All praise be to Allah and may peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Sallahu ‘alayhi wa Salam
It is the mercy of Allah that He opens numerous doors for anyone to gain unlimited amount of reward. It is also from His immense favour that He revealed a variety of ways to gain His pleasure and these rewards. Ramadan in particular is the most virtuous month of the whole year. Many scholars confirmed that the reward of any good deed carried out during the month of Ramadan is multiplied many times over. The reward of one pound of charity given in Ramadan is far greater than if it were to be given outside of Ramadan. A simple idea that gives us immense reward, is to provide iftaar for commuters and travellers at the time of breaking fast. Providing iftaar for a fating person is one of the most virtuous deeds.
It was narrated that Zayd ibn Khaalid al-Juhani who said: The Messenger of Allah (Sallahu ‘alayhi wa Salam) said:
Whoever gives iftaar to one who is fasting will have a reward like his, without that detracting from the reward of the fasting person in the slightest.
It is true that some of the scholars such as Ibn Taymiyah mentioned that the meaning of giving iftaar is to give enough to satisfy the fasting person. However, many other scholars consider any provision for the iftaar to be sufficient whether it be a date or a sip of water.
Many Muslims commuting or traveling may not carry dates or water to break their fast with. The one who is seeking great rewards can prepare ready-sealed bags that include dates and a small bottle of water to distribute to those Muslims who are fasting during their journeys. I remember when I was travelling to Egypt a few years ago just before iftaar and I had my dates with me to break my fast. A brother was carrying a large bag of dates which was sufficient to provide one date for each passenger on the entire plane. It was a wonderful initiative and a novel idea that gave him the reward of a fast for each person he provided iftaar for.
The reward of any act in Islam can be increased or decreased based on 1) the quality of the intention and 2) the quantity of the intentions the doer has. The great scholar, Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said,
| “Many a small deed becomes bigger because of the intention, and many a big sin becomes smaller because of the intention.” |
A strong and pure intention will not have the same reward of a weak intention. Moreover, a person may intend numerous intentions for one action. Of these multiple intentions, the main one is to please Allah by providing Iftaar for those who fasted for Him alone. You may also intend to make these Muslims happy. It was reported that the Prophet (Sallahu ‘alayhi wa Salam) said:
| The most beloved of people to Allah is the one who brings most benefit to people, and the most beloved of deeds to Allah is making a Muslim happy, or relieving him of hardship, or paying off his debt, or warding off hunger from him. For me to go with my Muslim brother to meet his need is dearer to me than observing itikaaf in this mosque meaning the mosque of Madeenah for a month whoever goes with his Muslim brother to meet his need, Allah will make him stand firm on the Day when all feet will slip. |
Another possible intention is to intend to show Muslims the sense of unity and brotherhood. This activity displays to non-Muslims that the Muslims are like one body as our Prophet said. This is a very good method of giving da’wah to them as well as being an additional intention. This beautiful sign of humanity will cause Muslims and Non-Muslims alike to love Islam more, which is also another possible intention. You may also intend that others will follow your example. Other intention might also appear to you while doing this.
As you can see, the possibilities of multiple intentions are many and yet they have not been exhausted here. With a little bit of knowledge and some creativity, anyone can make this life an opportunity of great investment for the akhirah.
Footnote
Taken from islam21c.com
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