it will take him towards Paradise.’ (Shu’ab-ul-Iman, vol. 7, p. 434, Hadith: 10785)

2.   ‘Overlook the mistakes of the generous one, because whenever he errs, Allah Almighty holds his hand.’ (Shu’ab-ul-Iman, vol. 7, p. 433, Hadith: 10767) Meaning, Allah Almighty is his helper, and saves him from falling into destruction. (Ithaf us-Sadat il-Muttaqeen, vol. 9, p. 765, summarised)

3.   ‘اَلْجَــنَّةُ دَارُالْاَسْخِیَآء’, meaning, ‘Paradise is the abode of the generous.’ (Firdaus Al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 333, Hadith 2430)

4.   ‘The generous one is close to Allah Almighty, close to Paradise, close to the people, and distant from the fire; and the miserly one is far from Allah Almighty, far from Paradise, far from the people, and close to the fire; and in the court of Allah Almighty, an ignorant person who is generous is better than a miserly scholar.’ (Sunan Al-Tirmizi, vol. 3, p. 387, Hadith 1968, slightly amended)

5.   ‘O mankind! If you spend leftover wealth, then this is better for you, and if you keep it, this is bad for you; and if you were to keep some in accordance to your needs, there is no blame upon you, and when giving, begin with your family, and the hand that is above is better than the hand that is below.’ (Sahih Muslim, p. 516, Al-Hadith: 1036)

In explanation of this Hadith, the Quranic commentator, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Na’eemi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه states: Meaning, to give away in charity that which is left over from your wealth after fulfilling your needs is beneficial for you. By this, none of your works will be obstructed, and you will receive its reward in this world and the hereafter. And withholding it is bad for you, because it will become squandered and wasted in other ways, and you will remain deprived of reward. For this reason, when acquiring new clothing, the ruling is to give away old clothes which are not in use; if Allah Almighty blesses you with new