Ramadhan, the sacred month of fasting, is a month of great spiritual significance for Muslims all around the world, as it is a time when they show their unwavering devotion and submission to Allah ﷻ.
Ramadhan, however, isn’t simply limited to fasting. Rather there is much more importance and significance to the month along with fasting.
It is a month of multiple virtues, including compassion, piety, patience, seeking forgiveness, and expressing thankfulness to Allah.
Along with all of this, it is a month of spending in charitable causes to attain the pleasure of Allah and a time when we should recognize the generosity of our Creator, Allah ﷻ.
Allah’s Generosity Upon His Creation
Our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ tells us:
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى جَوَادٌ يُحِبُّ الْجُودَ
Indeed, Allah the Exalted is the Giver and He loves generosity (Baihaqi)
The generosity of Allah ﷻ is evident in every aspect of creation. We simply have to look at ourselves and around us and we will start to notice the generosity of Allah ﷻ upon us.
From our breathing to our standing to our talking and our walking, from our intelligence to our emotions and our abilities, from the sun to the moon and the stars above us, from our lush forests to our vast oceans and majestic mountains, from our food to our drink and our unlimited supplies, Allah ﷻ has created the world with abundance and has provided us with everything that we need to live a prosperous life.
Allah has given us Imaan, which will lead us to even greater blessings and bounties. He has given us the Quran, which is a source of wisdom and guidance for all humanity.
Allah is generous in His forgiveness. He forgives the sins of those who turn to Him in repentance, and He does not hold grudges against those who disobey Him. He bestows blessings upon blessings upon His creation, whether we see them or we don’t, whether we know them or we don’t.
Best of all, Allah is extremely generous with his mercy. He showers his mercy upon his creation, even to those who disobey him and do things which displease him.
Allah ﷻ says:
وَرَحۡمَتِى وَسِعَتۡ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ
“My mercy encompasses all things” (Quran 7:156)
The Generosity of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
As for the generosity of our beloved Prophet ﷺ, those around him gave testimony to his generosity.
Anas (r.a) narrates:
عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَحْسَنَ النَّاسِ وَأَجْوَدَ النَّاسِ وَأَشْجَعَ النَّاسِ
The Prophet ﷺ was the best among the people in character, and was the most generous of them, and was the bravest of them.
In another hadith, Abu Huraira (r.a) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: لَوْ كَانَ لِي مِثْلُ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا لَسَرَّنِي أَنْ لاَ تَمُرَّ عَلَىَّ ثَلاَثُ لَيَالٍ وَعِنْدِي مِنْهُ شَىْءٌ، إِلاَّ شَيْئًا أُرْصِدُهُ لِدَيْنٍ
If I had gold equal to the mountain of Uhud, it would not please me that anything of it should remain with me after three nights (i.e. I would spend all of it in Allah’s Cause) except what I would keep for repaying debts. (Bukhari)
When giving, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ felt more joy than those who received the gift. He never turned anyone away empty-handed from his house and always gave preference to others over himself. He would give even when he himself was in need.
Why We Need to Give Charity and be Generous in Ramadhan
We have a Creator who is the most generous and no one’s generosity can compare or even come close to His. We have a Prophet whose generosity was so great that no human’s generosity can match his.
It is also a right upon us that we have to be generous. Generous in our wealth, in our giving, in our time and in every way we possibly can.
We have to be generous to those who are more in need than us, to those who are less fortunate than us, and we have to be generous to all those around us.
When we are in the greatest month of the year, Ramadhan, where our blessings and rewards are being multiplied and multiplied to amounts we can’t even imagine, there is no better time to give for the sake of Allah than in this very month.
We need to realize that all the blessings and bounties we have been given are gifts from Allah ﷻ.
When we come to realize how generous our Creator has been with us, then we will understand why we should give what He has given us in his cause and to those less fortunate than us.
