The Generosity of the Prophet Muhammad
Generosity is a beautiful and recommended quality. Arabs used to express their praises and admiration of the person who has it.
The Arabic word karam (generosity) means that man should be generous and charitable with his money to the poor and others who need it. It also means showing hospitality and benevolence to one’s guests.
The opposite quality of generosity, however, is stinginess and selfishness. It is, of course, one of the ugliest traits for the Arabs; they used to call the stingy man, fahish (rude and cruel person), indicating their extreme dislike of this bad quality.
In this regard, Antara, one of the famous poets of the pre-Islamic period in the Arabian Peninsula wrote this verse,
Which can be paraphrased as following: I see that death and destruction would avoid the money of the generous person and afflict that of the stingy and rude one.
The Noble Qur’an also has the word fahishaa to mean stinginess, Allah the Exalted says, “Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is all-Encompassing and knowing.” (2: 268)
In many verses, the Noble Qur’an praises the quality of generosity, which is manifested in the Story of Prophet Abraham, which has been mentioned in many chapters of the Noble Qur’an, Allah the Exalted says, “Has there reached you the story of the honoured guests of Abraham? When they entered upon him and said/(We greet you with) peace.’
He answered, ‘(And upon you) peace, (you are) a people unknown.’
Then he went to his family and came with a fat (roasted) calf. And placed it near them; he said, ‘Will you not eat’?” (51: 24-27)
Although Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived in a community the likes generosity and charitable people and raises their mention, yet He was superior to them. All the contemporary people of the Prophet testified that He was the most generous man in His community. Ibn ‘Abbas said, “The Prophet was the most generous of people, but He would be His most generous during Ramadan:” (Al-Bukhari: 6 , Muslim: 2308)
History still recounts stories, from the past and present, of a number of the rich people who spent charitably and generously from their money on the needy as well as on social and charitable organizations. Generosity is a good and advisable character, regardless the financial state of the one who has it. However, when the person who has this quality is rich, it is easy for him to spend a lot without feeling any shortcoming or fearing a need would come about. On the contrary, if such person is needy and generous at the same time, this proves that he or she has the highest degree of generosity and open-handedness. The latter case applies perfectly to Muhammad (peace be upon him) as He was not such a rich man. His quality of generosity was not a result of possessing enormous wealth; He would rather spend out of what He needed for Himself. The following situation highlights this fact: Sahl ibn Sa’d reported, “A woman brought the Prophet a burda (woven mantle).
Sahl said, ‘Do you know what a burda is?’
Someone said, ‘Yes, a shamla (robe) with a woven border.’
He said,’ She said, ‘I wove this with my own hands so that you could wear it;
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) took it as He was in need of it. He came out to us using it as a waist-wrapper. A man of the people touched it with his hand and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, let me have it to wear.
‘Yes; He answered.
The man sat there for as long as Allah wished. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) returned having folded it and then sent it to him. The people said to him, ‘You have not acted rightly. You asked him for it knowing that he never refuses someone who asks for something;
The man said, ‘By Allah, I have only asked for it only so that it can be my shroud when I die.” (Al-Bukhari: 6036)
In fact Muhammad (peace be upon him) never expected people to thank Him for His generosity or to admit His favors and benevolence towards them. Conversely, He was so generous and open-handed in spite of what He suffered from the Bedouin’s ill-treatment and cruelty. Narrated by Muhammad bin Jubair,”Jubair, bin Mut’im told me that while he was in the company of Allah’s Messenger with the people returning from Hunain, some people (Bedouin) caught hold of the Prophet and started begging of Him so much so that He had to stand under a (kind of thorny tree, samurah) and His cloak was snatched away. The Prophet stopped and said, ‘Give me my cloak. If I had as many camels as these thorny trees, I would have distributed them among you and you will not find me a miser or a liar or a coward’.” (Al-Bukhari: 2821)
Muhammad’s generosity was not only limited for His close companions or those from whom He would look for a favor; His generosity encompassed all people around Him, even His enemies testified to that.
When Muhammad (peace be upon him) made the conquest of Makkah, He gave amnesty to its people for the antagonism and persecution they had acted against Him and Muslims. Of course, such people who reached this degree of enmity and hatred will be less fair in their acknowledgment of His right, particularly those whom He justified their killing, including lkrimah bin Abi Jahl, who later entered into Islam (may Allah be pleased with him). When he fled from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) after the conquest of Makkah, and headed for Ethiopia. He set across the sea to go to Ethiopia but a stormy wind arose. The people said to one another, “None can save you except Allah alone.”
Ikrimah said to himself, “By Allah, if none can benefit on the sea except Allah then no doubt none can benefit on land. O Allah! I promise You that if You bring me safely out of this, I will go and put my hand in the hand of Muhammad and surely, I will find Him full of pity, kindness and mercy.”
They came out safely and were delivered from the sea. Then Ikrimah went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and declared he was devoted to Islam, and he became a good Muslim, may Allah be pleased with him.”(Al-Nassa’i: 4067)
Such testimony from Ikrimah, of Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) generosity and forgiveness, while he was still His foe, is further evidence that Muhammad has reached the top and the essence of generosity to be an example referred to respectfully by all people, even those who are not His followers.
Miqdad reported, “I and two of my companions were so much afflicted by hunger that we had lost our power of seeing and hearing. We presented ourselves (as guests) to the Companions of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) but none among them would entertain us. So we came to Allah’s Messenger, and He took us to His residence and there were three goats. Allah’s Messenger ‘peace be upon him) said, ‘Milk these for us.
So we milked them and every person among us drank his share and we set aside the share of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). (It was His habit) to come during the night and greet (the people present there) in a manner that would not wake up one in sleep, but make one who was awake hear it. He would then go to the mosque and say prayer, then go to the milk and drink it.
Miqdad added, “One night the Satan came to me when I had taken my share, and he said, ‘Muhammad has gone to the Ansar, who would offer Him hospitality and He would get what is with them, and He has no need for this draught (of milk);
So I took (that milk) and drank it, and when it had penetrated deeply in my stomach and I was certain that there was no way out (but to digest it), the satan aroused (my sense of) remorse and said, ‘Woe be to thee! What have you done? You have taken the drink reserved for Muhammad!’
When He would come and He would not find it, He would curse you, and you would be ruined, and thus there would go (waste) this world and the hereafter (for) you. There was a sheet over me; as In (pulled) it upon my feet, my head was uncovered and as I placed it upon my head, my feet were uncovered, and I could not sleep, but my two companions had gone to sleep for they had not done what I had done.
There came Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him), and He greeted as He used to greet (by saying as-Salamu Alaikum). He then came to the mosque and observed prayer and then came to His drink (milk) and uncovered it, but did not find anything in it. He raised his head towards the sky, and I said (to myself) that He (the Noble Prophet) was going to invoke curse upon me and I would be thus ruined; but He (the Noble Prophet) said, ‘Allah, feed him who fed me and give drink to him who provided me drink.’
I held tight the sheet upon myself (and when He had supplicated), I took hold of the knife and went to the goats (possessed by the Holy Prophet) so that I may slaughter one for Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) which was the fattest among them, and in fact all of them were milch goats; then I took hold of the vessel which belonged to the family of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) in which they used to milk and drink there from, and milked them in that until it swelled up with foam. I came to Allah’s Messenger and He said, ‘Have You taken your share of the milk during the night?’
I said, ‘Drink it;
And He drank it; He then handed over (the vessel) to me and I said, Allah’s Messenger, drink it, and He drank it and handed over (the vessel) to me again, I then perceived that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) had been satisfied and I had got His blessings. I burst into laughter (so much) so that I fell upon the ground, whereupon Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, Miqdad, it must be one of your mischiefs.’
I said, ‘Allah’s Messenger, this affair of mind is like this and this and I have done so;
There upon, Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said,’This is nothing but a mercy from Allah. Why is it that you did not give me an opportunity so that we should have awakened our two friends and they would have got their share (of the milk)?’
I said, `By Him Who has sent you with Truth. I do not mind whatever you give (to them), and whatever the (other) people happen to get, when I had got it along with you from among the people’.” Muslim(2055)
