are acting out of hope for reward and fear of punishment so that you become fully certain of the Hereafter.

Shaykh al-Islām (may Allah have mercy on him) coined a fine maxim from this verse, saying: bi-ṣ-ṣabr wa-l-yaqīn tunālu al-imāmah fī ad-dīn (Through patience and certainty one attains leadership in the religion). He extracted it from Allah’s words, “because they were patient and were certain of Our signs” (al-Sajdah 32:24). It is, then, through patience and certainty that leadership in the religion is gained. I ask Allah to make me and you leaders in His religion—guides for His servants who are themselves rightly guided. He is Bountiful and Generous.

171 — Abū ʿAmr, Jarīr ibn ʿAbdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the early part of the day when a group of people arrived who were almost naked. They were wearing rough woollen cloaks or mantles with holes cut through the middle, their swords slung over their shoulders. Most of them—indeed all of them—were from the tribe of Muḍar. The face of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ changed when he saw the poverty they were suffering. He went inside, then came back out and ordered Bilāl to pronounce the adhān and the iqāmah. After leading us in prayer he delivered a sermon, reciting:

“O mankind, fear your Lord who created you from a single soul … Indeed Allah is ever Watchful over you” (al-Nisāʾ 1),

and the verse at the end of Sūrah al-Hashr:

“O you who believe, fear Allah, and let every soul look to what it has sent ahead for tomorrow” (al-Hashr 18).

He then exhorted, “Let a man give in charity from his dinar, from his dirham, from his garment, from a sāʿ of his wheat, from a sāʿ of his dates—even with half a date.”

A man from the Anṣār came with a purse so heavy his hand could scarcely hold it—indeed, he could not hold it. Then the people followed one after another until I saw two heaps of food and clothing. I also saw the face of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ shine, glowing like gold. He ﷺ said, “Whoever initiates a good practice in Islam will have its reward and the reward of all who act upon it after him, without any reduction in their rewards; and whoever initiates an evil practice in Islam will bear its sin and the sin of all who act upon it after him, without any…”