Giving Charity During the Night

“When it became dark and a part of the night had passed, abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), would pick up on his shoulder a sack of bread, meat and money and go to the needy people of al-Madinah, distribute it among them, and no one knew who he was. When abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), passed away, they missed him and realized that he (the helping person) was abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.).”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘If a needy person comes to you during the night asking for help, you must not turn him away (without giving any charity).’”

“One rainy night, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), went out to Zullah of banu Sa‘idah. I followed him and saw that some of his things fell down. He said, ‘Bismillah (by the name of Allah). O Lord, please return it back to us.’ I went to him and greeted him with the greetings of peace. He said, ‘Is it you, Mu‘alla’?’ I replied, ‘Yes, may Allah keep my soul in the service of your cause.’ He said. ‘Search with your hands and give us whatever you find.’ I found a great deal of bread spread around and kept giving whatever bread I found to him. I found a sack full of bread so heavy that I could not lift it up. I then said, ‘May Allah keep my soul in the service of your cause; allow me to pick it up on my head.’ He said, ‘No, I am more proper for this than you are, but come along with me.’ We then reached Zullah of banu Sa‘idah and found a whole company of people sleeping. He then began to make one or two breads available to each one to the last of them, in a way that no one else could see. We then returned and I asked, ‘May Allah keep my soul in the service of your cause, do these people know the truth (are they Shi‘a)?’ He replied, ‘Were they of those who know the truth, we would have joined them for bread with salt. Allah, the most Blessed, the most High, has made a treasurer for everything He has created, except charity. The Lord Himself is the treasurer thereof. When my father would give charity, he would place it in the hand of the person asking for help, then take it back from him, kiss and smell it, and then give it back to him. Giving charity during the night extinguishes the anger of the Lord, deletes the great sin and makes presentation of one’s accounts easier. Giving charity during the day increases one’s wealth and longevity of life. Jesus, son of Mary, when passing by the coastline of the ocean, threw a loaf of bread in the water. Someone among his disciples said, ‘O the Spirit and Word of Allah, why did you throw your bread in the water, it was your food for the day?’ Jesus replied, ‘I did it for the living things in the ocean that may eat it and the reward for it with Allah is great.’”