Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Those who are stingy and enjoin stinginess upon people and conceal what Allah has given them of His bounty. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment."
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Then Allah (Mighty and Majestic) explained the characteristic of these people, namely the characteristic of arrogance and boasting, and He said: [An-Nisa 4:37] "Those who are stingy," meaning they withhold what is obligatory for them to give. Brother, what does "stingy" mean?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What? A mistake. Rest.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What is obligatory for them to give. Well done. "Stingy" means they withhold what is obligatory for them to give, whether it be wealth, knowledge, or status. They are stingy with the wealth that is obligatory for them, and the greatest of these is zakah, for the greatest obligation regarding wealth is zakah. Zakah is more obligatory than spending on oneself, one's family, or one's relatives, because it is a pillar of Islam. They are stingy with the knowledge that is obligatory for them to give, so they do not teach people, whether the people need their knowledge or not. You will find them stingy with knowledge; they do not sit with people to teach them. In fact, some of them, when asked, do not answer. A warning has come regarding the one who is asked about knowledge and conceals it, that he will be bridled on the Day of Resurrection with a bridle of fire. We ask Allah for safety. They are stingy with the status that is obligatory for them to give, such as when a Muslim needs their intercession to remove a harm from him, and they are stingy and do not intercede. Indeed, this is undoubtedly a form of stinginess. It has come in the hadith that the stingy one is the one about whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is mentioned and he does not send blessings upon him. This is stinginess, for it is withholding what is obligatory for a person to do or say. The criterion for stinginess is that a person withholds what is obligatory for him to give, whether it be wealth, knowledge, or status. We ask Allah to protect us and you from arrogance and stinginess, and to grant us humility toward the truth and toward creation, and to help us to give what is obligatory for us to give of wealth, knowledge, or status. Indeed, He is Generous and Bountiful. And may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Resurrection.
And now, to the question period.
Who are stingy and enjoin upon [other] people stinginess
الذين يبخلون ويأمرون الناس بالبخلThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : What? A mistake. Rest.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What is obligatory for them to give. Well done. "Stingy" means they withhold what is obligatory for them to give, whether it be wealth, knowledge, or status. They are stingy with the wealth that is obligatory for them, and the greatest of these is zakah, for the greatest obligation regarding wealth is zakah. Zakah is more obligatory than spending on oneself, one's family, or one's relatives, because it is a pillar of Islam. They are stingy with the knowledge that is obligatory for them to give, so they do not teach people, whether the people need their knowledge or not. You will find them stingy with knowledge; they do not sit with people to teach them. In fact, some of them, when asked, do not answer. A warning has come regarding the one who is asked about knowledge and conceals it, that he will be bridled on the Day of Resurrection with a bridle of fire. We ask Allah for safety. They are stingy with the status that is obligatory for them to give, such as when a Muslim needs their intercession to remove a harm from him, and they are stingy and do not intercede. Indeed, this is undoubtedly a form of stinginess. It has come in the hadith that the stingy one is the one about whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is mentioned and he does not send blessings upon him. This is stinginess, for it is withholding what is obligatory for a person to do or say. The criterion for stinginess is that a person withholds what is obligatory for him to give, whether it be wealth, knowledge, or status. We ask Allah to protect us and you from arrogance and stinginess, and to grant us humility toward the truth and toward creation, and to help us to give what is obligatory for us to give of wealth, knowledge, or status. Indeed, He is Generous and Bountiful. And may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Resurrection.
And now, to the question period.