Welcome to the University of Sufism's Ramadan reading of Rosina Fawzia Al-Rawi's book,
The Call of Allah,
A Companion to the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Today,
I will be sharing day eight about generosity,
Otherwise known as Karam.
The Prophet,
Alayhu wasalam,
Said,
My servant approaches me with nothing more beloved to me than what I have enjoined upon him.
And my servant keeps coming closer to me through nawafil until I love him.
And when I love him,
I become his hearing through which he listens,
His sight through which he sees,
His hand in which he seizes,
His foot with which he walks.
If he asks me for something,
I will surely grant it to him.
And if he seeks refuge in me,
I will surely grant him refuge.
Generosity was one of the countless outstanding qualities of the Prophet Muhammad,
Alayhu wasalam.
He,
Alayhu wasalam,
Was the most generous of all men,
And he used to be most generous during Ramadan,
Like a wind of mercy that cannot be stopped.
His generosity embraced all men and women alike,
The poor and the rich,
The needy and the prosperous.
The qualities of generosity and serenity are like two wonderful trees whose roots are surrender,
Tawakul,
Planted in the earth of faith,
Iman.
We become enveloped in generosity when the deeply touching knowledge grows in our heart that everything we have,
Everything around us,
Whatever our eyes can see,
Our ears can hear,
All the fragrances we perceive,
Everything we can taste and touch,
Everything that we are,
Is a gift and a blessing from God.
Generosity is to go through life carrying this sentence in our heart.
Verily unto God we belong,
And verily unto him we shall return.
Quran 2,
156.
If we believe that all things we have belong to us,
And only to us,
And that we owe them solely to our own effort,
We will find it very difficult to be generous.
But if we realize that everything belongs to Allah,
And that we have merely been appointed as custodians,
Generosity will come easy.
Allah calls upon us to be generous,
And he confirms it with his words.
Behold,
My sustainer grants abundant sustenance,
Or gives it in scant measure,
Unto whomever he wills of his servants,
And whatever it be that you spend on others,
He,
Allah,
Always replaces it.
Quran 34,
39.
Imam al-Ghazali explains generosity as follows.
Miserliness is the result of our attachment to this earth,
While generosity is the fruit of our turning away from this world.
Imam Ghazali even went as far as seeing the origin of miserliness in polytheism,
Shirk.
If we are constantly aware that we belong to Allah,
And that everything comes from him,
If we surrender trustingly to the giver and to the taker alike,
Knowing his love,
His care,
And his omnipotence,
Then we can open generously our heart,
Our spirit,
And our hands,
Too.
Generosity shows itself when we are lenient people,
When we control ourselves,
When we let someone go first if they are in a hurry,
When we also smile at those who do not really deserve it,
When we are tolerant of other viewpoints and convictions,
When we are forbearing,
And when we listen,
When we deal with nature in a sustainable,
Protective,
And mindful way.
Generosity elevates us above emotional entanglement,
And it helps us to act freely with God's help.
And who could be better of speech than he who calls his fellow men unto God,
And does what is just and right,
And says,
Verily I am of those who have surrendered themselves to God.
But since good and evil cannot be equal,
Repel thou evil with something that is better,
And lo,
He between whom and thyself was enmity,
May then become as though he had always been close unto thee,
A true friend.
Quran 41,
33-34 The road to wisdom and knowledge is paved with generosity.
Generosity is a quality that widens our view of things.
It grants us a deep understanding of how both worlds,
This one and the next,
Are connected,
And removes from us the fear of poverty and loss.
It helps loosen our attachment to the world,
And enables us to walk through it freely.
Generous people are close to God's mercy,
For generosity is nourished by a heart which knows Allah's mercy and compassion.
This is how our beloved prophet,
Alehu Islam,
Explained it to us.
Whoever alleviates the hardship of a believer in this world,
Allah will alleviate his hardship on the day of resurrection.
Whoever eases an impoverished one,
Allah will make things easy for him in this world and in the hereafter.
Whoever conceals the weaknesses of a Muslim,
Allah will conceal his weakness in this world and in the hereafter.
And Allah helps a human being as long as he helps his fellow human being.
If we reflect on the depth of this saying,
And if we give of God's gifts as if we are being directly rewarded for that,
Then we will be amongst the most generous people,
God willing,
Inshallah.
And spend only out of a longing for God's countenance,
For whatever good you may spend will be repaid unto you in full,
And you shall not be wronged.
Quran 2,
272.
Allah wants to see on us the blessings he has given us,
And of thy sustainer's blessings shalt thou ever speak.
Quran 93,
11.
One day a man came to the Prophet,
Alayhi wasalam,
Wearing shabby clothes.
The Prophet,
Alayhi wasalam,
Asked him,
Do you have any wealth?
He answered,
Yes,
All kinds of wealth.
The Prophet,
Alayhi wasalam,
Said,
What kinds of wealth?
He said,
Allah has given me camels,
Cattle,
Sheep,
Horses,
And slaves.
He,
Alayhi wasalam,
Said,
If Allah has given you wealth,
Then let the effect of Allah's blessings and generosity be seen on you.
Being generous and charitable are means to purify our own soul and to come closer to Allah.
Islam attaches great importance to those qualities.
Practice suggested for today.
If you get angry,
Or if you find yourself thrown out of balance,
Then repeat,
I seek refuge in Allah from the whisperings of the accursed shaitan.
Then perform the ablution,
Wudu,
Because water has a cooling effect and it calms the nerves.
Also,
Change position.
If you are standing,
Sit down.
If you are sitting,
Lie down.
Thank you for joining us for Day 8.
Have a blessed day.
