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The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is authentically reported to have said: “I know the last of the inhabitants of Paradise to enter therein and the last of the inhabitants of Hellfire to come out of it. He is a man who will be brought on the Day of Judgment and it will be said: ‘Present his minor sins to him and withhold from him his major ones.’ Then, the minor sins will be shown to him, and it will be said: ‘On such-and-such a day you did so-and-so, and on such- and-such a day, you did so-and-so?’
He will say: ‘Yes.’ It will not be possible for him to deny, while he will be afraid lest his major sins should be presented before him.
It will be said to him: ‘In place of every evil deed, you will have a good deed.’ He will say: ‘My Lord, I have done things I do not see here.’”
Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) - the narrator of the Hadīth - said: “I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) laugh till his premolar teeth became visible.” [Narrated by Muslim]
What a Generous, Forbearing, and Great Lord!
{O mankind, what has lured you away from your Lord, the Generous?} [Surat al-Infitār: 6] {...Whoever is grateful, it is only for his own good; and whoever is ungrateful, then my Lord is Self-Sufficient, Generous.} [Surat an-Naml: 40]
Generosity is a term that comprises all good traits and acts. It does not only mean ‘giving’. Scholars expressed various views with regard to the meaning of this name, all of which are right.
Our Lord is the Bestower of abundant blessings and favors. He ceaselessly brings good, and He is Great and Exalted above all deficiencies and defects. He is the Giver of favors and the Owner of grace. He gives without reason and without expecting anything in return. He gives those who are in need and those who are not in need. When He makes a promise, He fulfills it. All needs, big or small, are presented to Him. Indeed, He does not disappoint anyone who resorts to Him. He pardons sins and forgives evil deeds and even turns them into good ones. He gives us before we even ask from Him.
He endowed us with hearing, eyesight, hearts, body organs, strength, and countless talents, apparent and hidden. {...If you try to count the blessings of Allah, you cannot count them. Indeed, mankind is highly unjust and ungrateful.} [Surat Ibrāhim: 34] He bestows His blessings upon us before we ask Him and even without asking at all, out of His bounty and generosity. He gives us and then appreciates what we do.
Our Generous Lord is the One Who pardons while possessing supreme might, and when He makes a promise, He fulfills it. He promised to give the believers various kinds of blessings, fortunes, and welfare in this world and in the Hereafter.
More than that, He even makes the punishment of the sinners subject to His will; He may punish or forgive them if He so wills.
Our Lord is the One Who does not turn down a supplicant. He is “Modest, Generous.”
He gives faith and then appreciates it: {...but Allah guides whom He wills. Whatever wealth you spend in charity, it is for your own good – as long as you do so seeking Allah’s pleasure. And whatever wealth you spend in charity, you will be rewarded in full, and you will not be wronged. } [Surat al-Baqarah: 272]
Al-Junayd heard a man reciting: {...We truly found him patient – an excellent and faithful slave he was. He constantly turned [to Us].} [Surat Sād: 44] Thereupon, he said: “Glory be to Allah! He gave and then praised.” In other words, He endowed him with patience and then praised him for that.
To Allah I extend my praise and thanks.
All praise is due to our Lord.
I testify that other than Allah there is no god.
He is Generous, Merciful, and upon Him we pin our hopes.
Glory be to Him, Who is Most Generous!
Generosity and bounty are among His greatest attributes, and His giving never ceases. Could there ever be someone who is more bountiful than Him?!
His servants disobey Him as He watches over them, and He still preserves and takes care of them as they move and sleep as if they did not commit a sin. He bestows His favors even upon sinners and wrongdoers. Who is that who supplicates Him and He does not respond to him?! Who is that who asks from Him and He does not give him?! And who is that who stands at His door and He drives him away?! He is the Owner of grace and Giver of favors. He is the Most Generous and all bounty comes from Him.
Our Lord, Exalted be He, does not need our gratitude. Indeed, our thankfulness does not benefit Him at all, nor does ingratitude harm Him in any way. Nonetheless, He is Generous as He does not hasten to inflict punishment upon those who deserve it. {...And whoever is ungrateful, then my Lord is Self-Sufficient, Generous.} [Surat an-Naml: 40]
Out of His perfect self-sufficiency and generosity, He created His servants to worship Him and undertakes to provide for all of them, humans and jinn, believers and disbelievers. {I have not created the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. I seek no provision from them, nor do I want them to feed Me. Indeed, it is Allah Who is the All-Provider, Lord of Power, the Strong.} [Surat adh-Dhāriyāt: 56-58]
Indeed, no request or supplication whatsoever is too great for Allah Almighty to grant and answer. He is the Magnificent, the Generous. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is authentically reported to have said: “When anyone of you supplicates, he should not say: ‘O Allah, forgive me if You will.’ But he should be determined in his request and ask persistently for what he desires for no bounty is too great for Allah to bestow.” [Narrated by Muslim]
Another aspect of Allah’s generosity is that He made supplication the most noble act of worship in His sight. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is authentically reported to have said: “Nothing is more honorable in the sight of Allah than supplication.” [Narrated by Ibn Mājah; Hasan (sound)]
Think about His supreme generosity. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Verily, Allah is Modest and Generous. He is too Modest to turn down His servant empty-handed when he raises his hands (in supplication) to Him.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; Sahīh (authentic)]
His generosity will remain enduring and ceaseless till we meet Him. Here is the greatest favor and gift you will receive on the Day of Judgment, if you are a believer: {Such are the true believers; they will have high ranks with their Lord, and forgiveness and an honorable provision.} [Surat al-Anfāl: 4]
He even gives more than we wish. In a Qudsi Hadīth, Allah Almighty said: “I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and no human mind has ever imagined.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim] Indeed, what is even better than all of this is looking at His noble Face. {On that Day some faces will be bright, looking at their Lord.} [Surat al-Qiyāmah: 22-23]
O Allah, make us among them, O the Most Generous of those who are generous!
The criterion according to which a person will be honored or humiliated on the Day of Judgment is piety. {...Indeed, the most noble of you before Allah is the most righteous among you...} [Surat al-Hujurāt: 13] The disbelievers do not deserve honor, only humiliation: {...But there are many on whom the punishment has become due. Whoever Allah disgraces, none can honor him. Allah surely does what He wills.} [Surat al-Hajj: 18] The criteria commonly used by people in this world do not matter. Allah Almighty says about them: {As for man, when he is tested by his Lord by honoring him and bestowing blessings upon him, he says, “My Lord has [deservedly] honored me!” But when he is tested by restricting his provision, he says, “My Lord has [undeservedly] humiliated me!”} [Surat al-Fajr: 15-16]
Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “One of the methods by which Satan deceives ordinary people is that when they commit sins and get criticized for that, they say: Indeed, our Lord is Generous, and His pardon is vast!”
He who gets attached to the Qur’an is given the glad tidings of being granted honor in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah Almighty says: {This is indeed a noble Qur’an.} [Surat al-Wāqi‘ah: 77] It abounds with goodness and knowledge. Its memorizer gets protected and its reciter gets honored.
Our Generous Lord rescues people from drowning, causes those who have been absent to return home, grants recovery to the afflicted, supports the oppressed, guides the astray, enriches the poor, cures the sick, and gives relief to the distressed. He likes to be supplicated by His names. When distressed, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: “La ilāha illallāh Al-‘Azhīm Al-Halīm, la ilāha illallāh Rabbu al-‘arshi al-‘azhīm, la ilāha illallāh Rabbu as-samāwāti wa Rabbu al-ardi wa Rabbu al-‘arshi al-Karīm (There is no god except Allah, the Magnificent, the Forbearing. There is no god except Allah, the Lord of the Mighty Throne. There is no god except Allah, the Lord of the heavens, the earth, and the Honorable Throne).” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
Allah Almighty loves the generous. Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “If a person treats others generously, Allah will treat him generously and graciously. Indeed, recompense is of the same type of the action.”
O Lord, You are All-Knowing of all things. Nothing is hidden from You. I implore You to grant us safety at times of afflictions and severe hardships. I present all my needs to You, with Whom hearts feel reassured. I have no other door but the door of my Lord, the Generous, the Bestower of favors, the Beneficent, the All-Subtle. O King of the kings, forgive my sins.
You are our Beloved One, my Lord. You cover our faults and answer our supplications. My sins kept me away from You. But I have none but You to forgive and heal me.
O Allah, the Generous, honor us by Your Paradise, pardon, and pleasure.