ALMISKEENAH

 

THE GIFT and gifts.

THE GREATEST GIFT is that of Islam from Allah Ta’ala, culminating in the sending of his Most Loved Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam as a gift for humanity!

Allah Ta’ala’s pleasure with His slave is manifest in His bounties and gifts both material and spiritual; and the slave’s pleasure with Allah Ta’ala is manifest by his obedience to Allah Ta’ala’s commands and submission to His Will.

Gifts sent from Allah, whether health or sickness, poverty or wealth, give focus to the slave’s appreciation. By this appreciation, Allah gives more to the slave. Based on the upholding of the commands of Allah under various conditions sent to the slave by Allah, He brings more bounties to the slave. This is explained in the verse

To test you through what He has given you. (6:165)

This is the test of whether the condition and behavior of the slave changes because of gifts or stays the same. One example is Abur Rahman ibn Awf RadhiAllahu anhu. Before Hijrah, he was poor. After Hijrah to Madinah, the gift of wealth was given to him. His behaviour did not change; he continued to be giving the highest priority to the obedience of the command of Allah Ta’ala. On the other hand, Abu Bakr RadhiAllahu anhu was wealthy before Islam. After Islam, he became poor due to spending in the path of Allah. His behaviour continued to be in line with the commands of Allah. Ibn Masud RadhiAllahu anhu was given the gift of a beautiful voice. He used the gift for the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala, in teaching and reciting Qur’an. He was so poor that his wife was the financial supporter of the household. The gift of poverty did not dissuade him from being obedient to Allah Ta’ala. The Ummah benefited from his situation in that Surah Al Waqiah in honour of him, has the virtue that whoever recites it every night will never be poor. As Imam Ghazali explained, when the person accepts appreciatively whatever comes to him as coming from Allah Ta’ala, Allah Ta’ala gives him gifts whenever and whatever he ask for.

When the slave accepts all the gifts Allah Ta’ala, the Giver of gifts and the Bestower of blessings, has decreed, irrespective of whether they are favourable or unfavourable, and whether they are in the shape His wrath or they are illuminated by the rays of His Beauty, it does not make any difference to the slave because all springs from Allah Almighty and whatever comes from the Beloved is welcome.

Glorious beyond what they describe is Allah, Lord of the Throne! (21:22)

Glorified is Allah above what they describe! (23:91)

The Messenger of Allah, SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, said, "Your Lord has gifts in these days of your time, subject yourself to receive them!"

Our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam has said: "He who is satisfied with Allah Ta’ala gets the real taste of Iman."

As with all aspects of our Deen we are given guidance on the etiquette of gifts. It is interesting that the Arabic words for Hidayah (Guidance) and Hadiyah (Gift) come from the same root of Ha, Dal and Ya, with the basic meaning of to lead, on the right way, guide, show, and one of the forms of the verb is to exchange presents.

When gifts were brought to the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, he would ask if they were sadaqah or gifts. He would accept the gifts and decline the sadaqah. Yet the gifts did not stay in his hand or his house for very long. He would give them away.

The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam used not to reject the gifts, especially perfume. He used to accept gifts and used to give something in return.

The invocation of blessings on him SallAllahu alaihi wasallam is a gift. A Hadith tells us that the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said, "Who invokes blessings on me from a far off place, that blessing is brought to me. If anyone comes to my grave and offers one salutation and invokes blessings on me then I hear him."

The invocation is a gift of the person that the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam receives. So, when it has always been the practice of the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam to reciprocate a gift, it is hoped that when he receives the gift in the Barzakh he will reciprocate as was his habit. Insha’Allah it will be in the form of a supplication for the person concerned, praying to Allah Ta’ala to grant the person his desires.

I have heard that relaying a Hadith is a great gift to give and of course to be the recipient of the same.

Insha’Allah, love is the criterion of give and take. The one reciprocation which the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam recommended was that the giver may not expect something in return but gives out of love and affection to seek the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala. He SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said, "Exchange gifts and grow mutual love."

Thus, if anyone gives with this Sunnah, and he has no expectation of receiving anything in return then giving the gift becomes a source of blessing. A gift that is given for the sake of Allah Ta’ala is auspicious for the giver and the receiver. That which is given with ostentatious designs is neither a blessing for the giver or the receiver. How our intention in everything we do is of utmost importance. May we constantly seek Hidayah in all matters related to Hadiyah!

Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam drew the attention of women in particular to the importance of even the smallest gifts, and frequently emphasized the distinction of the neighbour: "O Muslim women, do you think that any gift is too insignificant to give to a neighbour, even if it is only a trotter (sheep’s foot)?

Aishah RadhiAllahu anha said, "O Allah’s Apostle! I have two neighbors! To whom shall I send my gifts?" He said, "To the one whose gate is nearer to you."

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-’As RadhiAllahu anhu: Mujahid said that Abdullah ibn Amr RadhiAllahu anhu slaughtered a sheep and said: Have you presented a gift from it to my neighbour, the Jew, for I heard the Apostle of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam say: Jibreel alaihis Salam kept on commending the neighbour to me so that I thought he would be an heir? And another similar narration says how the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam told Abu Dharr RadhiAllahu anhu to add more water to a broth he was cooking so he could gift some to his neighbour. SubhanAllah!

The people used to send gifts to the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam on the day of Aishah’s RadhiAllahu anha turn. Um Salama RadhiAllahu anha said: "My companions, the other wives of the Prophet gathered and they complained about it. So I informed the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam about it on their behalf, but he remained silent."

Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf RadhiAllahu anhu was one of the richest Sahabah. And even though he had been given the glad tidings of being from the ‘Asharah Mubasharah, the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said that he would enter Jannah crawling due to the length of time it would take to settle his account! SubhanAllah! When he was told of this he gave away entire caravan of camels, said to be 700, he had brought laden with goods from Shams. Allah Ta’ala revealed the following verse about his generosity:

Those who spend their wealth in the cause of Allah and do not follow their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with hurtful words. For them their reward is with their Lord, on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve. (2: 262).

The Prophet showed extreme caution as to whether some thing was meant as sadaqah or as a gift. It has been reported that he would be afraid of picking up even one date for fear that it may be part of what was meant for sadaqah.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik RadhiAllahu anhu when on the Day of Hunayn Allah Ta’ala conferred upon His Apostle SallAllahu alaihi wasallam the riches of Hawazin, an expedition without armed encounter, the Messenger of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam set about distributing to some people of Quraysh one hundred camels. Upon this the young people from the Ansar said: May Allah grant pardon to the Messenger of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam that he bestowed these camels upon the people of Quraysh, and he ignored us, whereas our swords are still dripping blood. Anas ibn Malik RadhiAllahu anhu said: Their statement was conveyed to the Messenger of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam and he sent someone to the Ansar and gathered them under a tent of leather. When they had assembled, the Messenger of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam came to them and said: What is this news that has reached me from you? The wise people of the Ansar said: Messenger of Allah, so far as the sagacious amongst us are concerned they have said nothing, but we have amongst us persons of immature age; they said: May Allah grant pardon to the Messenger of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam that he gave to the Quraysh and ignored us despite the fact that our swords are besmeared with their blood. Upon this the Messenger of Allah said: I give at times material gifts to persons who were quite recently in the state of unbelief, so that I may incline them to truth. Don’t you feel delighted that people go with riches whereas you should go back to your places with the Apostle of Allah? By Allah Ta’ala, that with which you return is better than that with which they return. They said: Yes, Messenger of Allah, we are pleased. The Holy Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said too: You will find marked preference in conferring of the material gifts in future, so you should show patience until you meet Allah Ta’ala and His Messenger where you will be with him at the Hawd Kawthar. They said: We show patience. SubhanAllah, once the Sahabah were told of the wisdom behind the Prophets SallAllahu alaihi wasallam decisions, and realized their Akhirah was to benefit far more than their immediate material desires, how they willingly accepted and understood.

One Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhu wanted to marry but did not have any money, so the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam told him to seek assistance from Uthman RadhiAllahu anhu, who was known to be very wealthy. One evening the Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhu set out to follow the advice of Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, and as he stood at the door of the house of Uthman RadhiAllahu anhu he overheard him telling his wife to not waste oil and to turn the oil lamp down lower. The Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhu, on hearing this, wondered how Uthman RadhiAllahu anhu could possibly lend him money if he was concerned about the amount of lamp oil they were using, so he walked away. When Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam inquired about his affair, the Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhu told him of the incident, whereupon Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam instructed him to go again, as Uthman RadhiAllahu anhu was in the position to gift him some money, it was just that he was extremely cautious about how much he spent on his own household, knowing that he would be facing Allah Ta’ala one day having to explain what he did with his wealth. Uthman RadhiAllahu anhu willingly gifted the money to the needy Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhu, due to his heart comprehending the value of giving with the full reward in his Akhirah.  

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-’Aus RadhiAllahu anhu: The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said: It is not permissible for a woman to present a gift from her husband’s property except with the permission of her husband. 

The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam personally bade farewell Muadh RadhiAllahu anhu, to this mission of guidance and light and walked for some distance alongside him as he rode out of the city to Yemen. Finally he said to him: "O Muadh, perhaps you shall not meet me again after this year. Perhaps when you return you shall see only my mosque and my grave." Muadh RadhiAllahu anhu wept. Those with him wept too. A feeling of sadness and desolation overtook him as he parted from his beloved Prophet, SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. The Prophet’s premonition was correct. The eyes of Muadh RadhiAllahu anhu never beheld the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam after that moment, as he died before he returned fro Yeman. There is no doubt that Muadh RadhiAllahu anhu wept when he returned to Madinah and found there was no longer the blessed company of the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. During the caliphate of Umar RadhiAllahu anhu, Muadh RadhiAllahu anhu was sent to the Banu Kilab to apportion their stipends and to distribute the sadaqah of their richer folk among the poor. When he had done his duty, he returned to his wife with his saddle blanket around his neck, empty handed, and she asked him: "Where are the gifts which commissioners return with for their families?" "I had an alert Supervisor who was checking over me," he replied. "You were a trusted person with the Messenger of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam and with Abu Bakr RadhiAllahu anhu. Then Umar RadhiAllahu anhu came and he sent a supervisor with you to check on you!’ she exclaimed. She went on to talk about this to the women of Umar RadhiAllahu anhu’s household and complained to them about it. The complaint eventually reached Umar RadhiAllahu anhu so he summoned Muadh RadhiAllahu anhu and said: "Did I send a supervisor with you to check on you?" "No, Amir al-Mumineen," he said, "But that was the only reason I could find to give her." Umar RadhiAllahu anhu laughed and then gave him a gift, saying, "I hope this pleases you."

Asmaa RadhiAllahu anha’s  mother, Qutaylah, once came to visit her in Madinah. She was not a Muslim and was divorced from her father in pre-Islamic times. Her mother brought her gifts of raisins, clarified butter and qaraz (pods of a species of sant tree). Asmaa RadhiAllahu anhu at first refused to admit her into her house or accept the gifts. She sent someone to Aishah RadhiAllahu anhu to ask the Prophet, SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, about her attitude to her mother and he replied that she should certainly admit her to her house and accept the gifts. On this occasion, the following revelation came to the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam:

Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who do not fight you because of your faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them. Allah loves those who are just. Allah only forbids you with regard to those who fight you for your Faith, and drive you from your homes, and support others in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection). Any of you who take them as allies will truly be wrongdoers. (6O: 8-9).

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Umar and Abdullah Ibn Abbas RadhiAllahu anhuma: The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said: It is not lawful for a man to make a donation or give a gift and then take it back, except a father regarding what he gives his child. One who gives a gift and then takes it back is like a dog which eats and vomits when it is full, then returns to its vomit. 

Where are we in relation to the Creator of things, the Maker and Shaper, the First and the Last, the Outer and the Inner, to whom all hearts belong, the solace of spirits, the resting place of burdens when it comes to giving and receiving gifts both material and spiritual?

 

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen.