Generosity: A Great Merit In Islam

Peace of God and His mercy to you.

One of the great merits in Islam is being generous - to give.

Great Rewards
The Prophets, Peace Be Upon Them, were generous. They gave what others needed and gave support. The Prophet Moses, Peace Be Upon Him, was a great man. He was the first to give a helping hand when no one gave it. God says in the Quran:

And a man came from the uttermost part of the city, running. He said: O Moses! Lo! the chiefs take counsel against thee to slay thee; therefor escape. Lo! I am of those who give thee good advice. (20) So he escaped from thence, fearing, vigilant. He said: My Lord! Deliver me from the wrongdoing folk. (21) And when he turned his face toward Midian, he said: Peradventure my Lord will guide me in the right road. (22) And when he came unto the water of Midian he found there a whole tribe of men, watering. And he found apart from them two women keeping back (their flocks). He said: What aileth you? The two said: We cannot give (our flocks) to drink till the shepherds return from the water; and our father is a very old man. (23) So he watered (their flock) for them. Then he turned aside into the shade, and said: My Lord! I am needy of whatever good Thou sendest down for me. (24) The Stories 28:20-24

The Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him, was a generous man too. He was famous for his generosity among the people before and after his prophethood. God says:

And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature. (4) The Pen 68:4

Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, reported:

Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was the most generous of people in charity, but he was generous to the utmost in the month of Ramadan. Gabriel (peace be upon him) used to meet him every year during the month of Ramadan until it ended, and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) recited to him The Qur'an; and when Gabriel met him Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was more generous in giving charity than the blowing wind. Source: al-islam

The Prophet Muhammad loved generosity. He loved those who were generous to their families. The Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him, was generous to his wives. 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported:

(One day) there sat together eleven women making an explicit promise among themselves that they would conceal nothing about their spouses. The first one said: My husband is a sort of the meat of a lean camel placed on the top of a mountain, which is difficult to climb up, and (the meat) is not good enough that one finds in oneself the urge to fetch it (from the top of that mountain). The second one said: My husband (is so bad) that I am afraid I will not be able to describe his defects both visible and invisible completely. The third one said: My husband is a tall fellow. If (he learns that) I describe him, he will divorce me, and if I keep quiet I will be made to live in a state of suspense (neither completely abandoned by him nor entertained as wife). The fourth one said: My husband is like the night of Tihamah (the night of Hijaz), neither cold nor hot, there is neither any fear of him nor discontent with him. The fifth one said: My husband is (like) a leopard as he enters the house, and behaves like a lion when he gets out, and he does not ask about whatever happens in the house. The sixth one said: So far as my husband is concerned, he eats so much that nothing is left back and when he drinks he drinks so that no drop is left behind. And when he lies down he wraps his body and does not touch me so that he may know my grief. The seventh one said: My husband is heavy in spirit, weak, suffering from all kinds of conceivable diseases, heaving such rough manners that he may break my head or wound my body, or may do both. The eighth one said: My husband is as sweet as the sweet-smelling plant, and as soft as the softness of the hare. The ninth one said: My husband is a generous noble man, tall - wearing long sword strap having heaps of ashes (at his door an indication of generosity) and his house is near the meeting place where people seek his advice (the inn). The tenth one said: My husband is Malik, and how fine Malik is, much above appreciation and praise (of mine). He has many folds of his camel, more in number than the pastures for them. When they (the camels) hear the sound of music they become sure that they are going to be slaughtered. The eleventh one said: My husband is Abu Zar'. How fine Abu Zar' is! He has suspended in my ears heavy ornaments and (fed me liberally) that my sinews and bones are covered with fat. So he made me happy. He found me among the shepherds living in the side of the mountain, and he made me the owner of the horses, camels and lands and heaps of grain and he finds no fault with me. I sleep and get up in the morning (at my own sweet will) and drink to my heart's content. The mother of Abu Zar', how fine is the mother of Abu Zar'! Her bundles are heavily packed (or receptacles in her house are filled to the brim) and the house quite spacious. So far as the son of Abu Zar' is concerned, son of Abu Zar's bed is as soft as a green palm-stick drawn forth from its bark, or like a sword drawn forth from its scabbard, and whom just an arm of a lamb is enough to satiate. So far as the daughter of Abu Zar' is concerned, how fine is the daughter of Abu Zar', obedient to her father, obedient to her mother, wearing sufficient flesh and is a source of jealousy for her co-wife. As for the female-slave of Abu Zar', how fine she is; she does not disclose our affairs to others (outside the four walls of the house). She does not remove our wheat, or provision, or take it forth, or squander it, but she preserves it faithfully (as a sacred trust). And she does not let the house fill with rubbish. One day Abu Zar' went out (of his house) when the milk was churned in the vessels, and he met a woman, having two children like leopards playing with her pomegranates (chest) under her vest. He divorced me (Umm Zar') and married that woman whom he met on the way. I (Umm Zar') later on married another person, a chief, who was an expert rider, and a fine archer: he bestowed upon me many gifts and gave me one pair of every kind of animal and said: Umm Zar', make use of everything (you need) and send forth to your family (but the fact) is that even if I combine all the gifts that he bestowed upon me, they stand no comparison to the least gift of Abu Zar'. 'A'ishah reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to me: I am for you as Abu Zar' was for Umm Zar'. Source: al-islam

We have to be generous in all times and in all ways. The Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him, said:

Charity is due on every joint of a person, every day the sun rises. Administering of justice between two men is also a charity. And assisting a man to ride upon his beast, or helping him load his luggage upon it, is a charity; and a good word is a charity; and every step that you take towards the Prayer is a charity, and removing of harmful things from the pathway is a charity. Source: al-islam

And charity is rewarded! The Prophet said:

He who among you can protect himself against Fire, he should do so, even by giving half a date (to the poor). Source: al-islam

God rewards good actions. He says in the Holy Quran:

And (there are) others who have acknowledged their faults. They mixed a righteous action with another that was bad. It may be that Allah will relent toward them. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (102) Take alms of their wealth, wherewith thou mayst purify them and mayst make them grow, and pray for them. Lo! thy prayer is an assuagement for them. Allah is Hearer, Knower. (103) Know they not that Allah is He Who accepteth repentance from His bondmen and taketh the alms, and that Allah is He Who is the Relenting, the Merciful. (104) Repent 9:102-104

Allah's Messenger, Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him, said:

When a woman gives in charity some of the food in her house, without causing any damage, there is reward for her for whatever she has given, and a reward for her husband for what he earned. The same applies to the trustee. In no respect does the one diminish the reward of the other. Source: al-islam

In the end...
It feels great when you help others, does not it? Do not you feel happy seeing someone you helped smile? Then, try to make all the people you meet in your life happy, and you will gain great rewards from Allah!