Doing kind acts to the people and benefitting them

Doing kind acts to the people and benefitting them

Translated by: Alamgeer Usmani.

Praise belongs to Allah, we praise Him, and we ask Him for help and forgiveness. We seek protection in Allah from the malice of our souls, and the evil of our actions. Whom Allah guides, no one can lead him astray, and whom He makes astray, no one can lead him back to the right path. I bear witness that there is no other deity but Allah alone who has no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his family and his companions abundantly..

Afterwards,

I advise you and myself to fear Allah the Almighty.

خَابَ الَّذِي سَارَ عَنْ دُنْيَاهُ مُرْتَحِلاً وَلَيْسَ فِي كَفِّهِ مِنْ دِينِهِ طَرَفُ لاَ خَيْرَ لِلْمَرْءِ إِلاَّ خَيْرَ آخِرَةٍ يَبْقَى عَلَيْهِ فَذَاكَ العِزُّ وَالشَّرَفُ

(The one, who left this world without having any part of his religion, is disappointed.

There is nothing good for a person except the goodness of hereafter.

It shall remain with him, because, it is the glory and honour.)

Brothers in Faith,

Let us now move our minds and feelings to the holy city madina al-munawwarah of prophet’s time. Once, the companions were sitting around the Messenger of Allah PBUH in the early hours of the morning, benefiting from his morals and knowledge. (They got auspiciousness, and they were entitled to that), while they were in this state ( and in what a good state they were), some people from the tribe of Mudar entered upon them barefooted, wearing striped woollen clothes, their aba was covering half part of their body, with swords over their shoulders, and they were suffering from poverty and bad condition about which only Allah knows.

Their feet led them to the most honourable of creation, and the most merciful of people toward people, they came, and how much good was their coming, surely, they succeeded in choosing, and why not? They intended for someone who supplicates to his Allah to give him the love for the poor. So, when he saw them - the blessings and peace of my Lord be upon him – the colour of his face changed, then he entered his house, and he came out in a confused state, busily thinking, worried and sad, and ordered Bilal to call Adhan and then Iqama. Then Prophet performed salah and gave sermon saying:

﴿ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا ﴾ [النساء: 1].

“O men, fear your Lord who created you from a single soul, and from it created its match, and spread many men and women from the two. Fear Allah in whose name you ask each other (for your rights), and fear (the violation of the rights of) the womb-relations. Surely, Allah is watchful over you”.

﴿ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ ﴾ [الحشر: 18]

“O you who believe, fear Allah, and everybody must consider what he (or she) has sent ahead for tomorrow. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is fully aware of what you do”.

Then prophet said: a man should give in charity Dinar, Dirham, a garment, a Sa' of wheat or, a Sa' of dates, until he said: 'Even half a date. Narrator of the hadith says: A man from among the Ansar came with a bag of money which his hands could hardly lift. Then, people followed one another (in giving charity) until I saw two heaps of food and clothing, and I saw the face of the Messenger of Allah shining like gold (with joy).

Prophet PBUH felt delighted and his worried was disappeared, when he saw the people of his ummah felt the need of their brothers, and cared for them, and they drew in a wonderful picture the feeling of one body and one nation. Then prophet PBUH said - after the Ansari brought the bundle too heavy to lift, an important principle regarding this religion of Islam, which indicates the sublimity, loftiness, greatness and ease religion of Islam; He said: If anyone establishes a good sunna in Islam he will have a reward for it and the equivalent of the rewards of those who act upon it after him, without theirs being diminished in any respect; but he who establishes a bad sunna in Islam will bear the responsibility of it and the responsibility of those who act upon it after him, without theirs being diminished in any respect.” Muslim transmitted it.

This eloquent speech exhorts upon competition for good and in the opening the beneficial projects. This is not confined to religious affairs only, but also includes worldly means. Examples of this are what the Rightly Guided Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab - may Allah be pleased with him - did in setting up the department of Soldiers, and some administrative arrangements that were required for the interest of the state at that time.

Honourable people:

Our religion has made “benefiting people and treating them kindly” a great worship. Allah, Glory be to Him, commanded to do benevolence in many verses, and told that He loves the doers of good acts, that He is with the doers of good acts, and that He rewards the benefactor with goodness, and that He rewards the doers of good acts with kindness and an increase their reward, and that the reward of the doers of good acts does not go waste, and the reward of one who does a good deed is not lost, and “doing kind acts” is mentioned in many places in the Holy Qur’an; Sometimes it is combined with faith, and sometimes it is combined with piety or good work, all of which indicates the virtue of “doing kind acts” and its great reward with Allah the Almighty.

“Ihsan” sometimes in the sense of to do good act to other, and sometimes, “Ihsan” happens between the servant and his Lord which is the highest level of religion of Islam. As the prophet Muhammad explained: "To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is looking at you." and this means that the servant worships Allah the Almighty feeling His closeness, and that he is before Him as if Allah the Almighty sees him, and this necessitates fear, dread and veneration, and necessitates sincerity and perfection in worship.

O believers:

Benefiting people and striving to remove their distress is one of the characteristics of the prophets and messengers. So, the honourable Joseph - peace be upon him - despite what his brothers did with him, he equipped them with their provisions, and did not deprive them of anything from it, and Moses - peace be upon him - when he came to the water of Madyan, he found a group of people watering, and he found except them two weak women, he removed the stone from the well, and watered for them, until their sheep watered from it, and Khadija - may Allah be pleased with her - says in describing our Prophet PBUH: “By Allah, you join ties of relationship, you speak the truth, you bear people's burden, you help the destitute, you entertain guests, and you help against the vicissitudes which affect people”.

Brothers of Faith:

In the complaint of the poor is a test for the rich, and in the defeat of the weak is a test for the strong, and in the pain of the patient is wisdom for the healthy, and because of this natural law, Islamic sharia urged upon the cooperation between people and fulfilling their needs, and to strive to relieve their distress.

Ibn Al-Qayyim - may Allah have mercy on him - said: Logic, sharia, nature, and the experiences of nations - of different races, sects - have indicated that getting close to the Lord of the worlds, righteousness and kindness to His creation are among the greatest causes that bring about every goodness, and that their opposites are among the greatest causes of all evilness. So, what brings about blessings of Allah and drives away the wrath of Allah is like the obedience to Him and benevolence to His creation.”

Second Sermon

Praise be to Allah for his benevolence, and thanks to him for his guidance and favour, and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, who has no partner; and honour belongs to Him. I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, his family and companions abundantly.

Afterwards,

Serving people, favouring the weak, is the evidence of a good upbringing, a purity of origin, a purity of heart, and a good soul, and our Lord is merciful towards His merciful servants, and the one who is truthful and does not speak out of whims , made clear to us a great rule of doing righteous acts by saying: He who alleviates the suffering of a brother out of the sufferings of the world, Allah would alleviate his suffering from the sufferings of the Day of Resurrection, and he who finds relief for one who is hard-pressed, Allah would make things easy for him in the Hereafter, and he who conceals (the faults) of a Muslim, Allah would conceal his faults in the world and in the Hereafter. Allah is at the back of a servant so long as the servant is at the back of his brother. Narrated by Muslim.

The rule is clear, and the matter is clear, that the reward is from the same class as deeds.

Brothers in Islam,

The first beneficiaries of good acts are the benefactors themselves, who pluck its fruits immediately in their souls, morals, and consciences; They find relief, serenity and reassurance.

Doing righteous acts is like musk, it benefits Its bearer, seller and buyer. Drinking water of a prostitute to a biting dog yielded entry to Paradise which is as wide as the heavens and the earth; Because the one who gives reward is forgiving, thankful, rich, praiseworthy, generous and bountiful. So, do not despise - my benefactor brother - your benevolence, your generosity and your giving, no matter how little it is.

أَحْسِنْ إِلَى النَّاسِ تَسْتَأْسِرْ قُلُوبَهُمُ فَطَالَمَا اسْتَأْسَرَ الإِنْسَانَ إِحْسَانُ وَكُنْ عَلَى الدَّهْرِ مِعْوَانًا لِذِي أَمَلٍ يَرْجُو نَدَاكَ فَإِنَّ الْحُرَّ مِعْوَانُ

(Do good to the people, it will captivate their hearts.

Many times, a man is captivated by doing good act to him.

And in the life, be a helper for the one who has hope from you and waits your answer, because free man helps others).

And then, servants of Allah, send peace and salutations.