Learn true charity

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

...[for,] if He were to demand of you all of them, and urge you ("to divest yourselves of all your possessions"), you would niggardly cling [to them], and so He would [but] bring out your moral failings.47:37

Learn true charity

Mujaddid Alfe Thani Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi ( رَحِمَهُ ٱللّٰهُ‎) was a famous Sufi scholar of the Indian Sub-continent, from the Naqshbandi tariqah. 

Once, in context of discussing generosity in spending for charity he mentions the following story:

When someone asked Shaykh Bayazid Bastami ( رَحِمَهُ ٱللّٰهُ‎) about what is obligatory in charity, he said :
"Do you want to know according to the jurist, or according to the Knower (عارِف) of God ?" 

 The questioner asked: "Is there a difference?"

To which Bayazid replied: "Of course.  The jurists will say give one-fortieth (2.5%) and be proud of yourself on having completed the obligation. But the Knowers will say even after giving everything, you should be obliged that it was accepted."

The puzzled questioner replied : " I have never even heard of such a thing that you are expected to give everything, and yet feel grateful/obliged."

The great shaykh replied "Have you not heard of the precedence set by our master Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه)?".  Then he went on to narrate the story which is in the following hadith, among others :

عن عمر بن الخطاب قال أَمَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ نَتَصَدَّقَ فَوَافَقَ ذَلِكَ عِنْدِي مَالًا فَقُلْتُ الْيَوْمَ أَسْبِقُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ إِنْ سَبَقْتُهُ يَوْمًا قَالَ فَجِئْتُ بِنِصْفِ مَالِي فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا أَبْقَيْتَ لِأَهْلِكَ قُلْتُ مِثْلَهُ وَأَتَى أَبُو بَكْرٍ بِكُلِّ مَا عِنْدَهُ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ مَا أَبْقَيْتَ لِأَهْلِكَ قَالَ أَبْقَيْتُ لَهُمْ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ قُلْتُ وَاللَّهِ لَا أَسْبِقُهُ إِلَى شَيْءٍ أَبَدًا

3675 سنن الترمذي كتاب المناقب باب في مناقب أبي بكر وعمر رضي الله عنهما كليهما

قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ

Umar ibn al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ  ordered us to give charity and at the time I had some wealth. I said to myself, “Today I will outdo Abu Bakr, if ever there was a day to outdo him.” I went with half of my wealth to the Prophet ﷺ and he said, “What have you left for your family?” I said, “The same amount.” Then, Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) came with everything he had. The Prophet ﷺ said, “O Abu Bakr, what have you left for your family?” Abu Bakr said, “Allah and his messenger ﷺ.” I said, “By Allah, I will never do better than Abu Bakr.”Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 3675

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Tirmidh

The shaykh continued, "Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) gave all his wealth and possessions, and even his daughter in marriage to the Prophet ﷺ , and yet all his life he feld indebted to the Prophet ﷺ that he was graced by the company of the Prophet ﷺ, and blessed by the fact that the Prophet ﷺ would accept his humble offering."

The Naqshbandis traced their tariqah to this beloved companion of the Prophet ﷺ. The minimum requirement from the Knower of Allah is that they must give away everything they possess. They reach gnosis by losing what they possess and standing with what He owns. It is as if Bayazid is saying that to reach God, the way by abandoning everything that is other than Allah.