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Sahih Muslim 1021c (Book 12, Hadith 98) #9497
Generosity vs Miserliness

SUMMARY: The hadith compares a miserly person to a generous one, illustrating how the former's reluctance to give charity is so strong that it restricts his ability to do so, while the latter's generosity is so great that it expands and allows him to give more.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger as saying: . The similitude of a miserly man and the giver of charity is that of two persons with coats of mail over them; when the giver of charity intends to give charity, it expands over him (to much so) that the footprints are also obliterated. And when the miserly man intends to give charity, it contracts over him, and his hands are tied up to his collar bone, and every ring is fixed up to another. He (the narrator) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah as saying: He would try to expand it. but he would not be able to do so.
وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ الْحَضْرَمِيُّ، عَنْ وُهَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ طَاوُسٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ‏"‏ مَثَلُ الْبَخِيلِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِ مَثَلُ رَجُلَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمَا جُنَّتَانِ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ إِذَا هَمَّ الْمُتَصَدِّقُ بِصَدَقَةٍ اتَّسَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى تُعَفِّيَ أَثَرَهُ وَإِذَا هَمَّ الْبَخِيلُ بِصَدَقَةٍ تَقَلَّصَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَانْضَمَّتْ يَدَاهُ إِلَى تَرَاقِيهِ وَانْقَبَضَتْ كُلُّ حَلْقَةٍ إِلَى صَاحِبَتِهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَسَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ فَيَجْهَدُ أَنْ يُوَسِّعَهَا فَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُ

TOPICS
generosity  *  miserliness  *  charity  *  mail

QUICK LESSONS:
Encourage generosity in order for us all benefit from its rewards in this life and in the hereafter.

EXPLANATIONS:
This hadith compares two types of people - those who are generous and those who are miserly. It explains how the generous person has an expansive attitude towards giving charity, which allows them to give more freely. On the other hand, a miserly person has such a tight grip on their money that they cannot even bring themselves to part with it when they want to. The hadith also mentions coats of mail as an analogy for this behavior - when someone wants to be generous, their coat of mail expands and makes it easier for them; but when someone wants to be stingy, their coat of mail contracts and makes it harder for them. This teaches us that generosity should be encouraged in order for us all benefit from its rewards in this life and in the hereafter.

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