SUFI LIGHT, THE SECRET OF MEDITATION by Javid MD Ahmad

Author:Javid MD, Ahmad [Javid MD, Ahmad]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Balboa Press
Published: 2012-04-15T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE POWER OF GIVING

Sharing the bounties of God with others, helping people in need, and serving fellow human beings in distress is the shortest possible way to draw near to the light of the Almighty and attain Oneness with Him. Everything belongs to God. He is the owner of everything we possess. Our lives, health, intelligence, and material goods are gifts from Him. He has entrusted us with all that we have, so that we may use everything wisely and share everything with those we love and with those who are in need of it.

Charity (zakat ) is the fourth pillar of the Islamic faith, made obligatory by God the Most High with a purpose to purify and grow our possessions and to be the agents of sharing His blessings. Therefore, it is binding on all male and female Muslims to give away 2.5% of their savings and business profits to the poor. Similarly 5% to 10% of the harvest should be distributed among destitute and needy people. There are specific rules and regulations concerning how to calculate alms (zakat ) and who can benefit from it. God the Most High has specified this in Sura Taubah, “The offerings given for the sake of God are only for the poor and needy and those who are in charge thereof, and those whose hearts are to be won over, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage, and those who are overburdened with debts and for every struggle in God’s cause and for the wayfarer, and this is an ordinance from God and God is all knowing, wise” (Quran 9:60).

Apart from obligatory almsgiving, voluntary charity is a necessity for every Muslim, according to the Prophet of Islam. It is an act of devotion highly treasured by Almighty Allah because He Himself frequently encourages believers to give Him a goodly loan by giving charity to those in need. And He promises to repay that goodly loan several folds in this life and much more in the hereafter. In fact, a sincere offering will be rewarded by Him in a manner beyond all expectations, for He will, “Provide for him from an unseen source and means of living” (Quran 65:2-3).

If five conditions are present at the time of charity offerings, then the offerings will certainly be acceptable to the Lord of the heavens and the earth.

Khawaja Nizam ud Din has enumerated them as follows. Of these five conditions, two are required prior to the giving of the charity. One of them is that whatever is given should have been legally obtained and permissible by religious law. The second condition is that it should be given to deserving people as mentioned in the Quran. The two conditions that should accompany the actual act of giving follow:

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