By Assalam alaikum, dear sisters, my name is Asra and I will be posting these Daily Hadith columns. I will quote the source of all these Hadith, they are mostly from Sahih Bukhari or Sahih Muslim.
So, here is the first:
Consistency
Abu Huraira narrated from the Prophet (SAW) that once, a man was travelling in the wilderness. He heard a voice in the clouds ordering an angel of a cloud to rain on a particular farm. So the man followed the cloud and saw that it did indeed rain on a rocky mountain plain. All the water gathered into a stream and poured into the farm. The man saw the owner working on that farm and asked his name. It was the same name he had heard specified to the cloud! The man then narrated what he had seen and heard, and inquired from the owner what was so special about him that would explain all of this. The owner answered that he split his harvest into three equal parts: the first, he gave as sadaqa (public service in the name of Allah (SWT) ), the second, he kept as sustenance for his family, and the third, he replanted.
– Muslim
There are three main lessons to be learned from this hadith. The most important is the consistency of doing good deeds. This farmer was giving one-third of his harvest as sadaqa (voluntary charity.) That is why Allah (SWT) was sending rain especially for him. The deeds most loved by Allah (SWT) are those that are done regularly with good intentions and in His name, even though they may be few.
The second is the value of moderation. The farmer did not keep the rest of his harvest for food or replanting, he divided it evenly. It’s important not to waste the provisions we have, and not to indulge in excess of what we do have.
The third lesson is the value of sadaqa itself. This farmer was getting rain as his reward for providing assistance to the needy. Allah (SWT) was providing for his charitable works. Money is therefore not entirely a gift or reward, but a trial for righteousness. We must remember to give part of our earnings to those who are not as fortunate as we.
As a child in a Christian church and school I heard a similar parable. It’s amazing that the wisdom of those above us mirrors common sense and love for others as ourselves. Maybe they know we will fail in common sense if not reminded.
Thank you for the reminder.
[Sahih Muslim : Book 42 “Kitab Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqa’iq”, Number 7112]
Abu Huraira (Radi Allah Anhu) reported Allah’s Messenger (sal-allahu-alleihi-wasallam) as saying:
“While a person was in the wilderness he heard a voice from the cloud (commanding it thus): Irrigate the garden of so and so. (After that the clouds slinked aside and poured water on a stony ground. It filled a channel amongst the channels of that land and that person followed that water and he found a person standing in the garden busy in changing the course of water with the help of a hatchet. He said to him: Servant of Allah, what is your name? he said: So and so. And it was that very name which he had heard from the clouds. and he said to him: Servant of Allah, why do you ask me my name? He said: I beard a voice from the clouds of which It is the downpour, saying: Water the garden of so and to. like your name. What do you do (for the favor) shown to you by Allah in this matter? He said: Now as you state so. I look what yield I get from it. and I give one-third as charity out of it and I and my children eat one-third of it and one-third I return to it as investment.”
Thank you