The Superiority of Giving Water as Charity

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

سَعْدًا، أَتَى النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ: أَيُّ الصَّدَقَةِ أَعْجَبُ إِلَيْكَ؟ قَالَ: “الْمَاءُ

Sa’d came to the Prophet(ﷺ) and asked him, “Which type of charity do you prefer the most?” He replied, “Giving water.”[1]

Benefits for this subject:

• Imam Abu Dawud place this hadith under the chapter heading in his Sunan, “The Superiority of Supplying Water.” This implies that giving water is among the best of deeds. This is due to the fact that man needs water to sustain his life. Hence, providing it for him to drink is a enormous action that carries a great reward.

• This hadith highlights that subject of importance of supplying water to one in need of it in Allah’s path, or to provide it for people in need of it. i.e building a well. Water is an important element of life. Allah created everything that living from water. In other words, nothing can survive without water. Therefore, it is a necessity of life.[2]  

• Allah says: And it is He Who sends the winds as heralds of glad tidings, going before His Mercy (rain), and We send down pure water from the sky,. That We may give life thereby to a dead land, and We give to drink thereof many of the cattle and men that We had created.[3]  Mulla Ali Qari said: “Water is best form of charity one can give as it contains everything beneficial for worldly and religious affairs. Not to mention, for countries where there are extreme heat conditions.”[4]

• Giving water for charity to anyone is general. It includes, for someone to drink it, to give it to a riding animal, or for someone to make wudu and so forth.[5]
• Giving water is among the best actions one can do to earn Allah’s Pleasure. Some of the Tabe’oon once said: Whoever has a lot of sins the let them give water as a charity. If Allah can forgive the sins of a person that gave water to a dog to drink, then what about one who gives water to a believing Muslim; as a result, helps him maintain living?!”[6]

• Allah says: And the dwellers of the Fire will call to the dwellers of Paradise: “Pour on us some water or anything that Allah has provided you with.” They will say: “Both (water and provision) Allah has forbidden to the disbelievers.”[7]  Ibn Abbass (Radi Allahu anhu) used this verse as proof that the best type of charity one could give is water.[8]

• Amr Ibn Al-‘As said : The Muslim that gives another Muslim water to drink will be distanced from the fire , similar to that of a race track for horses.”[9]

• These are encouragements to give water as charity to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, with in the intention of it being Sadaqah. This applies to while we are alive. Moreover, when we are deceased then leaving a well that bears water is a charity that recurs. Furthermore, digging a well in barren land where water is hard to come by would be even more superior as a means or recurring charity. Allah knows best.

Prepared by Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

Doha, Qatar 1445©

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[1] Collected by Abu Dawud 1679 and others and graded as being Hasan by Imam Al-Albani

[2] Explanation of Sunan Abi Dawud by Shaykh Abdul Muhsin Al-Abbadd

[3] Quran 25:48-49

[4] Explanation of Mishkatul Masabih by Mulla Ali Qari vol 6pg 346

[5] Explanation of Sunan Abi Dawud by Badrudeen Al-‘Ayni vol 6pg 432

[6] Explanation Sahih al-Bukhari , by Ibn Nahwi vol 15  pg 353

[7] Quran 7:50

[8] Tafsir Al-Qurtubi

[9] Hilya vol1 pg 288

EXPLAINED BY

SHEIKH MUHAMMAD SHAMS-UL-HAQ AZIMABADI [1329H]

Introduction

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “The first thing for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayer. If it is complete, then the voluntary (prayers) will also be recorded for him (as an increase). If it is not complete then Allah will say to His angels: ‘Look and see whether you find any voluntary prayers for My slave, and take them to make up what is lacking from his obligatory prayers.’ Then all his deeds will be reckoned in like manner.”[1]

This hadith informs that if we fall short in our obligatory prayers then we had better have some voluntary prayers in the account to help complete the deficient parts of our prayers. Any Muslim who ONLY relies on his voluntary prayers to be counted for on the Day of Judgement is placing his soul at risk.

In another narration the Prophet (ﷺ)said “If anyone prays in a day and in a night twelve rak’ahs voluntarily (supererogatory prayer), a house will be built from him in Paradise on account of these (rak’ahs).”[2]

This is another encouragement for us to strive in maintaining the voluntary prayers. All we need to do is add a few extra minutes of praying to our daily schedule to earn this reward. Imam Abu Dawud has complied the most comprehensive collection of hadith on this subject. Since this topic is extremely important, I felt the need to embark on it by translating this chapter with the explanation from Sheikh Muhammed Azimabadi.

Too many times we notice Muslims rushing through the prayer, wasting time between the Athan and the Iqamah, or just rushing out the masjid as soon as the prayer has concluded. Hopefully, this book will educate us about the importance of adding some extra prayers to our everyday life.

I ask Allah to allow this book to weigh in on my scale of good deeds on the Day of Resurrection. I pray that this book is an aide to help Muslims increase the rewards for their prayers on the Day of Judgement.

Translated by,

Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle            Doha, Qatar 11/11/1444H

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[1] Ibn Majah #1426, graded as being Sahih by Imam Al-Albani

[2] Sahih Muslim #728

A Response to the People of the Crucifixion -Baptism

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

May Allah guide us all to what is correct and have mercy on our souls. The 2^nd issue I’d like to bring to your attention is the Baptism. According to Mark 16:15-17, those who aren’t Baptized will go to Hell.

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; …

Based on this text Christians believe that the entrance to Heaven requires a person to be Baptized. For that reason, what do you say about Abraham, Moses, Issac and Jacob?!

Are all of the Prophets in Heaven? Your answer must be,” Yes” Then how is that they entered into Heaven without being Baptized then? Hence, if you reply due to them being circumcised, Circumcision can take the place of Baptism.

If that is the case, then what about Adam and Noah, along with their offspring?! They were neither circumcised or Baptized. Nonetheless, according to your Bible and the consensus of your priests they are all in Heaven.

They subject of Baptism is made up and has no basis at all. It is a lie against God the Almighty (Allah)

Taken from A Resourceful Masterpiece in Response to the People of the Crucifixion, by Abdullah At-Tarjaman Majorca 832H

Translated by Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

Doha, Qatar, 1444H©

A Response to the People of the Crucifixion -Matthew

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

May Allah guide us all to what is correct and have mercy on our souls. The 1^st issue I’d like to bring to your attention is the fact that those who wrote the Bible that you have you have today was written by four men never met Jesus ,the Son of Mary. They are Matthew, Luke, Mark and John. These four men added things and omitted things from the religion of Jesus. Additionally, these four men aren’t from the Disciples of Jesus, whom Allah praises in the Quran.

Allah said: O you who believe! Be you helpers (in the Cause) of Allah as said ‘Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), to Al-Hawariun (the disciples): “Who are my helpers (in the Cause) of Allah?” Al-Hawarieen (the disciples) said: “We are Allah’s helpers” (i.e. we will strive in His Cause!). Then a group of the Children of Israel believed and a group disbelieved. So We gave power to those who believed against their enemies, and they became the uppermost. [61:14]

Matthew is among the 1^st among these four men to corrupt the religion of Jesus, He never met him or saw until the year in which Jesus was raised to the Heavens. After that he wrote the Bible while living in Alexandria, Egypt. Included in those writings are things about Jesus’s birth, miracles surrounding it and a story about Mary fleeing with him to Egypt being afraid for his life.

The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi^[a] from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’^[b]”

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had

seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The Escape to Egypt

¹³ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵ where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”^[c[  Matthew 2:1-15

                This is what Matthew wrote in his scripture. This story is fabricated due to inaccuracies. The distance between Bethlehem and Jerusalem is ONLY 5 miles. If the King feared Jesus’s birth, why didn’t he himself, or why didn’t he accompany the Magi to go and search for Jesus? Also, why didn’t He send the one who advises him to search for the newborn in the best possible way? Ironically, Luke, Mark, and John didn’t mention anything about this story in their scriptures.

Matthew didn’t witness Jesus’s birth , rather he narrated this false story from a liar, who made this it up.

Taken from A Resourceful Masterpiece in Response to the People of the Crucifixion, by Abdullah At-Tarjaman Majorca 832H

Translated by Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

Doha, Qatar, 1444H©