Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem
I once said that our Ummah is virile and potent, and that indeed, Allah is using some of the wealthy among us to aid His religion and His servants.
Yes, there is widespread poverty in the land, and the well-to-do among us are few and far between. It is often a case of one rich person surrounded by ten who are poor, essentially, everyone is struggling.
Yet, many of those who are well-off are genuinely trying their best. I say “many” because miserliness is a trait that naturally resides in some people.
A clear example of how Muslims assist one another is the way they consistently rally together whenever urgent medical or financial needs are raised. Several millions have been donated in such cases over the years, may Allah reward them all with goodness.
Many of our affluent brothers and sisters may not like their acts of ṣadaqah and tabarruʿ being publicized like politicians often do, but I can confidently say that they are trying, and they are not relenting.
For instance, I know of a sister based abroad who, along with her husband, established a Muslim charity to support fellow Muslims. They frequently spend generously on the downtrodden.
I am also aware of a brother who used to spend several millions of naira on the needy during Ramadan and Eid al-Adhā, respectively.
We’ve also heard of an unknown, generous brother who sponsored several teachers of the Sunnah for Ḥajj last time.
Many other examples abound. Let us appreciate these people.
It is unfair, grossly unfair, to accuse these brothers of abandoning the teachers of Sunnah to suffer. We can encourage them to do more and to expand their efforts, but to claim they have neglected them altogether is simply unjust.
Understand that many of these teachers are zuhhād, ascetic in nature, and that is praiseworthy. They are not the type to meddle in people’s affairs or chase after the wealthy.
These teachers are conscious that they teach for the sake of Allah. They guard their dignity and are content with whatever little they earn from their own efforts. They trust that Allah will bless that little. That is why you hardly ever see them chasing after the rich, unlike others in the “Ganusi” enclave.
Therefore, we should encourage our affluent brothers and sisters to continue doing more for Muslims in general, and for the teachers of Islam more specifically. And we should also pray that more people of ḥalāl and resourceful wealth arise among us, even among the teachers themselves.
A rich scholar who possesses zuhd and karam (noble generosity) is a tremendous blessing to the Ummah. May Allah grant us more of such people.
A man once came to Sufyān ath-Thawrī (رحمه الله) and said: “O Abū ʿAbdillāh! You also hold on to these gold coins?!” He replied: “Be quiet! Were it not for these gold coins, these kings would have used us like napkins!” Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalāʾ 7/241
Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) commented in Iʿlām al-Muwaqqiʿīn 4/204:
“Sufyān had some wealth, and he was not hesitant in spending it. He used to say: ‘Were it not for this, these (people of power) would have used us like napkins.’
So, when a scholar is granted wealth, he is supported in the implementation of his knowledge. But if he is in need of others, his knowledge dies while he watches.”
May Allah provide our teachers with pure and lawful sustenance such that they are never compelled to look to anyone else for help.
Let us, however, stop casting evil insinuations that our rich brothers and sisters are stingy or indifferent to the plight of the Muslims.
Aboo Aamir, Ibadan, Nigeria.
