that, so that their reward would remain with Allah Most High and they would not have taken recompense from the recipient. Thus, whenever ‘Ā’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, sent a gift to some people, she would tell the messenger: “Listen to what they pray for us, so that we may pray the same for them and our reward may remain with Allah Most High.”

This and the like represent the highest conceivable degree of generosity as it is commonly known. As for the generosity of the people of the pre-Islamic era and others like them, who seek praise through it, even after their death, that falls short of this.

Moreover, a person may love doing good and showing kindness for their own sake, taking pleasure in them without any ulterior purpose. Rather, he delights in kindness to others just as he delights in familiar pleasures—or even more intensely—even if he gains nothing beyond the pleasure of showing kindness. Likewise, wicked souls may delight in wrongdoing and aggression, even when this brings them no benefit and averts no harm. This too exists, and such a person is indeed benevolent and generous. But as for there being someone who acts for no reason pertaining either to himself or to anything else, this has no reality whatsoever. It is well known [that] those versed in religious law and language, and all other rational people who say, “Generosity is giving what ought to be given