أَبْوَابُ الْخَيْرِ

Hadith 25: the wealthy take away the rewards From Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him): some companions said: "O Messenger of Allah, the wealthy take away the rewards: they pray as we pray, fast as we fast, and give charity from the surplus of their wealth." He said: "Has Allah not given you something to give in charity? Every 'subḥaana llaah' is a charity, every 'Allaahu akbar' is a charity, every 'al-ḥamdu lillaah' is a charity, every 'laa ilaaha illa llaah' is a charity, enjoining good is a charity, forbidding evil is a charity, and in the intimate union of one of you there is a charity." They said: "One of us satisfies his desire and he has a reward for it?" He said: "Do you see: if he did it in the unlawful, would he not have a sin? Likewise, if he does it in the lawful, he has a reward." ذَهَبَ أَهْلُ الدُّثُورِ بِالْأُجُورِ Source: Muslim 1006.

The commentary • Healthy emulation: the poor did not envy the wealth of the rich, but their rewards. Ibn Rajab sees here praiseworthy competition in good (83:26). • The broad meaning of charity: every good done to oneself or to others. Dhikr is a charity that everyone can give. • The lawful rewarded: An-Nawawi explains that permitted acts become worship through intention: preserving oneself, preserving one's spouse, having children. This extends hadith 1.

Hadith 26: every joint owes a charity From Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: كُلُّ سُلَامَى مِنَ النَّاسِ عَلَيْهِ صَدَقَةٌ، كُلَّ يَوْمٍ تَطْلُعُ فِيهِ الشَّمْسُ "Every joint of people owes a charity, every day on which the sun rises: establishing justice between two people is a charity; helping a man onto his mount or loading his belongings onto it is a charity; a good word is a charity; every step one takes towards prayer is a charity; and removing what is harmful from the road is a charity." Source: Bukhari 2989 and Muslim 1009.

The commentary • The gratitude of the body: the body has, according to another hadith, three hundred and sixty joints (Muslim, from 'Aa'isha [À VÉRIFIER : numéro]); each one is a grace for which one thanks Allah through a good deed. Two units of the morning prayer (aḍ-ḍuḥaa) suffice for this (Muslim, from Abu Dharr [À VÉRIFIER : numéro]). • Charities within everyone's reach: reconciling, helping, speaking well, walking to the mosque, cleaning the street. Ibn Rajab distinguishes those that benefit others, more meritorious, from those that benefit only oneself. • For adults: reconciliation (iṣlaaḥ) is a very great charity; it requires tact, discretion and justice.

Hadith 27: righteousness is good character From An-Nawwaas ibn Sam'aan (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet ﷺ said: الْبِرُّ حُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ، وَالْإِثْمُ مَا حَاكَ فِي صَدْرِكَ وَكَرِهْتَ أَنْ يَطَّلِعَ عَلَيْهِ النَّاسُ "Righteousness is good character, and sin is what troubles your chest and you would hate people to find out about." (Muslim 2553.) And from Waabiṣa ibn Ma'bad (may Allah be pleased with him): I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he said to me: "You have come to ask what righteousness is?" I said: "Yes." He said: "Consult your heart. Righteousness is that in which the soul is at peace and the heart is at peace; sin is what troubles the soul and wavers in the chest, even if people give you an opinion, and again an opinion." (Aḥmad and Ad-Daarimi [À VÉRIFIER : numéros]; An-Nawawi grades it "ḥasan".)

The commentary • Al-birr: a word that gathers all good; the Prophet ﷺ gives its heart here, good character. • Two signs of sin: inner unease, and discomfort at the idea that people see it. Ibn Rajab specifies that this criterion applies to the believer with a sound heart, and to matters the texts have not clearly settled; one does not "consult one's heart" against a clear text nor against a scholar's opinion based on evidence [À VÉRIFIER : formulation]. • "Even if people give you an opinion": an opinion obtained by hiding part of the facts does not reassure the heart; the believer remains honest with himself.

Hadith 28: the farewell exhortation From Abu Najiiḥ al-'Irbaaḍ ibn Saariya (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave us an exhortation that made hearts tremble and tears flow. We said: "O Messenger of Allah, it seems like a farewell exhortation: give us a recommendation." He said: "I recommend to you the fear of Allah, listening and obeying, even if a slave is placed over you. Whoever among you lives on will see much disagreement. Hold to my Sunna and the Sunna of the rightly guided caliphs; bite onto it with your molars. And beware of newly invented matters, for every innovation is misguidance." عَلَيْكُمْ بِسُنَّتِي وَسُنَّةِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ الْمَهْدِيِّينَ، عَضُّوا عَلَيْهَا بِالنَّوَاجِذِ Source: Abu Daawud 4607 and At-Tirmidhi 2676, who grades it "ḥasan ṣaḥiiḥ".

The commentary • A brief and powerful exhortation: the Prophet ﷺ did not lengthen his sermons so as not to tire people; their effect came from their sincerity. • Listening to and obeying those in charge, in what is good ("no obedience to a creature in disobedience to the Creator"), is a means of keeping the community's unity [À VÉRIFIER : source de la citation]. • The rightly guided caliphs: Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthmaan and 'Ali. Their way is followed because it is faithful to the Sunna. • "Every innovation is misguidance" confirms hadith 5; Ibn Rajab specifies that this means innovation in religion with no basis in the law, not useful novelties in worldly matters. • Faced with disagreements: return to the Qur'an, the Sunna and the understanding of the first Muslims, with the scholars.

The text: Surah Az-Zalzala (99), verses 7 to 8 فَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ ﴿٧﴾ وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ ﴿٨﴾

Meaning: "Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it." These verses give weight to the small charities of hadiths 25 and 26: a good word, a step towards the mosque, a stone removed from the road.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Hadiths 25 and 26 widen charity to the whole of life: dhikr, enjoining good, forbidding evil, lawful married life, reconciliation, help, a good word, a clean street. No one is too poor to give. Hadith 27 gives an inner compass: righteousness is recognised by good character and peace of heart, sin by unease and discomfort. Hadith 28 gives an outer compass: the Sunna and the way of the rightly guided caliphs, especially in times of disagreement. The two compasses complete each other: the sound heart helps one sense what is good, and the Sunna defines it. The heart alone can be mistaken; the Sunna without heart becomes dry. For the adult, these hadiths are a concrete programme: each day offers dozens of possible charities.

Lessons to draw from it • Compete in good, not in goods. • Each day give a few simple charities: dhikr, help, a good word, reconciliation. • Turn permitted acts (meals, marriage, work) into rewards through intention. • Listen to the unease of one's heart before a doubtful act, without setting it against a clear text. • In disagreements, return to the Sunna with the scholars.

Key points to remember • Hadith 25 (Muslim 1006): every dhikr is a charity; the lawful is rewarded. • Hadith 26 (Bukhari 2989, Muslim 1009): every joint owes a charity every day. • Hadith 27 (Muslim 2553): الْبِرُّ حُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ; "consult your heart" (Waabiṣa). • Hadith 28 (Abu Daawud 4607, At-Tirmidhi 2676): the Sunna and the rightly guided caliphs.

The main message Each day offers you a thousand doors of charity: go through them with good character, guided by your heart and faithful to the Sunna.