First Reflection: Did the Prophet ﷺ or the Companions establish charity organisations?
8 March 2025 • 1.39K views
Evidences:
Allāh, the Most High, says: "This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as your religion." [Al-Mā'idah: 3]
And He also says: "And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers – We will turn him to what he has turned to and burn him in Hell – and what an evil destination." [An-Nisā': 115]
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever performs an act that is not in accordance with our affair, it is rejected." [Agreed upon, narrated by ‘Ā'ishah, with the wording from Muslim]
He also said: "Follow and do not innovate, for you have been sufficed." [Reported by Aṭ-Ṭabarāni in Al-Kabīr, No. 877, with a chain of narrators from Aṣ-Ṣaḥiḥ to Ibn Mas’ūd (may Allāh be pleased with him)]
Imām Mālik (may Allāh have mercy on him) stated: "What was not considered part of the religion on that day cannot be considered religion today." [Al-I’tiṣām, p. 65]
Lessons and Rulings:
-> The religion is complete and requires no additions.
-> It is impermissible to introduce into Allah’s religion what is not part of it.
-> No act of worship should be innovated if the righteous predecessors did not practice it.
-> The blessing and goodness lie in adhering to the ways of the early generations, the people of the favored centuries.
Assessing Charity Organisations in Light of These Principles:
-> These organisations have failed to uphold the aforementioned texts; they dismiss them without concern for the consequences.
-> When they cite these texts, they do so in a distorted manner, altering their intended meanings.
-> They have innovated practices in charity that have no precedent.
Discussion:
Question: Are charitable organisations part of the religion revealed to Muḥammad ﷺ?
If you answer yes, we ask: Where are they found in the practice of the Prophet ﷺ or his companions?
If you argue that the Prophet ﷺ provided for the poor, encouraged orphan sponsorship, and supported the building of masājid and acts of righteousness, we acknowledge this! However, our disagreement is not about these acts but about additional religious innovations that the righteous predecessors did not engage in, despite their dire need, availability of resources, and strong motivation to do good.
Would it not suffice you to follow what sufficed them? The answer should be yes!