Chapter 59: About the Forbiddance of Miserliness

Translation: and Greediness

[ Imam Al-Ghazali elaborated on this subject in his book entitled: ' Ihya'a Ulum Al-Din (Revival of the Religious Sciences) '

Below is a quotation from this work hoping that it will benefit the reader on this topic.

The Seventh Article: Miserliness

We have seen that miserliness is one of the diseases that makes mixing with [ some] people and cooperating with them impossible. Have not you realized that if everyone withholds his time and wealth from other people, would be there any cooperation, kindness, sacrifice, tenderness, or love? How is an imploring person to be rescued? How is a distressed person to be released from his distress? What would the mutual relationships among brothers and neighbors be?

Then if goodness has dried up and miserliness has prevailed, who is there that can proceed to do beneficial projects?

If we suppose that miserliness has prevailed, how could a state be established? How many people would die out of hunger and thirst? Who would look after the old men? Who would support the disabled ones? Who would sustain the helpless children? When meanness prevails, women will hesitate to do motherly ' duties and men will neglect their marital duties.

Imagine then, how human life would be! Whenever man overcomes his meanness, a beneficial activity comes to existence. The more beneficence there is, the larger beneficial projects are. For this reason, both the Book of Allah and Sunna of the Prophet urged people to spend in the cause of Allah sincerely. The Noble Koran connects spending and purifying the soul in many verses. Allah says:

Translation: " Those who spend of their wealth for increase in selfpurification. " (92: 18) And

Translation: "... And were it not for the grace and mercy of Allah on you, not one of you would ever have been pure, but Allah purifies whom He pleases... * " (24:21)

Translation: The previous verse was a preamble to a verse talking about spending in the way of Allah. It says:

Translation: " Let not those among you who are blessed with graces and wealth swear against helping their kinsmen, those in want, and those who have left their homes in Allah's cause. Let them forgive and overlook. Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? For Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful. * " (24:22)

Translation: Curing miserliness and purifying the soul from it is not an easy process. For, Allah has created the human soul with an inclination to it. Allah said:

Translation: A

Translation: "... Even though men's souls are swayed by greed... * (4: 128)

Translation: Thus, miserliness is always present, but it does not cease to debar man from spending. If the soul wants to spend, miserliness repels that desire. For this reasons, the verses that speak of spending usually contain what enables man to overcome this vice to let the human soul move freely towards spending. Such meanings are contained in our interpretation. Since meanness is manifestly apparent as regards wealth, we shall confine our study to it.

Translation: Now, let us see what Al-Ghazali, may Allah show mercy on him, said.4 Criticism of Miserliness

Translation: Allah said:

Translation: ... And those saved from the covetousness of their own souls, they are the ones who achieve prosperity. * " (59: 9) And

Translation: “ And let not those who covetously withhold of the gifts that Allah has given them of His Grace think that it is good for them. Nay, it will be the worse for them. Soon, what they 4 This is an introduction by Sheikh Sa'eed Hawwa to the subject quoted from the book entitled: ' Al Mostakhlas Fi Tazkiyatil Anfos, ' based on Imam Al-Ghazali's work.

Translation: have covetously withheld will be tied to their necks like a twisted collar, on the Day of Judgment... * " (3: 180) And

Translation: " (Nor) those who are miserly, or enjoin miserliness on others, or hide the bounties that Allah has bestowed on them... * " (4: 37

Translation: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “ Beware of miserliness it caused those before you to violate their honor, shed their blood, and severe relations with their kinsmen. "

He also said: " Not a parsimonious, cunning, treacherous, or ill-mannered one will be admitted into Paradise. " The other narrative adds: ،،... a tyrant and the one who hurts the recipients of his Zakat. ” And

Translation: " The allegory of the one who spends in charity and the parsimonious one who withholds [ his wealth] is like the tale of two people wearing coats of armor covering all their bodies up to their breasts. The one who gives in charity, does not spend except that the armor becomes wider letting him spend, while that of the other becomes so tight that if he wanted to spend, he could not despite all his attempts to widen it. " And

Translation: " A believer does not possess two qualities: miserliness and ill-manners. " And

Translation: Narrated Sa'ad ibn Abu-Waqqas: ' The Prophet said: " O Allah! I seek refuge with You from miserliness. O Allah! I seek refuge with You from cowardice, O Allah! I seek refuge with You that I reach the feeblest age (when one loses his wits). " And

Translation: Narrated Abu-Huraira: ' The Prophet said: " Beware of oppression, for oppression becomes pieces of darkness on the Day of Judgment. Beware of insolence, for Allah does not love an insolent one or the one behaves in an insolent manner. " And

Translation: Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr: ' The Messenger of Allah delivered a sermon in which he said: “ And beware of miserliness, for miserliness has destroyed those before you. It incited them to tell lies, so they told lies. It incited them to oppress others, so they oppressed them. It incited them to severe the ties of kinship, and so they did. " And

Translation: Narrated Abu-Huraira: ' I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: " The worst quality of man is a miserliness that prevents [ spending] and a cowardice that destroys the heart. ". And

Translation: Jobayr ibn Mota'am narrated: ' While we were walking with the Messenger of Allah on our way home from Khaybar, some nomads asked him to give them [ something]. He said: " By Him in Whose hand my soul is, if I had camels as numerous as these thorny trees, I would divide them among you. Then you would not find me miserly, a liar, or cowardly... "

Narrated Abu-Sa'eedo Al-Khudri: ' Two men entered to [ see] the Messenger of Allah and asked to give them the price of a camel. He gave them two Dinars. They went out and met Omar ibn Al-Khattab, and they praised the Messenger of Allah and said good words about him. Omar entered to [ see] the Messenger of Allah and told him the story. The Messenger of Allah said: " But I gave so and so (an amount between ten and hundred dinars) but he did not say so. Verily, one of you may ask me [ for something] and I gave it to him and he goes out with what he has asked for in his hand, yet it is a piece of Fire. " Omar said: " Why do you give them what is a piece of Fire? " He said: " Because they have persisted in asking me and Allah wills not miserliness for me. "

Abu-Huraira narrated: ' When the delegation of Bano Lihyan came to the Messenger of Allah, he said: " Who is your chief? " They said: " Our chief is Jadd ibn Qays, but he is stingy. " The Messenger of Allah said: " Which malady is worse than miserliness? Your chief is Amr ibn Al Jamooh. " In the other narration, the Messenger of Allah said: " What made you elect him as your chief? " They said: " He is the wealthiest among us, yet there is a trace of stinginess in him. " He said: " Which malady is worse than miserliness! This is not your chief. Your chief is Bishr ibn Al Bara'a. "

Umm Al-Banin, the sister of Omar ibn Abdul-Aziz said: " How bothering is the parsimonious one. If he were a shirt, I would never wear it.And if he were a way, I would not tread it. " Talha ibn Obaydullah said: " We suffer of spending what the miserly persons suffer, but we adhere to patience... " AbdulAbdullah ibn Amr said: ' Al-Shohh (extreme miserliness) is worse than miserliness. For the one who practices Al-Shohh wants that others should withhold what is in their hands and withholds what is in his hands, while the miserly person withholds just what is in his possession. ' Al-Asmae'e said: ' I heard a nomad describing a man saying: " I belittled so and so because he sanctifies the worldly pleasures. When a man asks him [ for anything], he behaves as if the angel of death has come to him. "

Abu-Haneefa (may Allah have mercy on him) said: " I do not trust the miserly person. For, miserliness urges him to require more than his right, fearing that he would be dealt with unfairly. Such a person cannot be entrusted. "

Translation: Ali ibn Abu-Talib said: ' By Allah, a generous person does not take his right in full. Allah said about his Prophet: "... He confirmed part thereof and repudiated a part... * (66: 3)

Translation: Yahya ibn Mo'az said: " The hearts bear love for the generous people even if they are debauchees. They bear hatred for the miserly people even if they are righteous people. "

Ibnul-Mo'ataz said: " He that withholds his wealth is lax regarding his honor. " Excellence of Preferring Others over Oneself

Kindly, bear in mind that generosity and miserliness are divided into degrees. The highest degree of generosity is preference of others over oneself, i.e. giving one's wealth to others while he is in need of it.

Generosity is to give what [ one has that] exceeds one's needs or to give to those who have what suffices them. As generosity includes giving to others while one is in need of the given object, miserliness includes depriving oneself from enjoying one's wealth despite being badly in a need of it.

How many miserly people do not search for a remedy when hey fall ill? They may have an appetite for a certain type of food, but they deprive their soul out of miserliness. If they found it free of charge, they would eat it, as such is the attitude of a miser with himself, despite his need; while the one who is generous prefers others to himself, despite his need. So, look at the difference between the two! Good manners are gifts from Allah. He grants of them to whomever He wills, and there is no degree in beneficence higher that of preferring others to oneself. Allah praised the companions for preferring others to themselves despite their need. He says:

Translation: "... But they give them preference over themselves, even though they were in need.... * * " " (59: 9)

Narrated A'isha: " The Messenger of Allah used not to satisfy his appetite for three successive days until he breathed his last. Had we so willed, we could have done, but we used to prefer others to ourselves. "

The Messenger of Allah could not find anything for his guest, so a man of Al-Ansar came and took the guest to his house. He put food before him and ordered his wife to turn off the lantern. He stretched his hand as if he was eating, but he did not eat until the guest had satisfied his appetite. In the morning, the Messenger of Allah said to him: " Allah has wondered about what you had done last night. On this occasion, the following verse was revealed:

Translation: "... But they give them preference over themselves even though they were in need... * " (59: 9)

Translation: As we have said, preferring others over oneself is the highest degree of generosity, and this was one of the good characteristics of the Prophet, about whom the Noble Koran says:

Translation: " And you have exalted characters. * " (68: 4)

Translation: It was narrated that Abdullah ibn Ja'afar entered a garden and found a black slave working there. When the slave brought out his meal, a hungry dog entered the garden and approached him. The slave threw the meal to the dog. Abdullah was observing him, and he asked the slave: " What is your daily ration (of food)? " He said: " What I have given to the dog. " Abdullah said " " Why did you prefer that dog to yourself? " He said: " There are no dogs in this land, so i seems as if it must have come from a distant piace. " Abdullah said: " Do they criticize me for my beneficence? By Allah, that slave is more generous than I am. " Abdullah bought the garden and what it contained, and then he freed the slave and granted him the garden.

Translation: On the authority of Abul-Hasan Al-Antaki: ' More than thirty-five people gathered in his house in a village near Al Riyy. They had few loaves of bread, so they turned off the lantern and sat to eat. When food was cleared away it was intact, as nobody had eaten from it out of preference of his companions over himself.

Abbas ibn Dahqan said: ' No one left this world in the same state that he came to it, except Bishr ibn Al-Hareth. A man came to him while he was on his deathbed and complained to him about his condition. Bishr took off the shirt he was wearing and gave it to him and borrowed another shirt, and he died while wearing it.

The Criterion of Beneficence and Miserliness and their Natures

You may argue that miserliness is a destructive disease according the texts; what is the criterion for this, and how do we know that so and so is miserly? There is no man except that he sees himself as generous, while others see him miserly. It may happen that a man may do a deed over which people will differ [ in their opinion]; some may say that it is miserliness, and others may say it is not.

There is no man except that he loves money and withholds it. If a man is described as miserly when he withholds money, no one would be described as generous! If wit hholding money does not entail miserliness, what kind of miserliness causes ruin? What is the criterion of generosity and its reward?

If we say: " He that gives what is obligatory on him is not miserly. " This is not enough, for he that returns meat to the butcher and bread to the baker that lacking a seed or a half of a seed is unanimously agreed to be miserly. He that gives what a judge has ordered him to give to his sons, and then he bothers them if they spend more than that, or if they ate one of his fruits, is counted as miserly. He that bought a loaf of bread and when another one came [ to visit him], he hid it from him is miserly.

I say: ' The obligation has two parts. What is obligatory according to the law and what is obligatory due to habit. A generous person is he that does not withhold what valor and habit oblige him to give. He that withholds what is obligatory by law is extremely miserly, for example he who does not give Zakat or pay his children's support and he who becomes annoyed when giving it. Such a person is miserly by nature and practices generosity only out of mannerism. Additionally, he who gives objects of the poorest quality and gives Zakat unwillingly is miserly.

As to valor's obligation, it is to cease giving the objects of the poorest quality and giving unwillingly, because this is not acceptable. [ How this is achieved] depends on the person and their circumstances. It is more repulsive if a man who has great wealth gives the poorest quality objects or gives unwillingly than a poor one, and it is more repulsive if a man treats his slaves and relatives harshly than the strangers, and it is also more repulsive if a neighbor treats his neighbors more arrogantly than strangers. What is repulsive in treating the residents is more repulsive if it is done to guests. The same applies to food, clothes, buying a shroud, etc.

A miser is he who withholds when he should not withhold, either according to the law or according to valor, but this is difficult to define. Thus, he who fulfilled the law's obligation and valor's obligation appropriate to himself has acquitted himself from miserliness. Yes, he that does not give more than the obligatory duty cannot be described as generous.

He that gives willingly more than the limit established by the law without extravagance is generous proportional to his willingness. The degrees related to this are limitless and some people are more generous than the others. Thus, good deeds beyond the limits imposed by the law are generous deeds; they should be done willingly, and without covetousness or hoping for thankfulness, or longing for a special service from the recipient. For he that longs for thankfulness and praise is a salesman not a benefactor, because he buys praise with his generous deeds. It is known that praise is desired (it has a value) while generosity is giving without indemnification, and this is the truth. It is not done except by Allah.

As to a son of Adam [ a human being], we describe him as generous figuratively, because he does not do any deed except for an objective. If he has no objective other than a reward in the Hereafter, gaining the virtue of beneficence, or purifying the soul from miserliness, he is called generous. If he does a good deed through fear of criticism or out of hope of the recipient's praise, it is not generosity, for he is driven towards it by hidden incentives. One of Allah's devotees said: " Do you think that generosity is confined to wealth? To me, generosity lies deep in the soul. Al-Mohabi said: ' Generosity in religion is that one gives his soul to Allah willingly. "

Remedy for Miserliness

Please bear in mind that miserliness arises from a love of wealth, and love of wealth has two causes:

The First Cause:

The love of the desires and lusts that are satisfied through wealth, in addition to prolonged hope. Man would not withhold his wealth if he knew that he will die the following day, as he needs very little money for such a short period. If he did not have prolonged hope but he has offspring, they will substitute for the prolonged hope, as he considers the length of their life as his, thus he saves his wealth. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah said as

Narrated by Ya'ala Al-Amiti: ' Al-Hasan and Al-Hosayn walked up to the Messenger of Allah. He embraced them and said: " Offspring lead one to miserliness and cowardice. " " "

When fear of poverty is added, miserliness undoubtedly increases.

The Second Cause:

Mere love of wealth leads some people, even those who have reached old age, who may have what suffices their normal needs for the whole of his life and are able to leave thousands after their death, to withhold Zakat or refuse to buy medicine to cure their maladies. Their only concern is to amass money. They may hoard it and let no one know its place, and they may die, leaving it to whoever finds it, yet his soul does not permit him to spend a cent of it.

This disease is dangerous for the heart, especially in old age. It is a chronic and an incurable disease, which is the extreme error. These men are like stones, or it could be said that the stones are more useful than they are.

These were the causes of love of wealth, and each disease is cured with what exterminates its causes. Thus, a love of the desires and lusts is cured with contentment with small things and patience. Prospect hope is cured by frequent remembrance of death and pondering over the deaths of ones contemporaries and the way they used to hoard their wealth and then they left it.

Concern about ones offspring is cured through remembrance of the fact that Allah has preordained their sustenance. How many a son who did not inherit from his father became better than the one who inherited? The one who stores wealth for his sons out of fear for their sustenance should realize that if his sons are righteous, Allah will suffice them; if they are otherwise, they will use the wealth in a disobedient way that will harm him (even after his death). This malady can be cured through contemplating the sayings that praise generosity and criticize miserliness. It can be cured also through remembering the punishment of Allah for this sin, and contemplating the ends of the misers, and how abhorrent they were to people. There is no miser that people do not detest and desert him. So, if one contemplates this, he would realize what his status is in the hearts of people.

Another effective remedy is considering the role of money and its end. One should not keep money, except for necessary needs and the rest should be used to have its reward in the Hereafter.

If one knows, through insight, that spending is better for him than withholding wealth in this life and the life to come, his desire to spend increases, if he is sane. If his desire was stirred, he should suppress it, because Satan promises him poverty by debarring him from spending.

Curing miserliness is done through knowledge and practice. Knowledge enables man to know the evils of miserliness and the benefits of generosity. Practice can be achieved through spending even if spending is hard to the soul. Miserliness may have strong effects in that way that it blinds and deafens, as long as knowledge is not gained, the desire [ to spend] will not be stirred, and consequently, the deed will not be achieved and the malady will remain uncured. This case is like the illness whose medicine and the way it is used are not known. In this case, the patient has to wait suffering until death.

Duties on a Servant's Wealth

Wealth is double faced, as it is both good and evil at the same time. Its allegory is that of an adder from which an antidote can be taken while its poison kills. No one will be safe from the poison of wealth, except if he keeps it under five conditions.

The First Condition:

One should know the objective of wealth and for what reason it was created, giving it only what it deserves of importance.

The Second Condition:

One should investigate the source of wealth. He should avoid the unlawful and the doubtful sources and what negatively affects one's manners, such as gifts mixed with bribes and asking for it in a way that degrades one's manners

The Third Condition:

One should earn what suffices him. He should not toil too extremely or neglect efforts to earn that which meets his necessary needs, such as a dwelling place, clothes, and food. Each one of these has three degrees, a low, medium, and upper. He can satisfy his needs as long as he clings to the low degree, except if he intends otherwise.

The Fourth Condition:

One should adhere to moderation in spending. He should not spend lavishly or meanly. He should spend law fully what he has earned lawfully. If he does otherwise, he commits a sin.

The Fifth Condition:

One should repair the intention when he takes and gives and when he spends and saves. He takes what he takes to support himself in worship. He leaves what he leaves out of scorn and asceticism. If he does so, possessing wealth will not harm him. For this reason, Ali said: " If a man were to possess what is on the earth to spend for Allah's sake, he would be considered an ascetic. And if he were to leave what is on the earth without hoping for Allah's blessing, he would not be considered an ascetic.

So, let your movement and resting be for Allah's sake. They should both be dedicated to Allah's worship.Eating and answering the call of nature are the remotest things from acts of worship, yet they are helpful in this concern, as if you intend to do either for the sake of worship, they would be considered acts of worship. This should be your intention in other affairs such as clothing, utensils, etc. because these articles are needed to establish the religion. What exceeds your needs should be given away with the intention of it being used in the service of another servant of Allah, and one should not withhold items at a time of need. If one does all this, he will have extracted from the adder its jewel (antidote) and warded off its poison. Hence, possessing a large amount of money will not harm him, but this can be only attained when one fixes his foot firmly in religion and knowledge. '

I think this quotation from Imam Al-Ghazali is sufficient, and now let us read what Imam Al-Nawawi compiled on the same subject.

Translation: Allah said:

Translation: " But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself selfsufficient * And belies Al-Hosna (He belied that Allah would recompense him for his charity or he belied that ' La ilah illa Allah (None has the right to be worshipped except Allah)) * We will make smooth for him the path for evil * And what will his wealth avail him when he goes down (in destruction). * (92: 8-11) And

Translation: " So keep your duty to Allah and fear Him as much as you can, listen and obey, and spend in charity that is better for yourselves. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, they are the successful ones. (64:16)

Translation: .249 Narrated Jaber: Allah's Messenger ﷺ said: " Beware of oppression, for oppression will turn into excessive darkness on the Day of Resurrection, and beware of miserliness, for miserliness destroyed those passed over before you. " " (Muslim)