Why Some People Don't Give Charity?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Why some people don't give charity has something to do with selfishness and stinginess. Selfish people suffer from fear of loss of control and that's why they keep all of their resources to themselves. In the case of stinginess the person feels too insecure to give some of his money to others because he believes he doesn't have enough money.

Now does this mean that people with money is generous? No, that's not correct because the insecurity stingy people feel is usually in their minds and might have nothing to do with the amount of money they have. In other words, a person can have a very large some of money yet still feel financially insecure because of believing that he doesn't have enough money.

A study shows that having an unmet need in one domain can result in stinginess in another domain. That's why a person who always felt unloved by others might become very stingy. When a person believes that his resources are scarce even when these resources are emotional then he might become stingy. This also means that feeling insecure about one area of your life might result in emotional or financial stinginess. Another interesting study was carried out to find the connection between thinking about money and stinginess. The conclusion the researchers came up with is that the more a person thinks about money the more likely he is to be stingy.

This might also mean that people who love money or who are obsessed with it might find it very unpleasant to give it away.

If Allah does not make zakat obligatory, people will not give charity because of their great love for money as Allah Almighty says in the Qur'an,

وَتُحِبُّونَ ٱلْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا

And you love wealth with immense love. (20)

[Qur'an al-Fajr 89:20]

If a person always felt anxious about money during his childhood as a result of believing that his family didn't have enough money to spend on him then he might grow into a stingy adult. This insecurity the person suffers from will prevent him from giving his limited resources to others.

If we teach our children to give from when they were small, they will not have these two problems of selfishness and stinginess, no matter how poor your family is.

As Muslims, we should know that whatever you give is not going to decrease your wealth and it is not going to make you poor. In fact, it will increase it and purify your remaining wealth. This may not make sense if we based it on math but if we understand "barakah" (Allah's blessings), then it all make sense. And Allah Almighty says,

إِنَّ ٱلْمُصَّدِّقِينَ وَٱلْمُصَّدِّقَـٰتِ وَأَقْرَضُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا يُضَـٰعَفُ لَهُمْ وَلَهُمْ أَجْرٌ كَرِيمٌ ﴿١٨

Indeed, the men who practice charity and the women who practice charity and [they who] have loaned Allah a goodly loan - it will be multiplied for them, and they will have a noble reward. (18)

[Qur'an Al-Hadid 57:18]

There is also a tremendous reward in this life for those who spend their wealth for the sake of Allah. Allah Almighty says,

مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّـهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنۢبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِى كُلِّ سُنۢبُلَةٍ مِّا۟ئَةُ حَبَّةٍ ۗ وَٱللَّـهُ يُضَـٰعِفُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّـهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed [of grain] which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies [His reward] for whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.

[Qur'an al-Baqarah 2:261]

Giving charity wards off affliction in this world, questioning in the grave and punishment on Judgment Day.

Allah Almighty says,

ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُم بِٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ ﴿٢٧٤

Those who spend their wealth [in Allah 's way] by night and by day, secretly and publicly - they will have their reward with their Lord. And no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve. (274)

[Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:274]

Allah commands us to love only Him. Spending our wealth is a gauge to measure our love for Him. The heart of the believer is only for Allah. Spending is the test for that. Allah doesn't need us nor our money. He is Allah, the Owner of everything, including us and everything we have, the One Who has Power over all things. We are in complete need of Allah in this life and the next.

You don't love anything except you are a slave of it and Allah does not want you to be a slave of anything except Him. To love Allah is for our own good. Everything of this world comes and goes, and we will eventually leave this world too.

Whatever you love of this world cannot help you in your grave, or when you are drowned in your own sweat in the Day of Judgment from the intense heat and fear, or when you are crossing the bridge over the Hellfire, or when you are burning in the Hellfire. May Allah save us from His wrath and punishment.

People who spend everything they own really prove their love for Allah. Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), the best of the Companions, was an example of this. When he saw someone in trouble, he did his best to help him. If his money could remove suffering, he did not care how much he had to spend. Once he gave away thirty-five dirhams out of his total fortune of forty thousand. He was an example of the highest level of the believers but most of us are not able to do this.

When you give, don't give grudgingly and don't look down upon the recipient or feel that you are better than him. Give cheerfully and rejoice for this is a sign of Allah's acceptance of the good deed. Thank the people who accepted your charity because they have done you a huge favor by enabling you to fulfill your obligation with Allah and helping you to unlock a gate to Paradise.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

'O Allah, grant me life as a poor man, cause me to die as a poor man and resurrect me in the company of the poor.' His wife asked him why he said that, and he replied: 'Because (the poor) will enter Paradise (before) the rich. Do not turn away a poor man even if all you can give is half a date. If you love the poor and bring them near you Allah will bring you near Him on the Day of Resurrection.'

[Tirmidhi]

Choose the best recipients for your charity. In the list of priority first is close relative who are poor and needy, then neighbor and then those in close vicinity, city and nation. One of the best recipients of charity are students of sacred knowledge, scholars and righteous people. Some of the salaf used to say:

Do not eat but the food of the pious and let none eat your food but the pious.

May Allah make us of those who are generous and increase us in provision both physically and spiritually. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam