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Mosque Foundation | Bridgeview, Illinois

Mosque Foundation

The Blessed Journey of Your Generosity

First Friday Prayer is at 12:30 PM . Second Friday Prayer is at 2:00PM

The Blessed Journey of Your Generosity

The Blessed Journey of Your Generosity

There are many windows of opportunities in this life uniquely placed by Allah ﷻ, to purify our souls and gain forgiveness for our sins. These opportunities are open to every single believing individual, young or old, poor or wealthy, ill or healthy, educated or illiterate; it matters not. Some take advantage of windows, seeking them with every twist and turn in this worldly life, both in happiness and calamity. For these people called al-Mossaddiqeen, Allah has created a special manzilah or level in the heavens for those who give Sadaqah consistently. It is the quality for which they are most recognized and will be witnessed on the day when nothing can attest to them but their deeds.

This group of people finds the best bargains and offers, continually searching for the best deal. The deal granted by He who created us and assigned us provisions. Allah ﷻ says, “Who will loan Allah a lofty loan which Allah will double unto their credit and multiply many times?” (2:245). The Mossaddiqeen grasped this deal because they recognized it is like no other that can be granted in this worldly life. My brothers and sisters, Allah grants us provisions, and He asks that we give from what He has blessed us so that He may provide us with more; how generous is Our Creator ﷻ.

So, even when it is challenging to give Sadaqah, the Mossaddiqeen remember that it does not decrease their wealth. The Prophet ﷺ was reported to have stated, “Charity does not decrease wealth, and those who forgive, Allah makes them more respected; and the ones who show humility, Allah elevates them in the eyes of the people” (Muslim).

For this reason, the Mosque Foundation community’s perception of Sadaqah has gained high regard and esteem from other communities. Your sincere commitment to the House of Allah places great baraka (blessings) in your wealth and possessions and protects your families, and will continue to do so, bi’thinillah. To spend in Allah’s cause by propagating His religion is a charity with high merit and great reward. Those who spend in the cause of Allah will continue to be rewarded even after their death. They are providing a place to pray, to learn about their religion, and to seek counsel. What is spent on the house of Allah will be rewarded with a home in heaven, as Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was reported to have stated, “Whoever builds a Masjid for Allah, Allah will build for them a similar house in Paradise” (Bukhari).

To ensure that our Sadaqat are accepted, we must consider several requirements. First of all, Sadaqah must be given from money that is earned lawfully. Allah ﷻ says, “O you who believe, spend from what you (lawfully) earned,” (2: 267). Second, when giving Sadaqah, the believers must purify their intention and make their purpose for the sake of gaining Allah’s pleasure and reward. The Prophet ﷺ said, “All deeds are based on intention, and everyone will be rewarded according to what he intended” (Bukhari).

Third, the believer should make haste in giving Sadaqah and not delay it without a valid reason. It is also better for Muslims to give Sadaqah when they need to wait until death. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was once asked about the best of all charities to which he replied, “The best charity is what you give during your life while you need it.”

Fourth, it is more befitting for Muslims to give Sadaqah from their best possessions, which they love most. Allah ﷻ says, “By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give (freely as a charity) from that which you love, and whatever you spend Allah knows it well” (3:92). However, this does not mean that we should lessen the value of our Sadaqah if we have little to give. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ once said to his companions, “One Dirham could be better in reward than one hundred thousand Dirhams.” A man asked, “And how is that O Messenger of Allah?” He ﷺ replied, “A wealthy man takes one hundred thousand Dirhams, which is one part of his wealth and gives it as a charity, while a poor man who only has two Dirhams pays one of them as a charity.”

By Sh. Jamal Said

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