Charity And Happiness

by **samirisaoui** Thu Apr 03, 2014 5:11 am

A great text had drew my attention in God’s book be he blessed and exalted….

A great text had drew my attention in God’s book be he blessed and exalted which confirms on the importance of expenditure and charity with a little amount of money to poor, and god confirms in this noble text that who expend his money for the sake of god will not be afraid or sad, so he will be happy, god be he blessed and exalted says: (The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the Way of Allah, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn); it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower.(261) Those who spend their wealth in the Cause of Allah, and do not follow up their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with injury, their reward is with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. (262)) verses 261-262(ALBAKARA).

There are many verses that links between charity and human happiness in the world and in the hereafter, but a recent research had been issued and published by magazine of sciences confirm on this Quranic reality!!! This scientific news was published on the website of the BBC that the researchers had found a relation between expenditure and happiness, so I would like to transfer the exact text from the website with a comment with a verse or Hadith on each part of it:

“Canadian researches says that earning huge amounts of money don’t bring happiness to human, but expending money on the others makes human happy. a team of researchers in British Colombia university says that expending any amount of money on others even a five dollars makes psyche happy.

They confirm that the expenditure is essential even with a little amount, isn’t the same with what our prophet confirmed when he said: (avoid the fire even with half a date)!! Also it was confirmed by Quran as god be he exalted said Let the rich man spend according to his means; and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him. Allah will grant after hardship, ease. ) Verse 7 (ALTALAAK).

Also it was stated in the published research in the magazine of sciences that employees who spent part of their earned incentives were happier than others who didn’t do the same. Researchers had made studies on 630 person as they asked them to estimate their happiness, their annul income and details about their monthly expenditures which includes paying bills, what they buy for themselves and gifts for others. Head of the team professor Elizabeth Dan says" we wanted to examine our theory that the importance of how people spend their money is equally to how they earn that money” also she says regardless the earned income people who spent money on others were more happier than who spent it on themselves.

That is the results of their researches, and that what god told us when he link between expending and getting rid of fear and sadness which is earning the happiness:( Those who spend their wealth (in Allah’s Cause) by night and day, in secret and in public, they shall have their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.) Verse 274(ALBAKARA) and says:( Is there any reward for good other than good?) Verse 60(ALRAHMAN).

After that the team started to evaluate degree of happiness of 16 workers in an organization in Boston before and after receiving incentives (between $3000 and $8000). From the results it seemed that it wasn’t important amount of incentive but the important was how people spent that incentive. As those who spent or donate with a big portion of their incentive on others said they got benefits more than people who spent their incentive on their needs.

This result made us believes that when people spend money, they will not lose and money will not be decreased but it increases!! Wasn’t that confirmed by our prophet peace be upon him when he said:( spent money in charity doesn’t decrease)? So whatever you spend form that money it will not decrease but it increases as this spending gives a feeling of happiness which allow people to think correctly to get money in a better way.

So, god undertakes to double the spent money, god says: (Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan so that He may multiply it to him many times? And it is Allah that decreases or increases (your provisions), and unto Him you shall return) verse 245(ALBAKARA). We read about Bill Gates the richest man in the world that he decided to donate with a big portion of his wealth which is about tens of billions because he felt that it is essential to do this to feel with happiness !!!

In another experiment researchers gave each person of a group of 46 persons 5$ or 20$ and they asked them to spend it by the evening of the same day at five o’clock, and they asked half of participants to spend the money on themselves and the others to spend it on other people.

People who spent money on others said they feel happy more than people who spent the money on themselves, regardless the value of money they spent. Dan says: this study gives an initial indication that the way people spend their money has the same importance as how much they earn.

Here we remember our prophet peace be upon him when Aisha gave a sheep as an alms but she kept the shoulder to the prophet because he like to eat it, so she said: the sheep was gone but the shoulder was remained, so he said: don’t say that but say shoulder was gone and rest of the sheep was remained !!as he likes to spend more than to keep, and this is one of the secrets of happiness that discovered by scientists.

Today researchers confirm that one of earning money reasons is to spend part of it on those who need it. Which means that spending is a reason of Livelihood reasons and that was confirmed in the Quran in the linking between spending and generous Livelihood, god be he exalted says:( Who perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât) and spend out of that we have provided them. (3) It is they who are the believers in truth. For them are grades of dignity with their Lord, and Forgiveness and a generous provision (Paradise). (4)) verse 3, 4(ALANFAL).

Professor Elizabeth says:” spending money on others could be an efficient way to achieve happiness more than spending money on the person himself”. And Doctor George Feldman the Psychology Specialist in the new Buckingham University says:” donating for charity works makes you feels better because you are in a group. Also it makes people looks at you as if you prefer others on yourself. So if I gave you anything it will reduce the probability of attacking me by you and increase the probability of treating me well by you."

They put an abbreviated advice in says: “don’t hoard money” here we remember the Divine warning:( O you who believe! Verily, there are many of the (Jewish) rabbis and the (Christian) monks who devour the wealth of mankind in falsehood, and hinder (them) from the Way of Allah (i.e. Allah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism). And those who hoard up gold and silver [Al-Kanz: the money, the Zakât of which has not been paid] and spend them not in the Way of Allah, announce unto them a painful torment.(34) On the Day when that (Al-Kanz: money, gold and silver the Zakât of which has not been paid) will be heated in the Fire of Hell and with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, (and it will be said unto them): "This is the treasure which you hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what you used to hoard." (35))Verses 34, 35 (ALTAWBA).

God imposed (Zakât), because he wants us to be happy, and he warned us to not to hoard money by non spending in welfare and science fields, and may be the best kind of spending is to spend on correcting the west perspective about Islam, through spending on the Quranic researches that aim to show the grandeur of Islam and our prophet peace be upon him, and look at this marvelous verse: (Say: "Truly, my Lord enlarges the provision for whom He wills of His slaves, and (also) restricts (it) for him, and whatsoever you spend of anything (in Allah’s Cause), He will replace it. And He is the Best of providers.”) Verse 39 (SABAA).

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By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel

www.kaheel7.com/eng

Source:

www.news.bbc.co.uk