Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 768 [Read full issue]
Blocked from Generosity
The two authoritative collections contain the hadith narrated by Abu Huraira, who said, “The Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) depicted the miserly and the charitable person as two men in robes of iron that bind their hands to their chests and throats. Every time the charitable person gives something, the robe loosens until it hangs by his mere fingertips and erases his tracks. And every time the miserly person thinks of giving (but holds back), it tightens, every coil of the robe in its place.” At this point, Abu Huraira said, “And as he spoke, I saw the Messenger of God put his fingers in his robe and make as if to loosen a garment that would not loosen” [Bukhari, Muslim].
The miserly man is blocked from generosity and kept back from good deeds. And he receives the same in return. His breast is constricted, unable to expand. His stomach contracts. His soul is small, and his happiness paltry. But his cares and woes are many. Rarely will he help the needy or the beggar. He is indeed like a man in a robe of iron, his hands so bound to his neck that he can neither move them nor free them. Whenever he tries, the coils spring back in place. For whenever such a man wishes to give, his miserliness holds him back and his heart remains imprisoned.
Compiled From:
"The Invocation of God" - Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, p. 38