Muslims know the great reward of providing something for the fasting person to break the fast. The Prophet, , said: “He who provides for the breaking of the fast of another earns the same reward as the one who was observing the fast, without diminishing in any way the reward of the latter.” [Ahmad, At-Tirmithi, Ibn Maajah and An-Nasaa’i]
Knowing the examples set by the righteous predecessors in this regard increases one’s determination to follow in their footsteps. Many of the righteous predecessors used to let others share the meal at breaking their fast or favor others over themselves by providing them with food and spending their night hungry.
Some of these examples:
· Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, used to fast and break his fast with the poor people. If his family prevented the poor from joining him, he would abstain from eating that night.
· When a beggar came to Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, he used to give him his share of food. When he returned, he would find that his family had eaten the remaining food in the bowl. Hence, he would fast the next day without having eaten anything.
· When Ramadan began, Imaam Az-Zuhri used to say, “(It is a month of) reciting the Quran and offering food.”
· Once a beggar came to Imaam Ahmad while he was fasting. He gave the beggar two loaves of bread that he kept for his Iftaar meal. Having done this, he did not have anything to eat until he fasted the day that followed.
· Al-Hasan Al-Basri used to feed his friends while he was on a voluntary fast and used to entertain them while they were eating.
· ‘Abdullaah ibn Al-Mubaarak used to feed his travelling companions different kinds of dessert and other food while he was fasting.
· Ash-Shaafi‘i said, “I like that one increases his generosity in Ramadan following the example of the Prophet because of the need of people during this month and because of their preoccupation with fasting and prayer more than gaining their livelihood.”
This is better than our Hajj this year!
Once ‘Abdullaah ibn Al-Mubaarak set out to perform Hajj. While he was passing through a country, a bird that they had with them died; so, he ordered them to throw it on a rubbish heap. When his fellow travelers moved forward before him and he was walking behind them, he noticed a girl who came out from a nearby house to the rubbish heap. She took that dead bird, wrapped it and hastened home. He followed her and asked her why she had taken the dead bird.
She said, “My brother and I have nothing but this waist sheet and have no food to eat but what is thrown in this rubbish heap. Eating dead animals became permissible for us days ago. Our father had money; however, he was oppressed, his money was robbed and he was killed.”
What did Ibn Al-Mubaarak do in this tragic situation?
He asked the caravan to give him back his luggage and said to his trustee who held the money, “How much money do you have?” The agent said, “One thousand dinars”. Ibn Al-Mubaarak said, “Take twenty dinars that would suffice us in our return journey to Marw (Merv) (his town) and give her the remaining amount. This would be better than our Hajj this year.” Then, he returned to his homeland.
There are many Muslims like this girl living in a state of poverty, hunger and homelessness.
All this happens in the presence of the immense riches of Muslims whose Zakah (obligatory charity) amounts to billions!
The calculated Zakah to be paid by Arab traders in one year exceeds fifty-six billion USD.
But the main problem is that this money needs noble souls like the soul of ‘Abdullaah ibn Al-Mubaarak filled with faith and elevated by piety.
‘Abdullaah ibn Al-Mubaarak was Shaykh Al-Islam, the most knowledgeable and pious person during his lifetime. He was a Haafith (prominent scholar) of Hadeeth and used to set out for Jihaad. He traveled far and wide in order to seek knowledge, perform Jihaad and conduct trade. He spent money abundantly for the sake of Allah The Almighty by supporting his fellow Muslims and helping them perform Hajj with him. He died in Ramadan 181 AH, may Allah Have mercy upon him and be pleased with him.
Societies need people like those...
A righteous predecessor said, “Charity cannot be perfect except with three characteristics: hastening, belittling and concealing it.”
This is a high standard of etiquette that is only reached by noble souls. This was the custom of the noble and generous righteous predecessors.
Mansoor ibn ‘Ammaar said, “I visited Al-Layth ibn Sa‘d alone. He took out a bag containing a thousand dinars from under him and said, ‘O Abu As-Sariyy, do not tell my son about this so that he would not belittle your status.’”
Bistaam At-Taymi said, “Hammaad ibn Abi Sulaymaan used to visit me. He used to stay with me all day without eating anything. When he wanted to depart, he would say to me, ‘See what is beneath the pillow and ask them to benefit with it.’ I would find many dirhams.”
A noble person said, “I knew someone who used to distribute charity during the forenoon of Ramadan because this is the best time away from being noticed by people for everyone was sleeping, and so were the neighbors and the people in the road.”
The Shaykhs of our Shaykhs used to be generous and benevolent and maintain their kinship ties and if the person whom they give charity had a high status, they used to exaggerate in concealing their charity. Some of them used to send their son with the charity telling him, “Say to so and so my father greets you and says to you this is what he owes you and asks that you forgive him for the delay.” Then, the son hands him the money thinking that his father has a favor upon the one who gave them the money!
These generous souls graduated from the school of generosity and extreme courtesy; the school of Ramadan. These souls are strengthened with the texts of the Quran and Sunnah, so, they become sublime and elevated.