Spend and fear not less provisions from the Owner of the Throne:

Dear noble brother, the good manner we are discussing today is spending". Allah the Almighty d escribes believers in the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah by saying:

((And spend out of what we have provided for them))

[Al-Baqarah: 3]

 This is the widest meaning of spending. Allah makes spending one of the characteristics of the believers to urge them to spend their money. If one of those believers keeps spending money as Allah orders him, then he is included in their group, but if he stops, then he is not.

 Dear brother, spending means performing Zakat (almsgiving):

((And spend out of what we have provided for them))

[Al-Baqarah: 3]

 Some interpreters said that the meaning of 'spend out' is performing Zakat, and it means giving Sadaqah:

((Those who spend [in Allah's Cause - deeds of charity, alms, etc.] in prosperity and in adversity,))

[Aal-'Imran: 134]

 It means spending in Allah's Cause:

((And spend in the Cause of Allah))

[Al-Baqarah: 195]

 Also, spending means to spend on the Da'wah, equipping armies and fulfilling the needs of your family:

((And if they are pregnant, then spend on them.))

[At-Talaaq: 6]

((Let the rich man spend according to his means,))

[At-Talaaq: 7]

 Some people would hold back from spending for fear of poverty::

((Then you would surely hold back (from spending) for fear of (being exhausted).))

[Al-Isra': 100]

 These meanings are deduced from the Ayat in which spending is mentioned. However, there is an eye-catching fact, which is that Allah the Creator of the universe and the Irresistible of the heavens and the earth, in Whose Hand is the dominion of all things, asks you to lend to Him a loan. He says:

((Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan?))

[Al-Baqarah: 245]

 Ibn Al-Qayyim said, "The origin of this Ayah indicates that whatever money you spend, Allah conserves it for you; you will be rewarded, given from Allah's Bounties and honored as a result of your spending." As you know, money is beloved to people, so when you perform Zakat or give Sadaqah from your money, your Zakat or Sadaqah it will be paid off (by being rewarded), and this is the meaning of the loan. It seems that Allah the Greatest addresses His poor worshiper, "O My worshiper, lend to Me a loan, and I will multiply it to you many times."

The virtues of spending:

 Dear brother, there are about 40 Ayat in which the meanings of spending are mentioned, but the As7adeth give us accurate details about spending. Thawban narrated:

((Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him said, "The most excellent dinar is one that a person spends on his family, and the dinar which he spends on his riding-animal in Allah's path (in Jihad), and the dinar he spends on his companions in Allah's path. Abu Qilabah (one of the narrators) said: "He (the narrator) started with family", and then Abu Qilabah said: "Who is the person with greater reward than a person who spends on young members of his family (and thus) preserves (saves them from want) (and by virtue of which) Allah brings profit for them and makes them rich?"))

[Sahih Muslim and Sunan At-Tirmidhi]

 When you spend money, start with spending it on your family by fulfilling their basic needs. However, if this money will be spent on luxurious things, it is better to be spent it on poor people. Spending should be mainly on fulfilling the basic needs of your family members; the wife and the kids as they are the worthiest to spend on, and so by spending on them you make them dispense with other people (financially speaking). One of the Companions said, "How excellent it is to have money to be spent to preserve my honor and to draw closer to my Lord (by spending it on Zakat and Sadaqah)"
 The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

((The most excellent dinar is one that a person spends on his family, and the dinar which he spends on his riding-animal in Allah's path (in Jihad), and the dinar he spends on his companions in Allah's path.))

 The spending mentioned in the above Hadith is one dinar you spend on your family, and two dinars you spend for the purpose of spreading the truth; one dinar on your riding-animal in the Cause of Allah, and the other one on your companions in the Cause of Allah. The Prophet, peace be upon him, clarified that the person who spends money in the Cause of Allah is better in Allah's Sight than the one who takes. Taking money from other people needs no effort, but it makes man lazy. While it is much better to do a righteous deed, to drudges– according to the Quranic sense and to make an effort to earn lawful money, and then to spend it on someone poor:

((The upper hand is better than the lower one (i.e., the spending hand is better than the receiving hand)…))

 Abu Mas'ud Al-Badri narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

((When a Muslim spends something on his family intending to receive Allah's reward, it is regarded as Sadaqah for him.))

[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim and Sunan An-Nasa'i]

 When you become a true believer, all your actions and stills are considered righteous deeds. For instance, it is a good deed to bring your family food, fruits, sweets or whatever makes them happy, because doing this you aim at leading them to the Path of Allah and strengthening your relationship with them.

 Dear brother, some fathers are stingy, so their children become detached from them, and they start to look for other people who can spend on them such the bad companions who may lead them to deviate. The children befriend them in order to have food bought for them and money spent on them. Therefore, when the father fulfills the needs of his family, he makes them need no one to spend on them and keeps them away from asking other people to meet their needs. Doing this to the family is a righteous deed:

((When a Muslim spends something on his family intending to receive Allah's reward it is regarded as Sadaqah for him.))

 The following is Hadith Qudsi. Abu Hurairah narrated: The Prophet, peace be upon him, says:

((Allah the Almighty and the Exalted says, "Spend in charity, O son of Adam, and I will spend on you."))

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

 I am sure that everyone has experienced what is mentioned in the previous Hadith. When man spends money in the Cause of Allah, our Lord the Almighty encourages him to spend more by multiplying his reward many times.

 This Hadith is comprehensive and inclusive.. Abu Hurairah narrated:

((The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "A dinar you spend in the Cause of Allah, or to free a slave, or as a charity you give to a needy person, or to support your family, the one yielding the greatest reward is that which you spend on your family."))

 I repeat again, spending on someone's family means making your spending moderate; covering the basic needs, but spending extravagantly and excessively does not please Allah the Exalted, because there are many poor families who suffer from poverty, hunger, nakedness and the lack of basic needs. Hence, spend on your family by fulfilling their basic needs, and if you have a surplus of money, it would be better to spend it on poor people. Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

(("The Prophet, peace be upon him, came visiting me while I was sick in Makkah," [Amir the sub-narrator said,] and he disliked to die in the land, whence he had already migrated. The prophet said, "May Allah bestow His Mercy on Ibn A'fraa'." I said, "O Messenger of Allah! May I will all my property (in charity)?" He said, "No." I said, "Then may I will half of it?" He said, "No." I said, "One third?" He said, "Yes, one third, yet even one third is too much. It is better for you to leave your inheritors wealthy than to leave them poor begging sh3er, and whatever you spend for Allah's sake will be considered as a charitable deed even the handful of food you put in your wife's mouth. Allah may lengthen your age so that some people may benefit by you, and some sh3er be harmed by you." At that time, Sa'd had only one daughter.))

 One of the righteous deeds is to leave enough money for your family to live a decent life after you die. You should not spend all your money on poor people, and leave your family members poor and hungry! Sometimes, man gives one third of his 100meters square house as a will for poor people although he has a wife and 5 children! Where will his family live after his death? The right thing is to keep the house for his family and save them from begging after his death. Sayyiduna Sa'd wished to spend two-thirds of his property before he died, but the Prophet, peace be upon him, told him that it was too much, and he told him that even spending one third was too much. Therefore, scholars, follow the guidance of the prophet in making man's will only the quarter of his property. This quarter can be spent in the Cause of Allah and on Masajid, the poor, the needy people, the seekers of Islamic knowledge…etc.

((And whatever you spend for Allah's Sake will be considered as a charitable deed even the handful of food you put in your wife's mouth.))

 Man will be rewarded for whatever spending he seeks by Allah's Countenance, even the morsel he puts in his wife's mouth. Asmaa' narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

((Give (in charity) and do not give reluctantly lest Allah should give you in a limited amount; and do not withhold your money lest Allah should withhold it from you.))

[Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]

 It is a big mistake to be very strict in calculating the Zakat of your money to the extent that you refuse to give any extra lira. For example, someone calculates his property in order to count the amount of Zakat, and he finds that part of his money is frozen and is exempt from Zakat, so he gets confused while doing the precise calculations of Zakat only to avoid paying one extra lira. The instruction here is to be tolerant when you calculate the Zakat of your property even if this may be called "an arithmetic error."

((Give (in charity) and do not give reluctantly lest Allah should give you in a limited amount; and do not withhold your money lest Allah should withhold it from you.))

 Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the prophet, peace be upon him, said:

((Two angels descend every morning, and one says, "O Allah, give him who spends something, in place of what he spends." The other one says, "O Allah, give destruction to him who withholds."))

[Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]

 Allah the Almighty is able to destroy all your money. Sometimes, man makes a mistake that may cost him hundreds of thousands or even millions of money. In fact it is easy for Allah to take back all your money from you. A brother told me that if someone had a safe and sound baby, he would have a million liras. I said, "How is that?" He said, "My daughter in law gave birth to a boy, who had a trouble in one of the veins and one of the arteries of his heart, so he needed to undergo a surgery in twenty-four hours, or he would die! No doctor in Syria could make that surgery, so we went to Lebanon, and there it cost 4300.000 liras, and we had to pay20.000 liras to transfer him form one hospital to another." He said, "I paid about 720.000 liras in 12 hours!" Allah the Almighty is able to make you pay all you have, so do not be very precise in spending. Spend and do not do not give reluctantly lest Allah should give you in a limited amount.

 It was reported in Qudsi tradition:

((Allah asks the servant on the Day of Resurrection, "O My servant, I gave you money, so what did you do with it?" The servant says, "O Lord, I did not spend anything from it fearing that my children may become poor after my death." Allah the Almighty, says, "Did you not know that I am the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong? Verily, the poverty that you feared has befallen them." Allah says to another servant, "O My worshiper! I gave you money, so what did you do with it?" The worshiper says, "O Lord! I spent it on the poor and the needy, because I am pretty sure that You are the Best to guard, and You are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy." Allah says, "O My worshiper! I am the Guard of your children after your death."))

 Let me tell you this fact: whoever spends money in the Cause of Allah during his life, Allah will guard his children after his death, and whoever refrains from spending money in order to leave it all to his family after his death, Allah will destroy his property. Besides, his children may commit sins. A son whose father died leaving him a huge wealth was once seen late at night, so he was asked, "Where are you going?" He replied, "I am going to drink to the death of my father." His father left him money, but he left him neither Islamic knowledge to learn nor good manners to have.
Khuraim bin Fatik narrated:

((The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "Whoever spends something on the path of Allah, Allah multiplies its reward for 700 times."))

((A man from Banu 'Adhrah stated that a slave of his was to be set free after he died. News of that reached the Messenger of Allah and he said, "Do you have any other property besides him?" He said, "No." the Messenger of Allah said, "Who will buy him from me?" Nu'aim bin 'Abdullah Al-Adawi bought him for eight hundred Dirhams, which the Messenger of Allah brought and gave to him (the former owner). Then the Messenger of Allah said, "Start with yourself and give charity to (yourself). If there is anything left over, then give it to your family; if there is anything left over from your family, then give it to your relatives; if there is anything left over from your relatives, then give it to such and such," saying "In front of you, to your right and to your left."))

 There are priorities in spending; man should starts spending on himself, his family and his relatives, and then he can spend on such and such. O Lord, glory be to You!

Encouraging Sadaqah (charity), and its etiquette:

 Abu Musa narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

((The honest Muslim trustee who spends (sometimes he said, "who gives" ) what he is commanded to do and he gives that in full with his heart overflowing with cheerfulness and he gives it to one to whom he is ordered, he is one of the givers of charity.))

 What a wonderful Hadith! If the treasurer is honest and follow the instructions carefully, Allah would reward him as if he gives Sadaqah.

 Ar-Rabab, from her uncle Salman bin Amir, that he related that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

((When one of you breaks his fast, and then let him do so with dried dates, for they are blessed. Whoever does not find dates, then water, for it is purifying." And he said, "Charity given to the needy is (counted as) charity, and if it is given to relatives it is (counted as) two: charity and nurturing (the ties of kinship)."))

[Sunan Abu Dawud and Sunan At-Tirmithi]

 If man gives Sadaqah to his relatives, he will have two rewards: the reward of Sadaqah, and the reward of nurturing (the ties of kinship). In fact, nowadays, the fruits of Zakat are not reaped anymore, because only 5% of the rich Muslims perform Zakat according to precise statistics. If all rich Muslims pay Zakat as Allah the Almighty commands His worshipers, we will have no poor people in our Ummah. This is what happened in the era of the Khalifah Umar bin Abdul Aziz, when man was carrying Zakat of his money and touring around the country wishing to find poor people in order to give them Zakat, but he found none! The Prophet, peace be upon him, predicted the good results of Zakat, he said:

((Give Sadaqah for a time is about to come when a person would walk with alms and the one whom it is to be given would say, "Had you brought it yesterday, I would have accepted it. For the present, I do not need it." (And the giver of Sadaqah) I would not find anyone to accept it.))

[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim and Sunan An-Nasa'i]

 At present, people who have self-respect are rare. What happens is that when give something publicly, rich people start begging. Self-respect was manifested amazingly in the actions of the Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him. In the following Hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him, assures the poor who have nothing to give as Sadaqah. Narrated Abu Dharr:

((The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, commanding good and forbidding evil is charity, your giving directions to a man lost in the land is charity for you, your seeing for a man with bad sight is a charity for you, your removal of a rock, a thorn or a bone from the road is charity for you and your pouring what remains from your bucket into the bucket of your brother is charity for you.))

[Sahih Ibn Hibban]

 Abu Kabshah Al-Anmari narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying:

(("I swear by Allah for three (qualities) which I am going to tell you about. Remember them well," he said, "The wealth of a man will not diminish by Sadaqah (charity). Allah augments the honor of a man who endures oppression patiently. He who opens a gate of begging, Allah opens a gate of poverty (or he said a word similar to it)." He (ﷺ) also said, "Remember well what I am going to tell you: The world is for four kinds of people. (1) One upon whom Allah has bestowed wealth and knowledge and so he fears his Lord in respect to them, joins the ties of blood relationship and acknowledges the Rights of Allah on him (and fulfills them); this type will have the best position (in Jannah). (2) One upon whom Allah has conferred knowledge but no wealth, and he is sincere in his intention and says, "Had I possessed wealth, I would have acted like so-and-so." If that is his intention, his reward is the same as that of the other. (3) One whom Allah has given wealth but no knowledge and he squanders his wealth ignorantly, does not fear Allah in respect to it, does not discharge the obligations of kinship and does not acknowledge the Rights of Allah. Such a person will be in the worst position (in the Hereafter). (4) One upon whom Allah has bestowed neither wealth nor knowledge and he says, "Had I possessed wealth, I would have acted like so-and-so (i.e., he would squander his wealth)." If this is his intention, both will have equal sin."

 You should take what is mentioned in the Hadith regarding begging into consideration, because it is really crucial. Once, you start begging people, asking them for money and showing them that you are in need, Allah will open the door of poverty to you. Have a sense of self-respect instead, and look for a job to make money from. Someone of Al-Ansar (Sa'd bin Ar-Rabi') wanted to help Abdul-Rahman bin Awf by giving him half of his wealth, but Abdul-Rahman bin Awf said, "May Allah bless "I will appreciate that you show me where the market is."

 Dear brother, I wish I can make what I have in mind clear enough to you: suppose that we enter into a garden which is full of apple trees in Zabadani (a city in Damascus Countryside), and there the fourth fruit in the third branch in the seventh tree is created for this particular person, so this person will get it the way he wants. He has the free will to choose the means through which he can get the apple; he may beg for it, steal it, buy it or have it as a gift given to him by the owner of the garden. This fruit is exclusively for him, but he can choose the way to get it. Jabir Ibn Abdullah narrated:

((The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "O people, fear Allah and be moderate in seeking a living, for no soul will die until it has received all its provision, even if it is slow in coming. So fear Allah and be moderate in seeking provision; take that which is permissible and leave that which is forbidden.))

[Sunan Ibn Majah]

 What Allah decrees for you is definitely for you, and no one else will take it from you, and what is decreed to be someone else's can never be yours no matter how much you strive to get it.

 I would like to draw your attention to this point: when man is on deathbed he becomes very generous, because money becomes meaningless for him, and so he starts saying, "This money for so and so." Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:

((A person came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and said, "O Messenger of Allah, which charity is the greatest in reward?" The Prophet said, "By your father, beware, you should give charity (in a state when you are) healthy and close-fisted, haunted by the fear of poverty, and still hoping to live (as rich). And you must not defer charity (to the time) when you are about to die, and would then say, "This is for so and so, and this for so and so." It has already become the possession of so and so.))

 Your heroism lies in giving Sadaqah when you are young and healthy, and when money means a lot to you, at this critical time you should spend money in the Cause of Allah. Adi Ibn Hatim narrated:

((I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, as saying, "He who among you can protect himself against Fire, he should do so, even if it should be with half a date."))

[Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]

 You can protect yourself against Fire with even half a date you give as Sadaqah.

 Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

((A servant says, "My wealth. My wealth!" but out of his wealth three things are only his; whatever he eats and makes use of or by means of which he dresses himself and it wears out or he gives as charity, and this is what he stored for himself (as a reward for the Hereafter). What is beyond this (it is of no use to him) because he is to depart and leave it for other people.))

 Whoever does not care about Muslims' affairs does not belong to them:

 Dear Brother, it seems that the issue of spending is extremely essential in Islam, and the proof is that the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, dedicated many As7adeth to the matter of spending, because the purpose of your existence in the worldly life is to do righteous deeds that will make you admitted into Paradise. What proves this point is that when someone is dying, he says:

((Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allah), he says, "My Lord! Send me back * So that I may do good))

[Al-Mu'minun: 99-100]

 The real poverty is to have no righteous deeds, and the real richness is to have a lot of righteous deeds. Your position in Allah's Sight is as exalted as your good deeds, and the greatest righteous deed (someone does) is the one which continues after his death!

 In Beirut, Awzaa'i Street, there is a very large institution, which a generous doctor made as an endowment for the Allah's Sake. This institution includes hospitals, clinics, orphanages, places to feed poor people and many other projects. The doctor died about ten years ago, but this work is ongoing. The administration invites me twice every year to give lectures to the elderly and the disabled. These lectures are always broadcasted on the radio. I say to myself, "O Lord, this doctor is in his grave, but the goodness he performed is continuously growing, and Allah the Almighty let faithful people manage the affairs of this institution." Try to be a useful person, not just a figure.

 Sometimes, man is just a figure, he is passive; all he does is sleeping, eating and drinking. His main concern is himself, and so on the Day of Resurrection, this person will be worthless in Allah's Sight. The more you care for the concerns of Muslims, the more exalted you are in Allah's Sight. Hence, if all you care about is yourself, then you are worthless in the Sight of Allah. Some fathers do not take care of their children, household, stability or job. They just let their children do whatever they want saying that they should be self-reliant. Unlike those fathers, some fathers care about their children, their relatives, the members of their hometown and the Muslims. The more you care for sh3er, the exalted you are in Allah's Sight, but the less you care the less worthy you are in Allah's Sight. What do you care about as a Muslim?

((Whoever awakes and finds that he no longer cares about the affairs of the Muslims, then he is not one of them.))

 I do not respect the one who says to me, "Praise be to Allah, I have no problems or worries", because how can he be at ease and his life be problem-free at a time when Muslims are killed and displaced, and their money is plundered? It means that you are the problem itself! Whoever does not care about Muslims' problems is the problem itself. Where is his care for Muslims? Where is his belonging to them? Where is his care about their happiness? Anyway, the real Muslim is the one who cares for the problems of Muslims, and he tries to alleviate their sorrow as much as he can, either by spending money on them, offer his services or raising awareness among them, etc. He can offer them whatever he can so the service he offers can be an intercessor on the Day of Resurrection.