STINGINESS

Spending for Goodness

A man facing a difficult financial situation once approached Rasulullah SAW for assistance. However, Rasulullah SAW had no money, and neither did the Companions around him. He commanded one of the Companions to take a loan on his behalf to ease the man’s burden.

One of the closest Companions mentioned that if he didn’t have the money, then why borrow and burden himself? Another Companion (whose name is unknown) looked at Rasulullah SAW and told him to go ahead and not worry because the Owner of the Throne (meaning Allah) will take care of him. Rasulullah SAW smiled and at this moment, Jibril AS came to him and revealed: “Ya Rasulullah, Allah told me to tell you spend, and I will spend on you.”

The stingy person is imprisoned in a jail of his own making but claims he is misunderstood. We have seen it many times. Taking all of the above into account, it is an ugly picture.

Now imagine, Allah hates you.

The Prophet SAW hates you.

The angels also hate you.

The majority of people hate you.

How can one be happy in such a condition?

Live examples

A stingy person’s disease comes from “hrs” meaning long-term hope. He feels that he will never die. There was a terminally ill man on his deathbed. His family brought a doctor to examine him. His relatives tried to loosen his clothes to ease his breathing, but he screamed and resisted. He clutched his stomach and refused to let the doctor examine him. A few minutes later, he died, still clasping his stomach. When they attended to his body, they found a huge belt of money tied around his waist!

I have known a young man for 18 years. He constantly asked me to find him a wife, yet every time he got engaged, the wedding was called off. He was actually rich, but kept it a secret. Every time he met a potential wife, he refused to spend anything on her. In addition, he stipulated that she was to earn her own income and take care of his children, plus a long list of other conditions. With all his wealth, he wasn’t willing to even provide for his wife.

I have seen stingy people who cannot eat well and even when they buy something special, they would keep it until it rots. I know a “pious” woman who stored the clothes that others gave for her children. Her stinginess denied her children from the clothing, and instead she stored them for 15 years until they served no purpose!

I can give you many other true accounts of those who cannot be happy or make anyone happy. All their mentality is based on worry of the future and their money.

The Opposite: Generosity

Generosity comes with a mountain of goodness. The generous possess the opposite traits of the stingy. Abu Bakr RA and all the Companions were extremely generous, even though most of them were destitute. Aisha RA once received a cash gift of hundreds of thousands of dinars, and by maghrib had spent it all on the poor and needy. The maid then asked for a few dirhams for food, for they had none in the house, but Aisha RA had forgotten to save any of that money for herself!

Generosity in this context is supposed to be for sabeelillah, goodness sake and principle. It is always coupled with humbleness and humility for the sake of pleasing Allah and not to gain rewards or please others. The truly generous even conceal their own generosity and always feel that they haven’t given sufficiently to aid others. They are always in a hurry to give. On the other hand, when a stingy person is approached during any crisis, he is glued to his money and cannot part with it.

There are various verses in the Qur’an and ahadeeth where Allah promises to shower barakah into anyone who spends for His sake. Today because of our lack of faith, we constantly calculate. Look at the choked condition of the ummah today, many of us are shackled by stinginess that we are oblivious to the plight of the needy. We own two or three houses, and think that a donation comprising a few second hand clothes and dusty blankets amounts to generosity.

A reader may wonder: do you want me to spend recklessly without calculation? The answer can only be comprehended with genuine iman. Abu Bakr RA and Khadijah RA spent all their money for sabeelillah rather than on personal luxuries. Abdul Rahmanibn Auf RA and Uthman ibn Affan RA spent most of their wealth for sabeelillah, but their personal expenditure was far less than average, to the extent their own servants and employees wore better clothing that they did.

Imam Hasan Al Basri was famous for his piety and dhuhd life. One day he served his guests generously, and someone commented that this action was extravagant. Imam Hasan Al Basri explained that we should spend the minimum on ourselves, but the maximum for sabeelillah and for the sake of goodness and guests.

Therefore, unclasp your hand, and give generously. You will feel the difference in your heart, your income and even your own happiness.

Remember, the stingy is close to hellfire and is far away from paradise. The generous one is close to paradise and far away from hellfire. May Allah SWT save us from stinginess and make us amongst the generous ones.

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