Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Allah, Exalted is He, urged His servants to hasten to perform good deeds, and promised them abundant rewards in this worldly life and the Hereafter. In this hadeeth, Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) informed us that the Prophet ﷺ stated that whoever spends in charity two items of wealth, e.g., two cows, two Dirhams, two loaves of bread, or two garments, will earn such reward. It may also mean whoever spends them in charity on two consecutive occasions. His saying “in Allah’s Cause” means, ‘while aspiring to His reward,’ and this is more general than Jihaad and other worshipful acts. Whoever does so, the angels will call upon him on the Day of Resurrection from the gates of Paradise, welcoming him to enter it. They will say: “Oh servant of Allah, this is good,” meaning, ‘the good deed that you have done is more virtuous than all worldly pleasures.’ The Arabic word ‘khayr’ (lit. good) used in the hadeeth means in this context ‘virtuous’ rather the comparative adjective ‘better’, even if the wording may imply otherwise, and the wisdom is to urge the listener to seek entering Paradise through that gate. It could also mean that this gate through which you are asked to enter Paradise is good, meaning that therein lies all that is good, and the statement denotes honoring them. Allah, Exalted is He, allocated a special gate in Paradise for each worshipful act. So, those who devote themselves to performing voluntary prayers after performing the obligatory ones shall be called upon to enter Paradise through the gate of prayer, and they will enter it, and the same goes for all other acts of worship, such as Jihaad and charity. Likewise, the angels shall receive those who devotedly observed fasting frequently at the gate of Al-Rayyaan, calling upon them to enter through it. This gate is called “Al-Rayyaan,” which is derivedfrom a root that means quenching thirst because whoever enters Paradise through it will never experience thirst again. The name conveniently suits the situation of these people because it is their reward for enduring thirst and hunger. The name refers to quenching thirst rather than satiating hunger because thirst is harder to endure compared to hunger. His saying: “Whoever was amongst those who used to give in charity will be called from the gate of charity,” is not a repetition of the same meaning denoted by his saying: “Whoever spends two items of wealth” at the beginning of the hadeeth, because spending even an insignificant item of wealth in charity is better than the great worldly pleasures, and this applies to all the gates of Paradise, but it is stated here in particular for further emphasis. Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Let my parents be sacrificed for you, O Allah's Messenger! No distress or need will befall the one who will be called from those gates!” This is because such a person shall taste bliss in Paradise. It could also mean that whoever shall be called upon to enter Paradise through some of these gates will not need to be called upon to enter it through other ones; it is adequate to be called upon to enter Paradise through one gate! Afterwards, Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: “Will anyone be called from all of these gates?” The Prophet ﷺ replied, "Yes, and I hope you will be one of them." He ﷺ replied that some believers will be called upon to enter from all those gates as they will have performed numerous and various worshipful acts. He ﷺ added: “I hope you will be one of them.” He (may Allah be pleased with him) had devotedly performed all worshipful acts for which Allah, Exalted is He, allocated gates in Paradise. It was narrated on the authority of Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ asked once: ‘Who among you is fasting today?’ Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, ‘I am.’ He ﷺ asked, ‘Who among you followed a funeral today?’ Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said, ‘I did.’ He ﷺ further asked, ‘Who among you presented food to a needy person today?’ Again, Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said, ‘I did.’ He ﷺ asked, ‘Who among you visited a patient (to inquire about his health and check on them) today?’ Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, ‘I did.’ Upon this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ remarked: ‘Those (good deeds) never meet in a person but that he would be admitted to Paradise.’” [Muslim]. It is deduced from the hadeeth that the angels love the devout people and rejoice at meeting them. It is also inferred that a Muslim is urged to spend more in charity; the more the merrier, and that it is required of Muslims to wish for good in this worldly life and the Hereafter. The hadeeth also underlines the virtues of Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and the merits of those who combine the qualities of goodness. It is also deduced from the hadeeth that it is permissible to praise someone to his face as long as it is not feared that it would not usher him into conceit and similar diseases of the heart..