7. Generosity and Orphans
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَيُّ النَّاسِ أَكْرَمُ؟ قَالَ أَكْرَمُهُمْ عِنْدَ اللهِ أَتْقَاهُمْ قَالُوا لَيْسَ عَنْ هَذَا نَسْأَلُكَ قَالَ فَأَكْرَمُ النَّاسِ يُوسُفُ نَبِيُّ اللهِ ابْنُ نَبِيِّ اللهِ ابْنِ خَلِيلِ اللهِ قَالُوا لَيْسَ عَنْ هَذَا نَسْأَلُكَ قَالَ فَعَنْ مَعَادِنِ الْعَرَبِ تَسْأَلُونِي؟ قَالُوا نَعَمْ قَالَ فَخِيَارُكُمْ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ خِيَارُكُمْ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ إِذَا فَقِهُوا
✧ From Abū Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked: "Which people are most noble?" He said: "The most noble of them in the sight of Allah are the most pious of them." They said: "We are not asking you about this." He said: "Then the most noble of people is Yūsuf, the Prophet of Allah, son of the Prophet of Allah, son of the Friend of Allah." They said: "We are not asking you about this." He said: "Then are you asking me about the origins of the Arabs?" They said: "Yes." He said: "The best of you in the Jāhiliyyah are the best of you in Islam, if they gain understanding."
عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ {هَلْ جَزَاءُ الإِحْسَانِ إِلاَّ الإِحْسَانُ} قَالَ هِيَ مُسَجَّلَةٌ لِلْبَرِّ وَالْفَاجِرِ
✧ From Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. al-Ḥanafiyyah, regarding [the verse] {Is the reward for good anything but good?}: "It is unconditional for both the righteous and the wicked."
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ السَّاعِي عَلَى الأَرْمَلَةِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ كَالْمُجَاهِدِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ وَكَالَّذِي يَصُومُ النَّهَارَ وَيَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ
✧ From the Prophet ﷺ: "The one who strives on behalf of the widow and the poor is like the one who fights in the path of Allah, and like the one who fasts during the day and stands in prayer at night."
أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَتْ جَاءَتْنِي امْرَأَةٌ مَعَهَا ابْنَتَانِ لَهَا فَسَأَلَتْنِي فَلَمْ تَجِدْ عِنْدِي إِلاَّ تَمْرَةً وَاحِدَةً فَأَعْطَيْتُهَا فَقَسَمَتْهَا بَيْنَ ابْنَتَيْهَا ثُمَّ قَامَتْ فَخَرَجَتْ فَدَخَلَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَحَدَّثْتُهُ فَقَالَ مَنْ يَلِي مِنْ هَذِهِ الْبَنَاتِ شَيْئًا فَأَحْسَنَ إِلَيْهِنَّ كُنَّ لَهُ سِتْرًا مِنَ النَّارِ
✧ He informed him that ʿĀʾishah, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, said: "A woman came to me with her two daughters, asking me [for something], but she found nothing with me except a single date. I gave it to her, and she divided it between her two daughters, then she got up and left. The Prophet ﷺ entered and I told him about it, and he said: 'Whoever is put in charge of any of these girls and treats them well, they will be a screen for him from the Fire.'"
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَا وَكَافِلُ الْيَتِيمِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ كَهَاتَيْنِ أَوْ كَهَذِهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ شَكَّ سُفْيَانُ فِي الْوُسْطَى وَالَّتِي تَلِي الإِبْهَامَ
✧ From the Prophet ﷺ: "I and the one who sponsors an orphan will be in Paradise like these two"—or "like this one from this one," Sufyān doubted about the middle finger and the one next to the thumb.
أَنَّ يَتِيمًا كَانَ يَحْضُرُ طَعَامَ ابْنِ عُمَرَ فَدَعَا بِطَعَامٍ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَطَلَبَ يَتِيمَهُ فَلَمْ يَجِدْهُ فَجَاءَ بَعْدَ مَا فَرَغَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ فَدَعَا لَهُ ابْنُ عُمَرَ بِطَعَامٍ لَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُمْ فَجَاءَه بِسَوِيقٍ وَعَسَلٍ فَقَالَ دُونَكَ هَذَا فَوَاللَّهِ مَا غُبِنْتَ يَقُولُ الْحَسَنُ وَابْنُ عُمَرَ وَاللَّهِ مَا غُبِنَ
✧ A certain orphan used to attend the meal of Ibn ʿUmar. One day he called for food and looked for his orphan but did not find him, and he came after Ibn ʿUmar had finished. Ibn ʿUmar called for food for him, but they did not have any. So he brought him sawīq and honey, and said, “Here, take this, for by Allah, you have not been cheated.” Al-Ḥasan said, “And Ibn ʿUmar, by Allah, was not cheated.”
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ أَنَا وَكَافِلُ الْيَتِيمِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ هَكَذَا وَقَالَ بِإِصْبَعَيْهِ السَّبَّابَةِ وَالْوُسْطَى
✧ The Prophet ﷺ said, “I and the one who cares for an orphan will be in the Garden like this,” and he held up his two fingers, the forefinger and the middle finger.
أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللهِ كَانَ لاَ يَأْكُلُ طَعَامًا إِلاَّ وَعَلَى خِوَانِهِ يَتِيمٌ
✧ ʿAbdullāh never ate any meal without an orphan at his table.
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 137No grade recorded
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ خَيْرُ بَيْتٍ فِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ بَيْتٌ فِيهِ يَتِيمٌ يُحْسَنُ إِلَيْهِ وَشَرُّ بَيْتٍ فِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ بَيْتٌ فِيهِ يَتِيمٌ يُسَاءُ إِلَيْهِ أَنَا وَكَافِلُ الْيَتِيمِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ كَهَاتَيْنِ يُشِيرُ بِإِصْبَعَيْهِ
✧ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The best house among the Muslims is a house in which an orphan is treated well, and the worst house among the Muslims is a house in which an orphan is treated badly. I and the one who cares for an orphan will be in the Garden like these two,” pointing with his two fingers.
قَالَ دَاوُدُ كُنَّ لِلْيَتِيمِ كَالأَبِ الرَّحِيمِ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّكَ كَمَا تَزْرَعُ كَذَلِكَ تَحْصُدُ مَا أَقْبَحَ الْفَقْرَ بَعْدَ الْغِنَى وَأَكْثَرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَوْ أَقْبَحُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الضَّلاَلَةُ بَعْدَ الْهُدَى وَإِذَا وَعَدْتَ صَاحِبَكَ فَأَنْجِزْ لَهُ مَا وَعَدْتَهُ فَإِنْ لاَ تَفْعَلْ يُورِثُ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ وَتَعَوَّذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ صَاحِبٍ إِنْ ذَكَرْتَ لَمْ يُعِنْكَ وَإِنْ نَسِيتَ لَمْ يُذَكِّرْكَ
✧ Dāwūd said, “Be to the orphan like a merciful father. Know that as you sow, so shall you reap. How ugly is poverty after wealth, and more than that—or uglier than that—is misguidance after guidance. If you make a promise to your companion, fulfill what you promised him, for if you do not, it will breed enmity between you and him. And seek refuge in Allah from a companion who, if you mention Allah, does not help you, and if you forget, does not remind you.”
سَمِعْتُ الْحَسَنَ يَقُولُ لَقَدْ عَهِدْتُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ مِنْهُمْ لَيُصْبِحُ فَيَقُولُ يَا أَهْلِيَهْ يَا أَهْلِيَهْ يَتِيمَكُمْ يَتِيمَكُمْ يَا أَهْلِيَهْ يَا أَهْلِيَهْ مِسْكِينَكُمْ مِسْكِينَكُمْ يَا أَهْلِيَهْ يَا أَهْلِيَهْ جَارَكُمْ جَارَكُمْ وَأُسْرِعَ بِخِيَارِكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ تَرْذُلُونَ وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ وَإِذَا شِئْتَ رَأَيْتَهُ فَاسِقًا يَتَعَمَّقُ بِثَلاَثِينَ أَلْفًا إِلَى النَّارِ مَا لَهُ قَاتَلَهُ اللَّهُ؟ بَاعَ خَلاَقَهُ مِنَ اللهِ بِثَمَنِ عَنْزٍ وَإِنْ شِئْتَ رَأَيْتَهُ مُضَيِّعًا مُرْبَدًّا فِي سَبِيلِ الشَّيْطَانِ لاَ وَاعِظَ لَهُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ وَلاَ مِنَ النَّاسِ
✧ I heard al-Ḥasan say, “I remember the Muslims when a man among them would wake up and say, ‘O my family, O my family—your orphan, your orphan! O my family, O my family—your poor one, your poor one! O my family, O my family—your neighbor, your neighbor!’ The best among you were taken quickly, and you are every day becoming more contemptible.” And I heard him say, “If you wish, you can see him—a defiant sinner plunging into thirty thousand [sins] toward the Fire. What is wrong with him, may Allah slay him? He sold his portion from Allah for the price of a goat. And if you wish, you can see him squandering, tied to a stake in the path of Shayṭān, with no admonisher from his own soul or from the people.”
عَنْ أَسْمَاءَ بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِابْنِ سِيرِينَ عِنْدِي يَتِيمٌ قَالَ اصْنَعْ بِهِ مَا تَصْنَعُ بِوَلَدِكَ اضْرِبْهُ مَا تَضْرِبُ وَلَدَكَ
✧ Asmāʾ b. ʿUbayd said, “I said to Ibn Sīrīn, ‘I have an orphan in my care.’ He said, ‘Do with him what you do with your own child. Discipline him as you discipline your own child.’”
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ أَنَا وَامْرَأَةٌ سَفْعَاءُ الْخَدَّيْنِ امْرَأَةٌ آمَتْ مِنْ زَوْجِهَا فَصَبَرْتَ عَلَى وَلَدِهَا كَهَاتَيْنِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ
✧ The Prophet ﷺ said, “I and a woman with sunken cheeks, a woman who lost her husband and patiently persevered with her child, will be in the Garden like these two.”
عَنْ شُمَيْسَةَ الْعَتَكِيَّةِ قَالَتْ ذُكِرَ أَدَبُ الْيَتِيمِ عِنْدَ عَائِشَةَ ؓ فَقَالَتْ إِنِّي لأَضْرِبُ الْيَتِيمَ حَتَّى يَنْبَسِطَ
Shumaysa al-'Atakiyya said, "The disciplining of orphans was mentioned in the presence of 'A'isha and she said, 'I would beat an orphan until he submits.'"