while he is a disbeliever—such people have had all their deeds nullified in this world and the Hereafter; they are the inhabitants of the Fire, there to remain for ever (al-Baqarah 2:217).
If, however, a person has done good and then embraces Islam, the good he previously performed is safeguarded for him and he will be granted its reward.
The second quality is trustworthiness: he discharges the trust placed in him, safeguarding the property, neither ruining it nor neglecting it nor exceeding what is permissible.
The third quality is carrying out what he has been ordered to do—that is, he actually performs it. Some people may be trustworthy yet sluggish; this treasurer is both trustworthy and proactive, combining competence with reliability.
The fourth quality is that he gives with a willing heart. When he executes the order and hands over what he has been commanded to give, he does so cheerfully, without reminding the recipient of a favor or displaying any sense of superiority. He gives with goodwill; thus he is counted as one of the charitable donors even though he has not spent a single penny of his own wealth.
Consider the following example: A man possesses funds and appoints a treasurer over them—a Muslim who is trustworthy, who carries out the owner’s instructions, and who disburses the money with a willing spirit. If the owner of the strong-box says, “So-and-so, give this poor man ten thousand riyals,” and the treasurer gives it in the manner the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) described, he will receive the same reward as the one who donated ten thousand riyals, without the donor’s reward being reduced in the slightest. This is a grace from Allah.
This ḥadith therefore demonstrates the virtue of trustworthiness, the excellence of carrying out what one has been entrusted with and not neglecting it, and that whoever assists another in righteousness and God-fearing cooperation is recorded as having the same reward as the one who actually performs the deed. Such is Allah’s bounty; He bestows it upon whom He wills. Allah alone grants success.