THE INCREDIBLE BARGAIN! Charity Brings The Best Rewards.

 

The Incredible Bargain!

Charity Brings

The Best Rewards

(M. Javed Naseem)

Man is always greedy, even though he knows that greed is the mother of all evil. It often forces you to lie, cheat, deceive and invent new means of corruption. A believer always believes in Allah and pays thanks to the Almighty for everything he has been provided with. He is always content and grateful to his Creator. He is aware of the fact that all men are created equal yet they are not the same. They don't have the same material benefits or same amount of wealth. And in this disparity lies their test and trial.

“Whoso desires the life of the world and its

pomp, We shall repay them their deeds herein,

and therein they will not be wronged. Those

are they for whom is naught in the Hereafter

save the Fire. All that they contrive here is vain

and all that they are wont to do is fruitless.”

(al-Quran 11 :15-16)

Those who are unfortunate , Almighty Allah is testing their faith with misfortune to see how grateful, patient and steadfast they are. And those who are more fortunate than others, they are being tested with their fortune (wealth) whether or not they take care of their less fortunate brothers and spend their wealth for the cause of Allah. We are supposed to live in this world as one community and take care of each other in times of need. This is only humane. If we want to be treated with mercy, we must, first, treat others with mercy.

In Islamic lifestyle and culture, the community has a lot more importance than the individual. Most of the commands in the Holy Quran are concerning others. The message is loud and clear : Take care of the mankind and you will be taken care of. Serve others so that you could be served.

Life in this world is not only a test for a believer but also a good opportunity to bargain with Allah for the benefits of Hereafter. The more we spend here for God's pleasure, the more we will get as a reward in the Hereafter. It is like lending a loan to Allah, Who will multiply it in its repayment to us in the Hereafter. The Almighty says in the Holy Quran:

“If you lend unto Allah a goodly loan,

He will double it for you and will forgive you,

for Allah is Responsive, Clement.”

(al-Quran 64 :17)

What an incredible bargain! But the irony is that despite all the benefits there are not many among us who go for this bargain. Have you not heard that if you give something in charity (Sadaqah), Allah will give you the reward of it, ten times in this world and 70 times in the Hereafter? That's God's principle. It has been valid since the beginning of the time and has no expiry date during our lifetime.

There was that guy during the era of Prophet Moses. Life was not very comfortable for the poor fellow. He was always hand to mouth and struggling. He got so sick and tired of his life that one day he decided to go and see Prophet Moses. He said :

“O Moses! My life has been miserable. You are the Prophet of Allah and known for communicating with Him. Please talk to Allah for me and ask Him to have mercy on me and make my life a little easier.”

Prophet Moses promised him to do that. When he had the opportunity, he talked to The Almighty and requested Him to ease up the life of the poor man. The Almighty replied that there was not much of 'Rizk' (provision) prescribed for this person. Therefore, whatever is meant for him is spread thinly over his lifetime. He gets a little but he will keep getting something for the rest of his life. The next time when Prophet Moses saw this person, he explained to him what was prescribed for him in this world. The poor man said:

“Alright! Can you then ask the Almighty to grant me all my 'Rizk' (provision) in lump sum, at one time, instead of spreading it over many years?”

Prophet Moses thought that was a very unreasonable demand and tried to convince the poor man otherwise. But the poor man insisted that he wanted all at one time. This way he would at least have some comfortable days and could enjoy life, even if it was for a short time. Prophet Moses agreed to do that. On the next occasion when Prophet Moses communicated with Allah, he conveyed to Him the poor man's desire. The Almighty Allah accepted the request and granted the poor man all his 'Rizk' at one time.

A few days later when Prophet Moses happened to pass by the poor man's house, he saw some kind of festival. Many people were enjoying food and drinks. He was surprised and wanted to talk to the poor man. The man was very happy and he thanked Prophet Moses for that. Moses asked him what was going on? The man said that he had invited all the poor and hungry people of his neighborhood and told them that they could eat by him every day, as long as the food lasted.

Moses thought that it was not going to last long, may be a few days or a few weeks or maximum for a few months. Then the man would be in a greater misery than before. Time went by quickly. A few weeks later when Prophet Moses passed by the poor man's house he saw the party going on. He shook his head and left. He saw the same thing happening when he passed by, a couple of months later, and then after a year or so the party was still going on. Prophet Moses could not believe his eyes. He was perplexed. So, on the next occasion of communicating with God, Prophet Moses could not help asking God about the poor man's situation. How could it last that long?

The Almighty God told Moses that there was nothing surprising. “It is Our principle that if anyone spends in Our way, for Our pleasure, We give him ten times more in this world and 70 times in the Hereafter. Therefore, the poor man as he keeps spending in charity, he keeps getting tenfold in this world. That's how the party goes on and on.”

Subhan Allah! What a bargain! An incredible bargain! Since The Almighty Allah is not going to change His principle, we should take advantage of it while we are still alive. As death can come at any time, we better do something right now before it is too late. The life of this world is an opportunity for us to accumulate the rewards and blessings of The Almighty for the Hereafter. It is the Hereafter that matters because that is the real and everlasting life.

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