QUALITIES REQUIRED FOR 'HIZBULLAH'

1.     Must not be narrow-minded

There is no place for narrow-minded people in this party. Only those can enter this party who are large-hearted:

"And whoso is saved from narrow-mindedness----such are they who are successful." (Al-Qur'an 59: 9)

2.     Must be magnanimous

Here such magnanimous people are required that if somebody has been inimical to them and has caused them harm and grief or has even rendered their heart into pieces, still for the sake of God they should not refuse him food and clothing and should not hesitate to render him help when he is in trouble:

"And let not those who possess dignity and ease among you swear not to give to the near of kin and to the needy, and to fugitives for the cause of Allah. Let them forgive and show indulgence. Yearn ye not that Allah may forgive you? Allah is Forgiving Merciful."' (Al-Qur'an 24: 22)

3.     Must be large-hearted

Here are needed large-hearted men who:

"Feed with food the needy wretch, the orphan and the prisoner, for love of Allah (saying) we feed you, for the sake of Allah only. We wish for no reward nor thanks from you." (Al-Qur'an 76: 8-9)

4.     Must be of pure heart

Here are needed those pure-hearted men who give away in the cause of Allah the choicest articles out of their God-given assets:

1.      This verse was revealed when a relative of Hadrat Abu Bakr took part in the accusation against his daughter. Hadrat Aesha, and Hadrat Abu Bakr getting aggrieved at this improper act and stopped financial aid to him. When this verse was revealed Hadrat Abu Bakr trembled and said that he sought forgiveness of Allah and restarted helping that man who caused him much mental agony.

"O believers! Out of what you have earned and of that which We bring forth from the earth for you, spend the best in the path of Allah. Do not spend for Him the bad thereof" (Al-Qur'an 2: 267)

5.     Must spend even in poverty and adversity

Here are needed those magnanimous people who even when in poverty and adversity do not hesitate to curtail their expenditure and spend the saving in the service of Allah's religion and to help the slaves of Allah:

"Hasten towards the forgiveness of your Lord and towards a Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth and is prepared for those pious persons who spend for Allah both in ease and in adversity." (Al-Qur'an 3: 133)

6.     Must be generous

Here are needed those faithfuls who truly believe that whatever is spent in the path of Allah will not go waste and that, on the other hand, God will grant the best recompense for it both in this world and in the Hereafter. For this reason, they spend simply to earn the pleasure of Allah. They never care whether or not people have come to know about their generosity and largess, and whether or not anybody has thanked them for their gift:

"Whatever you spend in the way of Allah, it is for your own good, when you spend not for anybody's pleasure except that of Allah. Thus whatever you spend for any good work you will get full benefit of it c. 1 you will not be wronged to the slightest extent." (Al-Qur'an 2: 272)

7.     Must remember Allah in all conditions

Here are needed those brave people who do not forget God in affluence and prosperity, and those who remember God even when living in palaces and rolling in luxury:

"O ye who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children distract you from remembrance of Allah. Those who do so, they are the losers." (Al-Qur'an 62: 9)

The above are the essential qualities of entrant into Allah's party. Without these attributes nobody can be included amongst the friends of Allah. In fact, this is not only a test of man's morals but a more stiff and severe test of his faith. That person has in reality no faith in God and in the Hereafter who evades spending in the path of God, regards such spending as a fine imposed on him, contrives excuses to avoid spending and, when he does spend, tries to lessen its painful effect by boasting of his favour to the recipients or desires that his generosity be publicised. He thinks that whatever was spent in the path of God was wasted Luxury, comfort, zestful enjoyment, benefits and fame are all dearer to him than God and His pleasure. He thinks that all that exists is confined to the life of this world only. In his opinion if money is to be spent, it should be spent for the sake of name and fame in this world so that its price may be realized here only. Otherwise, if money too goes away and nobody comes to know that such and such person spent so much money in a certain good cause, then all that he spent would be reduced to dust. It has been clearly stated in the Qur'an that such a person is unacceptable to Allah. It" he boasts of lmam, he is hypocrite. Note the following verses:

8.     Must not assert obligation

"O ye who believe! Render not vain your almsgiving by asserting obligation and by causing insult, like him who spends his wealth only to be seen and earn name, and believes not in Allah and the Last Day." (Al-Qur’an2: 264)

9.     Must not hoard wealth

"They who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah, unto them give tiding of a painful doom." (Al-Qur'an 20: 34)

10.                        Must not seek leave when required for cause of Allah

"O Prophet! Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day ask no leave of thee lest they should strive with their wealth and their lives. Allah is aware of those who keep their duty (unto Him). They alone ask leave of thee who believe not in Allah and the Last Day, and whose hearts feel doubt, so in their doubt they waver" (Al-Qur'an 9: 44-45)

11.                        Must be wholeheartedly obedient in the way of Allah

"Their contribution in the way of Allah is not accepted simply because they in fact do not believe in Allah and His messenger. They come to worship as idlers and pay contribution reluctantly." (Al-Qur'an 20: 54)

'The hypocrites, both men and women, belong to the same stock. They enjoin the wrong and they forbid the right, and they withhold their hands from spending for the cause of Allah. They forget Allah so He has forgotten them. Lo! the hypocrites, they are the transgressors." (Al-Qur'an 9: 67)

12.                        Must not consider spending towards the cause of Allah as undue imposition

"And of the wandering Arabs (i.e. hypocrites) are some who consider what they spend for the cause of Allah, as a loss." (Al-Qur'an 9: 98)

13.                        Must not be miserly

"Lo! you are those who are called to spend in the way of Allah yet among you there are some who are miserly. And as for him who is a miser, he hoardeth only from his soul. And Allah is the Rich, and you are the poor. If you turn away from spending for the cause of Allah, He will exchange you for some other folk and they will not be the likes of you." (Al-Qur'an 47: 38)

Brethren-in-Islam! This is the real position of that Zakat which is a pillar of your religion. Do not consider it a tax like the tax levied by the governments of the world. In fact, it is the essence of Islam and its very life. It is in reality a test of faith. Just as a man progresses after giving one examination after another until he becomes a graduate on finishing his final examination, in the same way there are several examinations in the way of Allah, the fourth of them is that of sacrifice of wealth. After passing this successfully he becomes a complete Muslim though this is not the final examination. After this comes the much harder examination of sacrifice of life which I shall describe later on. But this is the final component of the admission test fixed to enter the orbit of Islam or in other words, the party of Allah. These days some people say that lots of preaching has already been done to Muslims to spend money and to squander wealth, but now in this state of poverty and penury they ought to be lectured on how to earn and amass money. But they do not know that this very thing which arouses their care actually constitutes the spirit of Islam, and the factor which has plunged Muslims into the pit of degradation and ignominy is lack of this very spirit. Muslims did not fall because this spirit was the cause of their decline but they fell because this spirit had fizzled out. In my future address I shall explain that Zakat and Sadaqaat are really the soul of our collective life and in these have been assembled all the blessings of not only the Hereafter but of this world too. After Salah, Zakat is the greatest pillar of Islam. Generally, since in the usual series of lbadaat fasting immediately follows Salah, people have come to understand that fasting is as next to Salah. But from the Holy Qur'an we learn that in Islam Zakat stands second in importance to Salah. These are the two great pillars on which rests the structure of Islam. If these are removed Islam cannot survive.