Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
Among the beautiful, sublime qualities of Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was the quality of generosity. Even before Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was blessed with nubuwwah, he was an embodiment of generosity and would readily spend his wealth on the creation.
This beautiful quality of generosity was also salient in the life of Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb (rahimahullah). Such was his generosity that some of his students mention that even if he had to be given a large sum of money, he wouldn’t hesitate to spend it all in charity without keeping a single cent for himself. (Hayaat-e-Mahmood 2/272)
Similarly, if any person in need approached Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb (rahimahullah) for some assistance, and he had no money to give the person at that time, then he would not turn the person away empty-handed, but would give him something – even if it was some of the food he was eating at that time. (Hayaat-e-Mahmood 2/272)
There are many incidents in his life which illustrate his profound spirit of generosity. Some of these incidents have been mentioned below:
Spending His Own Wealth on the Poor Students in the Madrasah
It is mentioned that Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb (rahimahullah) had made special arrangements to grant an allowance to certain students from his own wealth. During the course of the year, Hazrat Mufti Saheb (rahimahullah) would buy various important reference kitaabs and distribute them among the iftaa students (students becoming Muftis). Similarly, when these students were graduating, Hazrat Mufti Saheb (rahimahullah) would purchase and give them certain Fatwa kitaabs which they would require. In this manner, certain students were given so many kitaabs by Hazrat Mufti Saheb (rahimahullah) that these kitaabs alone amounted to a small library. (Hayaat-e-Mahmood 2/274)
Kindness to Beggars
On one occasion, a man came to Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb (rahimahullah) and said, “My daughter has passed away and I don’t have any money to buy her kafan. Please give me something.” Accordingly, Hazrat Mufti Saheb (rahimahullah) gave the man the amount required to purchase a kafan.
After the man left, someone remarked over the fact that Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb (rahimahullah) did not even enquire as to whether the man’s daughter had really passed away or not. Hearing the remark, Hazrat Mufti Saheb (rahimahullah) replied, “There was absolutely no need to investigate.” “The person asked, “Why was there no need to investigate?”
Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb (rahimahullah) replied, “An investigation should only be carried out when one is in doubt. I was not in doubt, but rather I was certain that he was lying as his face showed no sign of grief. A person who loses his daughter must show some signs of sorrow.”
The person thus asked. “In that case, why did you give him the money?” Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb (rahimahullah) replied, “I gave him the money out of gratitude to Allah Ta‘ala that He has not placed me in such a calamity (i.e. where I have to speak lies in order to acquire money).” (Hayaat-e-Mahmood 2/271)
On another occasion, when a beggar came to Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb (rahimahullah), he gave a student a 100 rupee note to give to the beggar. Seeing the large amount, the student assumed that Hazrat Mufti Saheb (rahimahullah) had only given it as he did not have any smaller change. Thus, the student made change, giving part of it to the beggar and returning the remainder to Hazrat Mufti Saheb (rahimahullah).
On seeing what the student had done, Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb (rahimahullah) said, “I did not tell you to do this, rather I intended giving all the money to the beggar.” The student apologized and explained that he did not think that Hazrat Mufti Saheb (rahimahullah) had intended to give the beggar the entire amount. Nevertheless, since the beggar had already departed and left, Hazrat Mufti Saheb (rahimahullah) gave the change to the student. (Hayaat-e-Mahmood 2/271)
