How can one understand generosity in terms of Ramadan and what are the acts of generosity that you would recommend a Muslim to be involved in?

 

A. (Dr. Zakir): A person should always be generous throughout his life. But during Ramadan, he should be more generous and it should reach its peak. And there are various ways a person can be generous. For example, one thing which normally people think about generosity is helping people with money. But that is not the only act of generosity, that is one of the acts of generosity, helping someone with your money. The other act of generosity is that if you share your knowledge, if you guide someone or do ‘Dawah’ to non-Muslims, even this is generosity, you help him with your knowledge. The other act of generosity is maybe you may help them with your physical strength, in doing some work, or maybe lifting something, even that’s the act of generosity. Any good deed is an act of generosity. For example, you may be in a position, being in the position the job you’re doing, you may be able to help someone in fulfilling a need, even that’s an act of generosity. So all these come under acts of generosity and the ‘Hadith’ of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ‎, it is said that,

“Muhammad ﷺ‎, he was the most generous of all the people and during the month of Ramadan, his generosity used to reach the peak and archangel Gabriel used to visit him during the month of Ramadan and used to rehearse the Qur’an. And it is said that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ‎, he was more generous than the strong uncontrollable wind.”

(SAHEEH AL-BUKHARI, VOLUME 1, BOOK OF REVELATION, HADITH 5)

Further, beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ‎ said,

“There will be rooms in Paradise, where you can see inside the room from the outside, and you can see the outside from inside. And these rooms will be prepared for those people who are generous and who help the poor people. Those who fast regularly and those who pray at night.”

(HADITH OF TIRMIDHI, HADITH 3233)

So these are special rooms prepared for those people in Paradise. Further there is a ‘Saheeh Hadith’ where our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ‎ said,

“Any person who feeds the person who has fasted, he will get the reward of the person who he has fed (who has been fasting), without diminishing the reward of the person who was fasting.”

(IBN MAJAH, HADITH 1746)

Therefore, it shows that we should encourage people to feed other people, all these are acts of generosity.