One day I saw 'A'ishah
giving people seventy thousand drachmas.
'Urwah ibn az-Zubayr
Although generosity is an admirable
quality, yet sometimes it is performed on the basis
of a divine thought, meaning that a person voluntarily
offers something to which he is attached or gives
up a wish or property for the sake of God in the hope
of winning His satisfaction or receiving a heavenly
reward. Such a person is bound to be rewarded heavily
and to receive divine satisfaction.
But if a person shows generosity for the sake of a
worldly benefit such as gaining a good reputation,
although his action is good in itself, yet he will
not be rewarded in the next world since his action's
motive has been related to this world.
Among the Arabs it had long been customary for great
men and chiefs of tribes to perform certain acts such
as showing generosity in their offer of money and
property. If a person came to the house of such men
and returned empty-handed and disappointed, it was
considered a great disgrace for the master of the
house.
With the advent of Islam, such ideas were not forgotten
altogether, and the people who showed generosity were
divided into two groups: One group engaged in generous
acts for the sake of Islamic teachings and in the
way of God, and the next group did so in accordance
with pagan and Arab customs, such as the generosity
shown by two powerful chiefs of the Banu Tamim tribe
in the caliphate of Imam 'Ali in the region of
