more than in the summer, because they need more food. A person eats more in winter than he does in summer; in winter, he needs more clothing than he needs in summer, and he needs more heating than he needs in summer.

Temporary need is such as when a famine or drought occurs and people become more needy, whether in winter or summer. Charity at such times is likewise more virtuous.

Does the nobility of a place apply if a particular region of the earth is afflicted by famine or not?

The answer is no, because this is not due to the nobility of the place, but rather due to need. The proof is that if the people of that place become well-off, charity given to them becomes like charity given to others.

However, charity in Mecca and Medina is more virtuous than elsewhere without qualification, due to the nobility of the place.

Question: If the nobility of the place conflicts with the virtue of particular circumstances, which takes precedence?

The answer is that the virtue of the circumstances takes precedence, because charity was prescribed in order to relieve need. Thus, its merit in relation to needs pertains to the act of worship itself. A beneficial principle concerning this matter has preceded:

“Whenever a virtue pertains to the essence of an act of worship, giving it due consideration takes precedence over a virtue that pertains to its time or place.”

“It is recommended to give from what exceeds his own sufficiency and that of those he supports; and he is sinful if he gives in a manner that diminishes it.”

His statement, “It is recommended to give from what exceeds his own sufficiency and that of those he supports”: what exceeds—