and inhuman. As a result, s/he may hate them at the very least. And, some may hold a grudge against them [the indifferent rich] or consequently commit bad crimes: burglary, theft and looting crimes. Therefore, at minimum, some will only hate them, see them as savage people, see that they have no goodness in them, have no human traits, and lack conscience. Then, as a result, a state of factionalism and variation spreads in society.
Among the worst things is when such negative phenomena appear in our society. Then foreign organizations come to introduce themselves in a different way: As if you, Muslims, had no conscience, had no humanity, had no goodness in them, and had no kindness. There come foreign organizations from the countries of the Jews, Christians, unbelievers, and polytheists to introduce themselves as people of charity, good deeds, and humanity, whereas [they show that] you have none of them. Therefore, they gain the sympathy of the poor, who see that their surrounding society does not pay attention to them, to their misery, and to their sufferings. It is definitely a serious issue, for these organizations, originally, come with political motives, as well as evil goals and desires. So, it is not appropriate for Muslim society to be stingy, or to be a society that lacks mercy, humanity, and consolation; it cannot and must not be like that.
The alternative to Infaq, generosity, and charity is stinginess and miserliness, which is a very bad state, as it is one of the most shameful traits a person can have. It even falls into the category of shameful acts, for how ugly and bad this trait is: Allah (Glory be to him) said, warning those who are stingy, {'Those who are stingy, promote stinginess among people'}[An-Nisa 4:37]—because the stingy, most of them, don’t only keep away from spending but also discourage other people from giving Zakat or spending in the cause of Allah and enjoin other people to stinginess. {'And [they] hide what Allah has bestowed upon them of His Bounties'}. To avoid paying Zakat and spending, they hide [what Allah has given them]. That is why Allah threatens them: {'And We have prepared for the disbelievers a disgraceful torment'}[An-Nisa . 4 , 37 ]. This is an act of blessing denial and rejection of faith commitments. So, Allah has prepared for them a humiliating punishment, because they deserve to be humiliated and deserve the torment.
In addition, stinginess causes people to lose blessings and welfare: {'So We seized them for what they used to commit'}[Al-A'raf 7:96]. So, blessings and welfare begin to disappear. Indeed, being stingy with Zakat, for example, is a breach of trust. That is because Allah has given the poor a right in your money: {'and who gives the rightful share of their wealth, to the beggar and the poor'}[Al-Ma'arij 70:24-25]. So, you take their rightful share and breach what you are trusted with. It is a very serious issue.
In terms of the categories intended for Infaq, Allah says, {‘They ask you what they should spend. Say, “Whatever good you spend’}—whatever good which includes any good that Allah has given you and bestowed upon you—{for parents, relatives, orphans, the poor, and [needy] travelers. Whatever good you do is certainly well known to Allah'}[Al-Baqarah 2:215].
Also, He says, {'[Infaq is] for the needy who are too engaged in the cause of Allah to move about in the land. Those unfamiliar with their situation will think they are not in need [of charity] because they do not beg. You can recognize them by their appearance. They do not beg people persistently. Whatever good you spend is certainly well known to Allah'}[Al-Baqarah 2:273]. He knows, and He will reward you with good of what he has promised. What you spend can't escape Him so that He (Glory be to Him) would forget you.
He says, about Infaq in the cause of Allah, {'Spend in the cause of Allah and do not let your own hands throw you into destruction [by withholding]. And do good, for Allah certainly loves the good-doers'}[Al-Baqarah 2:195].
Allah says about Zakat (alms) and its categories, {‘The alms are only for the poor, the needy, those employed to collect these, those whose hearts are to be won, in [freeing] slaves, in [releasing] those in debt, in the way of Allah and for a wayfarer - this being prescribed by Allah. And Allah is Knowing'}[At-Tawbah 9:60].
That is enough for today.
We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant us success and lead us to what satisfies Him. O Allah (Glory be to You), have mercy on our martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory. You are All-Hearing! O Allah, accept our fast, night prayers, and good deeds.
Peace be upon you as well as Allah’s mercy and His blessings.
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