4 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; he said: Abū Hammām narrated to me; he said: Abū Yaḥyā al-Thaqafī narrated to me, from al-Ḥārith al-Numayrī, from Abū Hārūn, from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, who said:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has appointed certain servants among His creation for acts of kindness. He has endeared goodness to them and made them love to carry it out; He directs those who seek charity toward them and makes giving easy for them, just as He channels the rain to barren earth so that it comes to life and brings life to its people.

Likewise, Allah—exalted be His mention—has set up enemies of goodness among His creation. He has made them detest benevolence and loathe its practice, and He has barred them from giving, just as He withholds rain from a parched land so that it is destroyed along with its inhabitants.

Yet His pardon is greater still.”