IF I were asked what the highest blessing after the belief was, my answer would be ‘offering something to someone’. My pleasure from making someone wear is bigger than that of wearing. For every person who does not have drowned his heart in the narrow streets of the meanness, the case should be the same.
It should be from that secret of offering, an expression addressed to a beloved one, in one of the letters of great poet Rainer Maria Rilke who was committed to lead a life ‘without frightening angels, for me, is one of the most beautiful words uttered from the tongue of a poet. The poet, “I wish I had gardens” tells to his beloved collocutor. “I wish I had gardens; in order to give you flowers and fruits. But, I am a poor one.”
Those words of Rilke so penetrated into my heart that, probably for that reason, one of prays I repeat mostly is “May Allah not examine the generous people with poverty and want!”
Still, for that reason, it sounds me meaningful, that one of the stipulation of the grandchild of the prophet Hazrat Hasan, who renounced the caliphate disagreeing over a struggle in which would be shed the bloods of the two big mass of the Ummah, and because of this a permanent enmity would settle in the hearts, was related to generosity and giving/offering/charity.
At the same time, walking around in the rosy and relieving atmosphere of the hadiths, those regarding to charity and generosity, especially draw my attention.
For instance, there is a hadith, which narrates us a sheep, slaughtered and distributed to the poor and miserable save for its one arm. When the Prophet (pbuh) asked, “what has been remained?” Hazrat Aisha (God be pleased with her) replied “Only one arm”. However, the Holy Prophet, having replied, “no, all remained save for its arm” linked the issue to the inner dimension and the hereafter. In this way, he confirms that anything that offered with a good and pure intention would not be lost in the before of God.
Moreover, ‘the half date hadith’ that gives a lesson to us, in response to our inclination to refuge to the pretext of “I would give, if I had” is very remarkable. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) says, “save you from the hellfire by giving even half of a date in charity.” The hadith, which is very concise and profound, warns us as follows; “If you have an only one date, and if you have a needy Muslim brother who is needy like you, nor deprive yourself from that date neither neglect your brother”, and calling to charity in every conditions and circumstances.
Why is this so? Why do the verses, necessarily mention about offering and charity when they describe qualities of the believers? Why the hadiths call us to the giving and charity, and teaches us to refrain from meanness and stinginess like running away from the snakes and scorpions? What makes the charity accepted in the conscience, and what makes it find a response in our spirits as courses routs of pleasures?
Our Lords made the charity so lovable to us. He, while, calling us to charity via his Qur’an and Apostle (pbuh), warns us about stringency with a decisive language. Recently, I have felt a slight wisdom of this issue.
I considered that the charity is an expression of belief, whereas stinginess makes man a neighbour of disbelief; since a person who loves charity and hates stinginess understands perfectly the secrets and wisdoms behind of the Sustainer of the Worlds’ creation of this universe and rendering it a table and bestowing us with countless bounties.
In charity, there is a flash of Divine acts. An individual loving charity grasps a matter pertaining belief easily via his senses without stretching his rational faculties. However, a person deprived of pleasure in charity and offering grasps this matter stretching his reason. Using his pleasure of charity inserted his inner realm as a scale and ratio; he can see the goal at the creation of the universe by the One of Glory and Kindness and adhere properly the commitment to lead his life according to the requirements of this divine goal.
He knows that the Sustainer of the Worlds have not created this universe and provided the man with this charity so that he needs something, he expects something from his creation. He is free from needs. Nevertheless, he has pure pleasure, sacred gratification, which of them; we have a minor flash of which we feel in our inner realms.
What a great happiness to be among the generous and charitable.
Translated by
Muhammed Şeviker
