The Prophet’s Generosity

27/03/2010| IslamWeb

“The most generous of people,” these were the words with which Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, described the character of the Prophet . His words are witness to the generosity and bounteous nature of the Prophet . No wonder, for this trait was an inherent characteristic that he was brought up upon. It was firmly established in him due to the Arab environment, which is famous for its generosity and hospitality. Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, clarified that this trait was instilled in him before his Bi‘thah (prophethoood), with her famous words, “By Allah, you maintain ties of kinship, you bear people's burdens, you help the destitute, and you entertain guests.” All these traits indicate his generosity and hospitality.

When we review the days of the Prophet they show us the noble aspects of his generosity. He retained this characteristic whether he was rich or poor. His spending and giving in charity were multiplied in the seasons of goodness and times of righteousness such as the month of Ramadan. Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with them, said: “The Messenger of Allah was the most generous of all people, and he used to reach the peak of his generosity in the month of Ramadan. He was more generous than a strong uncontrollable wind [in readiness and would hasten to do charitable deeds].” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

The Prophet occupied the greatest and most honorable rank among generous people. He never sent away a person in need or a person who asked him for something. He gave generously without limit, which is rarely found. A Bedouin spoke of such generosity when he went to the Prophet and saw a herd of sheep that filled the whole valley. The generosity of the Prophet made the Bedouin aspire for all the sheep in the valley, so he asked him for them and the Prophet gave them to him. The man returned to his people and said, “O people! Embrace Islam. By Allah, Muhammad gives in charity as if he does not fear poverty.” [Muslim]

These situations greatly affected the Bedouins who, at first, used to go to the Prophet intending to return with sheep, camels, dirham or dinar, but ended up returning as Muslims, adhering firmly to their faith, after their hearts had been opened to Islam. Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, commenting on this situation, “If a man embraced Islam seeking only worldly gains, Islam was later more beloved to him than the whole world and what is in it.”

The Prophet used to give wealth to new Muslims in order to reconcile their hearts. After the Ghazwah (Battle) of Hunayn, the Prophet gave ‘Uyaynah ibn Hisn, Al-Aqra‘ ibn Haabis, Al-‘Abbaas ibn Mirdaas, Abu Sufyaan ibn Harb and Safwaan ibn ’Umayyah, may Allah be pleased with them, large numbers of camels. On his return from the same Ghazwah some Bedouins followed him asking him to give them something. He then said to them: “Do you fear that I have become stingy? By Allah, if your share of camels were as many as the trees of Tihaamah, I would distribute it among you. You will neither find me stingy, nor a coward, nor a liar.” [Ahmad]

An incident that indicates his generosity is the Hadeeth of Anas ibn Maalik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said, “Money was brought to the Prophet from Bahrain and he ordered that It be dispersed in the mosque. Although this was the largest amount of money that the Prophet had ever received, he went out for prayer and did not even turn to it. After finishing the prayer, he sat by the money, and gave some to every single person he saw. He did not get up until the last coin had been distributed.” [Al-Bukhari]

Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, also said, “While I was walking with the Prophet who was wearing a Najraani garment with a thick hem, a Bedouin came up to him and pulled his garment so violently that I could see the marks on his shoulder caused by that violent pull. Then the Bedouin said, ‘Order for me from the fortune of Allah The Almighty which you have!’ The Prophet turned to him and smiled, and ordered that some wealth be given to him.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Sometimes the Prophet felt that one of his Companions were in need and noticed that in his face. Therefore, he gave him something in a way that did not hurt his feelings or embarrass him, as he did with Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullaah, may Allah be pleased with him. They were returning from a journey and the Prophet knew about Jaabir’s recent marriage. The Prophet offered to buy Jaabir’s camel for four dinars. When the Prophet reached Madeenah he ordered Bilaal, may Allah be pleased with him, to give Jaabir his dinars and to give him even more, and to also return his camel to him. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Once the Prophet noticed that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with, was hungry, so he smiled and offered him a container of milk and ordered him to drink some of it. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, drank until he was satisfied. The Prophet kept giving him back the container until Abu Hurayrah, said, “By Allah, there is no more space for it.” [Al-Bukhari]

The Prophet’s generosity extended to all those who were around him, and even his enemies. When ‘Abdullaah ibn Ubayy ibn Salool, the head of the hypocrites, died, his son came to the Prophet and said, “O Messenger of Allah give me your Qamees (long shirt) to shroud him in it, pray (funeral prayer) over him, and ask Allah The Almighty to forgive him.” The Prophet therefore gave him his Qamees. [Al-Bukhari]

The Prophet also taught his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, this noble trait, as he once said to one of his Companions: “Spend and do not fear any impoverishment from the Lord of the Throne.” [Abu Ya‘la in his Musnad]

The generosity of the Prophet was proof of his nobility, high rank, and pure soul. A poet was certainly correct when he likened the Prophet to the sea. He likened its waters to the grace of the Prophet and its coast to his bounty. He also said that his face lit up when he was asked for something as if he was the one who was receiving something!