The Culture of Giving

First Khutbah: All praise is due to Allah, the One whose generosity knows no limits, whose rewards are full of grace. He urges us to charity and benevolence, and He promises reward and divine pleasure, and He promises reward and divine pleasure. We bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone without partner, and we bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. May Allah’s peace, blessings, and mercy be upon him, his family, his companions, and all who follow him in righteousness. To proceed: I advise you, servants of Allah, and myself, to have taqwa of Allah, for He Almighty says: ﴿وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ يَعْلَمْهُ اللَّهُ وَتَزَوَّدُوا فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَى﴾. “And whatever good you do, Allah knows it. And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is taqwa.” O Believers: Giving is a lofty act of faith and a refined human value. It is the foundation of mutual support, the essence of solidarity, and the peak of virtue. The culture of giving means giving without expecting anything in return, showing generosity without seeking compensation, and offering without a price, seeking only the pleasure and reward of Allah, the Most High. O servants of Allah, the fields of giving are vast, and its doors are many. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «‌كُلُّ ‌مَعْرُوفٍ ‌صَدَقَةٌ»  “Every act of goodness is a charity.” With this noble hadith, the Prophet ﷺ instilled in the hearts of His Companions the culture of giving and the love of voluntary generosity in every form. If one door of giving was closed, they would open another. Thus, donating wealth voluntarily is a form of charity; building mosques and hospitals is a form of charity; offering knowledge and expertise is a form of charity; and helping others in any way is also a form of charity. The Prophet ﷺ said: «تَعْدِلُ بَيْنَ الِاثْنَيْنِ صَدَقَةٌ، وَتُعِينُ الرَّجُلَ فِي دَابَّتِهِ فَتَحْمِلُهُ عَلَيْهَا، أَوْ تَرْفَعُ لَهُ عَلَيْهَا مَتَاعَهُ؛ صَدَقَةٌ، وَالْكَلِمَةُ ‌الطَّيِّبَةُ ‌صَدَقَةٌ ... وَتُمِيطُ الْأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ صَدَقَةٌ» “Reconciling between two people is charity; helping a man with his mount by lifting him onto it or raising his belongings onto it is charity; a kind word is charity; and removing something harmful from the road is charity.”  And when the Prophet ﷺ was asked, “Which people are most beloved to Allah, and which deeds are most beloved to Allah?” He replied: «أَحَبُّ النَّاسِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَنْفَعُهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ، وَأَحَبُّ الْأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ سُرُورٌ تُدْخِلُهُ عَلَى مُسْلِمٍ، أَوْ تَكْشِفُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً، أَوْ تَقْضِي عَنْهُ دَيْنًا، أَوْ تَطْرُدُ عَنْهُ جُوعًا...». “The most beloved of people to Allah are those who are most beneficial to others; and the most beloved of deeds to Allah are bringing joy to a Muslim, relieving him from distress, paying off his debt, or warding off his hunger.” All of these are great forms and noble avenues of voluntary giving. Among the highest and most beneficial of these are generosity in providing food and offering water to drink.  Once our Prophet ﷺ passed by a group of people who volunteered to draw water from a well to give it to others to drink, so he encouraged them, saying: «اعْمَلُوا؛ فَإِنَّكُمْ عَلَى عَمَلٍ صَالِحٍ»، “Keep doing this good work, for you are engaged in a righteous deed.” Then He added: I would have joined you, but I feared that if people saw me doing it, they would all rush to copy me. So many would come that they would overwhelm you and take this good deed away from you.  Look, then, at how eager the Prophet ﷺ was to take part in acts of charity that benefit others. Servants of Allah:  Among the greatest and most impactful forms of charity, and those with the highest reward, is endowment (waqf) for its wide-reaching benefit and continuous goodness. Also included is donating blood, tissues, and organs, in accordance with the Islamic legal guidelines and official regulations, for through such donations lives are saved. And our Lord, glory be to Him, says: ﴿وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا﴾ “Whoever saves one life, it is as if he had saved all of humanity.” Such donations give life to souls, bring joy to hearts, restore hope, and bring happiness to families. What form of charity could be nobler, more virtuous, or more greatly rewarded by Allah than this? Glad tidings, then, to those who give life from their own blood, healing from their own bodies, and mercy and compassion through their giving, these are the people of righteousness and benevolence, whose hearts are filled with mercy and faith. . ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ﴾. “O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you.” I say these words of mine and I ask Allah’s forgiveness for myself and for you, so seek His forgiveness, indeed, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful. Second Sermon: All praise is due to Allah, who has made giving and donation a great gate of righteousness and a noble means to attain reward. And may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad the Seal of the Messengers and upon his family, his companions, and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgment. O believers: Giving is not a passing act, but rather a deep-rooted virtue and a continuous behaviour that strengthens the bonds of society and promotes unity and compassion among its members. Through giving, the donor finds joy in the heart, peace in the soul, and contentment within, in fulfilment of the saying of Allah the Almighty: ﴿وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَى﴾ “And he will surely be pleased.” Through charity and giving, the soul is purified from stinginess and freed from selfishness. Allah the Almighty says: ﴿وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ﴾ “And whoever is saved from the greed of his own soul, it is they who are the successful.” And in the Hereafter, Allah will compensate the donors for whatever they have given, granting them many times over what they have spent, as He, Exalted be His Majesty, says: ﴿وَمَا أَنْفَقْتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَهُوَ يُخْلِفُهُ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ﴾ “And whatever you spend of anything [in charity] He will replace it; and He is the best of providers.” ﴿وَمَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ﴾ “And what is with Allah is better and more lasting. Will you not then understand?” So, O servants of Allah, do not deprive yourselves of the virtue and reward of giving, even through the smallest act you can afford or the simplest good you can offer. Strengthen the culture of giving within your families, instill it in your children, and your Lord will be pleased with you, and your community will prosper. O Allah, make generosity our culture, giving our way, kindness our character, and benevolence our nature. Make us beneficial to Your creation, successful in doing good, swift to the fields of righteousness, and sincere in seeking Your pleasure. O Allah, grant us generous hearts that give without withholding, that do good without boasting, that donate without hesitation, that hasten to goodness without delay, hearts that seek Your Face through their giving, and Your pleasure and reward through their charity. O Allah, send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Messengers, and upon his family, his companions, and the followers. And be pleased, O Allah, with Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, and with all the honorable companions. O Allah, make us believers in You, worshippers of You, foremost in charity, and dutiful to our parents. And have mercy upon them as they raised us when we were young, O Most Merciful of the merciful. O You who does not turn away those who call upon You, and who does not disappoint those who hope in You. Who is it that called upon You and You did not answer? Who is it that sought Your protection and You did not grant it? And who is it that sought Your help and You did not assist him? Guide us with Your guidance, make our deeds according to Your pleasure, fulfill our needs, cure our sick, have mercy on our deceased, protect our children, and grant happiness to our families, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, protect the state of the UAE with Your protection, attend to it with Your care, and surround it with Your providence, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, preserve the President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, grant him perpetual righteousness and wisdom, and grant success to him, his deputies, his brothers the Rulers of the Emirates, and his trustworthy Crown Prince in all that You love and are pleased with. O Allah, have mercy upon Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, and all the sheikhs of the Emirates who have passed into Your mercy. Admit them, by Your grace, into Your spacious gardens, and include the martyrs of our nation in Your mercy and forgiveness. O Allah, have mercy on the Muslim men and Muslim women, the living among them and the dead. O Allah, O You of Vast Mercy, O You of Great Favor, grant us rain and do not make us among the despondent. O Allah, send us rain! O Allah, send us rain!  O Allah, send us rain! O Allah, we seek Your forgiveness, indeed You are Ever-Forgiving, so send down upon us abundant rain from the sky. O Allah, grant us a relieving rain, wholesome and beneficial, with which You revive the land, have mercy on the people, and make it a source of strength and provision for a time. Servants of Allah: Remember Allah, the Great, the Majestic, and He will remember you. And thank Him for His blessings, and He will increase you. And establish the prayer.