Anyone leaves something for the sake of Allah, Allah shall compensate him a better one

Dr. Amin ibn `Abdullah Al Shaqawy


Praise be to Allah and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone with no partner with Him. I also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.

It was reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: "Anyone leaves something for the sake of Allah, Allah shall compensate him a better one for that."

This Hadith is Da`if (a Hadith that fails to reach the status of Hasan, due to a weakness in the chain of narration or one of the narrators) and was not authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) by these wordings even if it is well known to many people. The Hadith was authentically reported by another wording from the Hadith of Abu Qatadah and Abu Ad-Dahma' who said: We came to a man from the people of the desert and asked him: Did you hear a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)? He said: I heard him saying: “You will never leave something for the sake of Allah, but Allah will give you something better in return.”[1]

This great Hadith includes three matters:
The first is his saying: "You will never leave something." This is a general statement that includes everything which man leaves for the sake of Allah (Exalted be He).

The second is his saying: "For Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted)." In this sentence the Prophet (peace be upon him) explained that leaving something should be for the sake of Allah and not for fear of an authority, shyness from a human being, or inability to obtain it or something else.

The third is his saying: "Allah shall give him something better in return." This sentence contains the retribution for the one who fulfils this condition, which is the compensation that Allah prepared for those who leave something for His Sake. Allah's Compensation may be from the same kind of the thing that the person leaves or from another kind. Of these kinds of compensations is to be close to Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted), attain His Love, gain the comfort of the heart, and the expansion of the chest and that will be in the world as well as in the Hereafter. Allah (Glory be to Him) taught the believers to supplicate Him saying: "Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" [Surat Al Baqarah: 201].

Qatadah As-Sadusy said: A person will not leave something forbidden after he had desired it for fear of Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted), but Allah will give him reward or compensation in this world before the Hereafter.

It was reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "If My slave intends to do a bad deed then (O Angels) do not write it unless he does it; if he does it, then write it as it is, but if he refrains from doing it for My Sake, then write it as a good deed (in his account). (On the other hand) if he intends to do a good deed, but does not do it, then write a good deed (in his account), and if he does it, then write it for him (in his account) as ten good deeds up to seven-hundred times."[2]

The examples that explain the great compensation of Allah (Glory be to Him) to His Servants are numerous and of which are the following:
The story that Allah narrated about prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) in Surat Sad. The summary of the story is: Solomon loved Jihad for the sake of Allah, so, he had many horses and used to love them greatly. One day he missed the `Asr (Afternoon) Salah because of those horses. The sun had set before he could offer the Salah, as a result he commanded his servants to bring them all and stroke their necks with a sword because he preferred the love of Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted) to his horses and that matter was permissible in their Shari`ah.

Thereupon, Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted) compensated him and gave him something better which was the wind that ran by his command to bring goodness where he wished. That wind was traveling two-months faster than anything else.

Here are the Ayahs, see them and consider: Allah (Exalted be He) says: "And to Dâwûd (David) We gave Sulaimân (Solomon). How excellent a slave! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance (to Us)! * When there were displayed before him, in the afternoon, well trained horses of the highest breed [for Jihâd (holy fighting in Allâh’s Cause)]. * He said: “I did love the good (these horses) instead of remembering my Lord (in my ‘Asr prayer)” till the time was over, and (the sun) had hidden in the veil (of night). * Then he said “Bring them (horses) back to me.” Then he began to pass his hand over their legs and their necks (till the end of the display). * And indeed, We did try Sulaimân (Solomon) and We placed on his throne Jasad (a devil, so he lost his kingdom for a while) and he did return (to Allâh with obedience and in repentance, and to his throne and kingdom by the Grace of Allâh). * He said: “My Lord! Forgive me, and bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me: Verily, You are the Bestower.” So, We subjected to him the wind; it blew gently by his order whithersoever he willed." [Surat Sad: 30-36].

The second example is: When the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions migrated, left their homes, and gave their funds for the sake of Allah (Exalted be He), Allah compensated them. He made them leaders in this world, governors of the earth, opened for them the treasures of Chosroes and Caesar, and made them victorious over the kings and the tyrants, in addition to the bliss that they shall have in the Hereafter.

They thanked, believed, were modest, and judged between the people justly. Allah (Exalted be He) says: “Allâh has promised those among you who believe and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the land, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islâm). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. But whoever disbelieves after this, they are the Fâsiqûn (rebellious, disobedient to Allâh).” [Surat An-Nur: 55].

Look at the story of Suhayb, one of the migrants, (may Allah be pleased with him). `Ikrimah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When Suhayb migrated from Makkah, the people of Makkah followed him, then he got out forty arrows from his quiver and said: “You will not reach me until I shoot each one of you with an arrow. When my arrows are over, I will grab my sword and fight you until you know that I am a real man. I left two female singers in Makkah you may take them.” Thereupon, the following Ayah was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): “And of mankind is he who would sell himself, seeking the Pleasure of Allâh. And Allâh is full of Kindness to (His) slaves.” When the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw Suhayb, he said: “O father of Abu Yahya, your bargain is successful, then he recited the Ayah.”[3]

The third example is: Yusuf, the prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) to whom the temptations of the world were exposed, but he sought refuge in Allah and Allah protected him. He left those temptations for the sake of Allah, thereby Allah made him one of devotees and suffered because of that. He preferred prison to the reprehensible action they invited him to. He observed patience and chose the reward of Allah, therefore, Allah compensated him with something better that He made him supervisor over the treasures of the earth and taught him the interpretations of dreams. How great is the Giver! How great is the gifted person! How great the gift was!

Allah (Exalted be He) says: “He said: “O my Lord! Prison is dearer to me than that to which they invite me. Unless You turn away their plot from me, I will feel inclined towards them and be one (of those who commit sin and deserve blame or those who do deeds) of the ignorant. * So his Lord answered his invocation, and turned away from him their plot. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.” [Surat Yusuf: 33-34].
Allah (Exalted be He) says: “Thus did We give full authority to Yûsuf (Joseph) in the land, to take possession therein, when or where he likes. We bestow of Our Mercy on whom We will, and We make not to be lost the reward of Al Muhsinûn (the good doers?).” [Surat Yusuf: 56].

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. May Allah send His peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.

[1] Musnad Al Imam Ahmad (5 / 363). Al Haythamy said in Majma` Az-Zawa’id (10/296) “The Hadith is narrated by Ahmad with different chain of narrations and its narrators are the narrators of the Hadiths that were reported in the two books of authentic Hadiths. Al Albany (may Allah bestow mercy on his soul) in his book “As-Silsilah Ad-Da`ifah” (the series of weak Hadiths) (1 / 62) said: Its chain of narration is authentic according to the conditions of Imam Muslim.
[2] Sahih Al Bukhari (4 / 404) No. (7501).
[3] Mustadrak Al Hakim (3 / 450) No. (1298) He said: The Hadith is authentic according to the conditions of Imam Muslim but he and Imam Al Bukhari did not report it in their books of authentic Hadiths. Shaykh Muqbil Al Wadi`y regarded it as Hasan (good) in his book As-Sahih Al Musnad Min Asbab An-Nuzul (p. 33).

If they only have ears

Fatimah `Abdul-Maqsud

Allah described the people of falsehood with "having ears as people have" but they are disabled and cannot hear. Moreover, their eyes do not see and their minds do not understand: "And surely, We have created many of the jinn and mankind for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand not, and they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not (the truth). They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones." [Surat Al A`raf: 179].
This Ayah is about the people of falsehood in every time and place whose hearts, organs, and senses are disabled, so they do not take a lesson from an incident, sermons do not affect them, and their minds do not understand but what they want and what they do.
If you look at them in their wars against the people of faith, suppressing every voice speaks the truth, yourself will yearn to address them saying: Verily, the Lord sees what you do. Perhaps you go and tell them that the oppressed invokes Allah against his oppressor, and that the Lord of the earth and heavens provides the oppressed with victory even if the oppressed is a disbeliever. Accordingly, you do not find but a threat and accusation to the corrupters on earth, and you find a hard defense for their falsehood and believe what they do.
You speak about what is happening to you, you raise your voice with the truth, truthfulness makes you speak, the people around you get affected, and you may be sure that the world will change after they hear. However, the deafness which they satisfied for themselves makes them hear no one but the echo of their buried malice.
The world asks us to deliver the message and change the reality. We are trying and making errors but the voice will remain just an echo if we do not find listening ears and if their senses remain disabled.

The World is heading to the system of Islam to face poverty

Ahmad Abu Zayd
Poverty and unemployment are still threatening millions of people in most countries worldwide, as they are the greatest danger that undermined the plans of economic and social development in these countries.

Figures refer to the exacerbation of these problems at the global level and to the incapability of the world —with its countries, bodies, and foundations— to eradicate poverty and eliminate unemployment or at least alleviate its danger despite the progress and advancement that are taking place worldwide at all levels.

Reuters News Agency mentioned that almost half the world population live on less than two dollars a day, in a time 1.5 billion i.e., 25% of the world population live on one dollar a day and the number of idles in the developing countries is more than a billion person.

A report of the Secretary General of the United Nations said that there are 550 millions all over the world spend the night hungry and 1.5 billion do not get pure drinking water or adequate sewerage. Moreover, more than 1.5 billion live in extreme poverty, he also demanded the governments to decrease the number of those poor to the half in 2015.

The report revealed the veil that one fifth of the population of the developing countries, which are estimated by 4.4 billion people, are starving at the end of each day, one-third of them need drinking water, and one-quarter of them lack adequate dwelling, and one-fifth of school children do not go to school after primary five.

The South Asian region —where 29% of the world's population— includes about 43% of the world's poor. With the progress made in poverty reduction, the excessive growth in the population of the poor of the rural areas helped —to a large extent— in increasing the high number of the poor, and the region retreated from other regions with regard to progress in the field of education.

• One-Quarter of humanity are poor:
The International Labor Office in its report on working conditions in the world said that a quarter of humanity live in misery, and that a billion and half, men and women, live on less than a dollar a day.

As in the developing countries, approximately one-third of the population live on less than a dollar a day, and there are 30% of adults are illiterate, and 30% are deprived of fresh water, and 30% of children whose ages under five are below the normal weight.

The report pointed out that more than 40% of the inhabitants of the South of the Sahara and South Asia live in poverty, and this percentage increases. The number of the poor increased during the past five years at 200 million people in the South-Sahara, in addition to, countries which their regimes are experiencing a transition period in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.

The report emphasized that the vast majority of population in many developing countries do not enjoy any social security, and there is no social security for workers in the informal sector outside the framework of institutions, and the number is between 750 and 900 million workers who do not earn enough money to eat, including a large proportion of women.

• One billion idles in poor countries:
If we look at unemployment, we will see it worsening day after another at the global level, especially in poor and developing countries. A report on globalization and unemployment revealed that there are over one billion people unemployed in all the south countries.

The report said: The negative social effects of globalization increase the difficulties faced by the people of developing countries and diminish the ability of these countries to overcome the negative social consequences of marginalization and poverty.

The report added that the ILO should analyze the social and economic impacts of the financial crisis on the economies of the countries affected by the crisis, in addition to preparing studies on the impact of the crisis on financial markets with particular emphasis on poverty alleviation and unemployment in these countries.

• The failure of the United Nations:
The General Assembly of the United Nations admitted the failure of facing the problems of poverty, unemployment, lack of social security and stability, and achieving justice or alleviating these problems.

It said in a report that these issues remain a matter of equal concern, but what is disturbing is that the number of people who live in poverty actually increased during the last five years, and the unemployment rate reached unacceptably high levels.

The number of internal conflicts raging in different parts of the world remains high which prevent the achievement of the objectives of social integration. The report pointed out that the gap between rich and poor has expanded unprecedentedly, where the possessions of three of the richest men in the world reached the total gross of national product of the least developing countries which its population estimated by 600 million people.

• Islam and facing of poverty:
Before the growth of these economic and social problems at the global level and the inability of the man-made systems to face and solve these problems, the world started looking for the effective solutions to these problems and did not find but the Islamic approach which is suitable for every time and place.

The official of anti-poverty strategy of the World Bank (John Paige) revealed several years ago that the Bank has studied some Islamic principles relating to financial transactions and Zakah that is paid by the rich to the poor in order to benefit from in setting strategies for combating poverty around the world.

John Paige added that the objective of the World Bank is to find economic mechanisms to benefit from fighting against poverty on one hand, and preventing people from falling into poverty on the other hand.

If there are religious principles of any religion will help to achieve these goals, we are ready to study them provided to be of economic and productive dimensions, not just donations that may not help the people to overcome crises.

What the world is looking for today is to eliminate the difficult problem of poverty, which all man-made solutions failed to solve, has been solved by Islam fourteen centuries ago, represented in Zakah and its impact in the development and plenty of productivity established by Islam to eliminate poverty and achieve economic and social development.

There are specialized bodies in some Muslim countries —led by Saudi Arabia— collect Zakah to combat poverty, where the "Department of Zakah and income" of the Ministry of Finance collect Zakah annually from all companies and institutions registered in the Commercial Register at the Ministry of Commerce, in addition to sending collectors to collect the Zakah from farmers and livestock breeders, and then distributing them to legitimate recipients.

• The establishment of an institution of Zakah:
Some Muslim countries in Africa have started to respond to this Islamic solution for the difficult problem of poverty by establishing an institution of Zakah, and on top of these countries is Senegal, where the Senegalese capital (Dakar) witnessed the first serious attempt to establish Islamic project under the name of Islamic African Zakah Foundation.

It is well-known that even now there is no country in Africa applies the system of Zakah at the official level, but people give it individually, and on the basis of affiliations to scholars and preachers. However, facts indicate that the country is rich, especially the rich Muslims who are representing the largest proportion, and we have seen how those people spend these millions in projects and different aspects, but they lack arrangement, coordination, and organization.

• Combating poverty by endowments:
At the level of Muslim minorities, the humanitarian relief in Bermingham —United Kingdom— adopts an integrated strategy to combat poverty that includes all aspects of life based on Zakah and the Islamic endowment, emerging from the impact which the Islamic Relief had on development that can help to promote the Muslim world, and taking the Muslim nation out of the circle of cultural deterioration and poverty.

The most important features of this strategy is to try to revive the role of Zakah and endowment in funding and supporting the charitable projects, advocacy, and development through the endowment project which the commission adopts where it opened the door for subscription and these projects are aimed at the prosecution of ignorance and illiteracy in different areas of the Muslim World and supplying the poor Muslims with the basic and necessary needs.

In order to pursue poverty and transform the poor to producers, it adopted a big project to supply these poor with loans so as not to fall into the clutches of usurious debts, where borrowers were given machines, poultry machineries, and cattle to help them to find a source of living to pay the loan installments and to lead a decent life.

• The role of endowments in development:
On the other hand, the secretariat of endowment in Kuwait prepared a study on the impact of endowment in development.

The study has included a number of important projects that aim to enable the endowments in the Islamic world to do its important and vital work, especially in the field of development in general.

The study called for a project of developing studies and jurisprudential researches on endowment through the revival of scientific researches in all matters relating to endowments provided that to be appropriate to the strategic vision for the advancement and development of endowments.

The study also called for a project to establish the endowment data bank.

The study pointed out the need to create a project to introduce the contemporary endowment experiments and said: "This project aims to hold seminars to demonstrate the contemporary endowment experiments in Muslim countries to activate the movement of contemporary endowment business, the development of scientific researches and studies related to it, and to facilitate the dissemination of these results on other countries and foundations.

The study found the necessity of adopting the project of disseminating the endowment form to the civil society institutions in the Muslim world.

The idea of the project is to urge the powers and all communities to benefit from the endowment system in a positive way to build the present and future society in the framework of Islamic developmental values and in a spirit appropriates to the time and circumstances.

The study called to discuss the opportunities available for endowment investment and promoting it, as it called for the development of legislation law of endowment by updating the legal laws appropriate to commemorate endowment again in the Muslim communities, activate its role, and develop it.