We all aware about giving charity, helping the poor, supporting the needy family etc., in light of Holy Qur’an and hadith. We also believe whatever is happen is because of Almighty Allah wills. Today, I came across a situation where I got confused and hope you may help/guide me in better way. I’ll explain it by giving an example:
Situation is like that a unknown person came to me and asked for financial help. I have a choice either help that person or not. Person’s cause/need sounds genuine and as per verses from Holy Qur’an and hadith, we will rewarded with best in this life or hereafter, if we help a brother in Islam at his hardship time.
I believe that it is Almighty Allah’s will that person came to me and asked for help/described his genuine needs. But on the other hand a thought just come into our mind that what if that person telling lie, or his cause/need is just made-up. By having this thought in my mind, I suddenly felt like I am being judgement type person trying to judge him that whether he’s telling truth or lie.
So shall we assume such thought is because of Almighty Allah is all knowing and HE knows that we’ll confront such situation or it is deception from Ibliss who preventing us from doing the good deed ? OR any other reason?
Wa alaikum us salam!
yaar itna mat soch karein. If someone has asked for help and you are in a position to help him then you should do it as much as you can easily. It is not a bad deal as Allah will see your intention and action and will reward you back much more than what you have given irrespective of whether the case of that man was genuine or not. It is not a good idea to be too much curious. but you may avoid those who have a habit of begging.
May Allah (SWT) reward you and make the hearts of many people as your heart is - soft and inclined to good.
I agree with both previous posters ...
You need to view the situation as it presents itself to you.
1) You know for sure he "wants" the money - he may even believe he "needs" it.
2) Whether he actually needs the money is not for you to convince him as that is his level and understanding.
3) Whether his story is true or not should not concern you and really you should forget his story.
4) Now you either give the money or you don't
5) If you keep the money - you can convince yourself it is because you don't trust him, but is it because you "want" to keep the money?
6) If you give the money - you can at least rely on his account as true - and that is your fallback.
7) You can give him as much as you can without feeling a loss for it and consider it purification.
8) You can give the money to reduce your attachment to it - if you have attachment to it - to increase your internal state of ihsan.
you will be rewarded in either case so...for helping this person...the choice is yours.
the sad truth is that a lot of these 'professional' beggars are professional/pathological liars as well. the problem is we can't tell the difference between the two. we use our better judgment and label them as liars [rightly so]...we should be cautious in shunning those professional beggars.
you should explore them by asking probing questions. chances are you will turn 1 genuine and needy person as compared to 4 bogus ones.
"isii ko kahte haiN k :gehuuN ke saath ghun bhii pista hai"
Since I started giving more, I in return getting more
Bhai Kchughtai,
Mein isliyeh sochta hoon because I read when Prophet Muhammad asked Abu Bakar what He left for his family? He (Abu Bakar replied: “Mein un ke liyeh Allah or Allah ka rasool chor aya hoon”. Baat yahan pr dene ki nahi hy balky ‘cause’ ki hy
Almighty Allah is all knowing. He knows that so and so will going to happen, He also knows that his servant will going to choose soand so i.e., will going to help or will not going to help.
The main point is that if we help then there is reward for us and if we don't then there is no sin on us. However, on the day of Judgment, those who didn't help will going to envy on those who helped because of their rewards of helping and they wish if they could go back to earth (in Duniya) just once so they do the same, i.e., help as much as they can.
It is mentioned in Quran at in various chapter that "spend **out *of *what *We *have ***provided* for them" and the reward will of it will never perish.
Also, Almighty Allah said the surely we will be tested by our wealth (loss of) and good tidings is for them who have more patience.
Almighty Allah is all knowing. He knows that so and so will going to happen, He also knows that his servant will going to choose soand so i.e., will going to help or will not going to help.
The main point is that if we help then there is reward for us and if we don't then there is no sin on us. ....
Why is there a reward for something pre-determined by Allah?
Why is there a reward for something pre-determined by Allah?
Let's say I'm a computer programmer and I design a game where a timed algorithm is inserted in the action definition of a "sprite" that I have created. It will stop at junctures and activate the action code, to either choose right or left as it reaches a path that splits in two, and if it chooses the left it will come to a dead-end and if it chooses a right it will continue going on ... Sprites will be coded to dislike dead-ends and like open ends and they will be able to learn from each other. As they leave a trail like a scent behind them. This in itself demonstrates that although the programmer has used the programming code to define the behaviour of the sprites - the incentive for sprites to gain reward is also hard-coded into them.
The path is pre-determined - the reward can be viewed as part of that pre-determined path.
Those who were pre-determined to do good were pre-determined to receive reward ... It actually makes sense.
However, we hold that reward is linked to the decisions being made by the choices we make ... it has nothing to do with whether our decisions are known or not.
Why is there a reward for something pre-determined by Allah?
Peace kakaballi,
Psyah bro already explained well. However, I'll try to explain in very simple way that "choosing the path i.e., giving of charity or helping another is always little harder than other path of not giving anything nor helping another. Because the "Iblis" try to mislead us whenever we try to do something good i.e., give something in charity or try to help another.
For example: during our final exams, while sitting in exam-hall, we say to ourselves "Kaash mein yeh chapter bhi yaad kr leta". Here, we know what is the reward of memorizing that chapter but still we haven't memorized due to whatsoever reason, but if we wants to memorize it then we had by over-looking/ignoring our whatsoever reasons.
Whatsoever reasons like "was out with friends" or "was watching/playing a match" or "was attending a show" etc.,
Almighty Allah pre-determined something for us and HE only knows what we'll going to choose, we don't nor anybody beside HIM knows. So when we came at that situation then the "Ibliss" try to mislead us / try to prevent us from doing good deeds and if we do so then we feel like "I helped that guy but he was a liar or something else, means we feel uncomfortable for for a while".
But eventually we do what is predetermined by Almighty Allah and we will be rewarded for over-coming of all those "waswasa (wrong ideas/thoughts) made by "iblis".
^ Doesn't make sense to me (could be my lack of understanding of 'destiny'), but If God already pre-determined that we would overcome the "waswasa", why reward us?
Seems a little unfair that if i was pre-determined to murder a person, I should be punished for that. If I am destined to fail an exam, studying for it or not do not seem to make any difference!
God "Knowing" what decisions we are going to make is same as someone (could be God) already determining what we are going to do. Reward or punishment based on such decisions is not fair :(
I need to read up on such things but so far 'destiny' or 'per-determined state of the world' do not seem to be compatible with reward/punishment for such per-determined actions.
Don't bother yourself about pre-destination ... It is a belief that God Knows all things. As far as you are concerned chase the reward and avoid things that cause the punishment ... If I were to cross the road without looking I could get run over ... The sin would be not looking ... The punishment would be being run over ... It is as simple as that.
The more you dwell on it the more reasons you will give yourself to recoil ... It is just like What happened with Iblis and Adam (AS) ... When Iblis failed to obey God ... He blamed it on God ... Of course he invoked the concept of Qadr ... But when Adam (AS) slipped he blamed himself ... Invoking the free will concept ... And he (AS) sought forgiveness.
Be like Adam (AS) in other words take responsibility for your actions ... We know there is reward and punishment ... What strangeness overcomes us when we still choose to do wrong and then blame it on our fate or destiny?
Take it in this way that whatever we think, do, going to do, why we are going to do, when & where we are going to do all & everything related to us is already known to Almighty Allah because He is all knowing.
Almighty Allah does not resemble anything of His creation, nor does anything among His creation resemble Him. HE has eternally (when eternal or eternity is added to Almighty Allah's attributes, it means an absolute eternity with no beginning, as beginning is a thing, and Almighty Allah is The Creator of everything. Also beginning entails time, and Almighty Allah is The Creator of time) existed, and will everlastingly exist, with His names and attributes, both relating to Him and His actions - not subject to change.
As for the attributes relating to Him, they are: Life, Power, Knowledge, Kalam, Hearing, Sight and Will. As for those relating to His actions, they are: Creating, Sustenance, Originating, Making, Fashioning, and other attributes of actions.
By having this thought in my mind, I suddenly felt like I am being judgement type person trying to judge him that whether he’s telling truth or lie.
asked Abu Bakar 
what He left for his family? He (Abu Bakar 