In the chapter on humility, the first narration is that of ʿIyāḍ ibn Ḥimār (may Allah be pleased with him). He related that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Allah has revealed to me that you must be humble.” In other words, each of you should humble himself to the other and not exalt himself over him; rather he should regard the other as his equal, or even show him greater honour. The habit of the early generations—may Allah have mercy on them—was that when one of them met someone younger, he treated him like a son; when he met someone older, he treated him like a father; and when he met someone of equal age, he treated him like a brother. Thus he looked up to the one older than himself with respect and reverence, looked down to the one younger with compassion and mercy, and looked to his peer with a sense of equality, so that no one wronged another. Such humility before Allah and before one’s fellow Muslims is a trait that every person is obliged to cultivate.
As for the unbeliever, Allah has commanded that he be fought, dealt with sternly, angered, and humiliated to the extent possible. However, if he enjoys a covenant or a pledge of protection, Muslims are required to honour that covenant, not violate it, and not harm him so long as the pledge remains in force.
Next, the author cites the hadith of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Charity does not diminish wealth.” That is to say, almsgiving does not reduce one’s assets, contrary to what a person may imagine or to what Satan promises. Allah the Exalted says, “Satan threatens you with poverty and commands you to indecency” (Al-Baqarah 2:268). Indecency (fahshāʾ) here covers everything deemed vile, including miserliness and the like. Satan promises a person poverty: when one wishes to give charity he whispers, “Do not give—this will diminish your wealth, it will make you poor. Hold on to it.” Yet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has informed us that charity does not diminish wealth. Someone might say, “How can it not, when a man who possesses one hundred and gives ten is left with ninety?” The answer is that the decrease is only a numerical one, whereas charity increases