He is with you wherever you are
Surat al-Hadid is another Madani surah with plenty of lessons. One of the most important verses is:
‘He is with you wherever you are, and sees whatever you do.’ [57:4]
This is a very scary verse, but it’s also good news.
If Allah is with us wherever we go, it means we need to be observant of our actions, words, and intentions.
Allah is Ar-Raqeeb, the Watchful, and in His presence we need to be humble. Often we forget about his presence, but this ayah is telling us that He is with you, whether you acknowledge it or not. So be careful what you say and do, because Allah is listening and watching.
Also be careful about what you intend, because Allah knows what’s in your heart.
One of Allah’s mercies is that a good intention is recorded as 10 good deeds, whereas a bad intention is not recorded unless you execute it into action. But we still need to be careful, because He is observing us.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ مَنْ هَمَّ بِحَسَنَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا كُتِبَتْ لَهُ حَسَنَةً وَمَنْ هَمَّ بِحَسَنَةٍ فَعَمِلَهَا كُتِبَتْ لَهُ عَشْرًا إِلَى سَبْعِمِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ وَمَنْ هَمَّ بِسَيِّئَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا لَمْ تُكْتَبْ وَإِنْ عَمِلَهَا كُتِبَتْ ” .
He who intended to do good, but did not do it, one good was recorded for him, and he who intended to do good and also did it, ten to seven hundred good deeds were recorded for him. And he who intended evil, but did not commit it, no entry was made against his name, but if he committed that, it was recorded. [Muslim]
Allah Almighty also stated:
Spend in charity out of what he has given you
Later in the surah, He says, ‘spend out of that which He has made you a trustee of.’ [57:7]
He is reminding us that any wealth we have (if we have any these days!) hasn’t come to us as a result of our muscles, brain, or connections. I’m sure there are smarter people, stronger people, more educated people than you, who have less fortune. But Allah has distributed His wealth the way He sees fit, and it’s not our job to say that this is fair or not.
Charity is one of the characteristics of the muttaqeen
In Surat al-Baqarah, Allah describes the muttaqeen as people ‘who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend from what We have provided for them.’ [2:3]
Notice the third condition: He doesn’t say they spend out of what THEY have earned. Again, Allah is confirming that your rizq is from Him. Of course, this isn’t to say you should just do nothing, and wealth will be parachuted into your lap. But whatever you do, it is facilitated by Allah.
Don’t restrict your charity to Ramadan
We need to spend from what Allah has given to us – and this means paying our zakat, which is an obligation. 2.5% is way below tax: of course, we can’t really compare the two, but some people like to look at it like that. Depending on your tax bracket, the tax man can take up to 45%. 2.5% is nothing. But this is just the obligation, the minimum.
It’s not restricted to Ramadan, but people like to give zakat in Ramadan because good deeds are multiplied and they want double reward.That’s fine, but don’t restrict your sadaqah only for Ramadan. However much we give in zakat and sadaqah will be our account in the akhirah inshallah. And whenever you give, or don’t give, remember that Allah is with you. He knows whether you are tricking the system, or if you deliberately did not include some shares or cryptocurrency, etc. in your calculations.
Whatever you do, Allah knows. So be honest and pure, and we ask Allah to accept our good deeds and enable us to acknowledge his presence in our life. Ameen.
Shaykh Haytham Tamim – Ramadan Night 24
Transcribed by Hana Khan
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