Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Some of the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): O Messenger of Allah, the wealthy have taken all the rewards. They pray as we pray, fast as we fast, and give charity from their surplus wealth. He said: "Has Allah not provided for you that which you can give as charity? Every Tasbīh (saying: Glory be to Allah) is charity; every Takbīr (saying: Allah is the Greatest) is charity; every Tahmīd (saying: Praise be to Allah) is charity; and every Tahlīl (saying: There is no God but Allah) is charity. Enjoining good is charity, forbidding evil is charity, and even in fulfilling the sexual desire of one of you there is charity." They said: O Messenger of Allah, does one of us fulfill his desire and get rewarded for it? He said: "Do you not see that if he were to fulfill it in a forbidden way, would he incur a sin? Similarly, if he fulfills it lawfully, he will have a reward."
Authentic hadith - Narrated by Muslim

Some of the Prophet's poor Companions complained to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about their poverty and inability to give money in charity to attain abundant rewards, as those attained by their wealthy brothers, and to perform good deeds like them, for they pray as we pray, fast as we fast, and give charity from their surplus wealth, but we do not! The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) guided them to charities they could afford, as he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Has Allah not provided for you that which you can give as charity for yourselves?! Saying (Subhānallāh) (Glory be to Allah) is counted as charity for you; also saying (Allāhu Akbar) (Allah is the Greatest) is charity; saying (Alhamdulillāh) (praise be to Allah) is charity; and saying (La ilāha illallāh) (There is no god but Allah) is charity. (Enjoining good) is charity, and (forbidding evil) is charity, and even if one of you has sexual intercourse with his wife, there is charity. They were amazed and said: O Messenger of Allah, does one of us fulfill his desire and receive a reward for it?! He said: Do you not see that if he were to fulfill it in a forbidden way, like adultery or otherwise, would he incur a sin? Similarly, if he fulfills it lawfully, he will have a reward.

  1. The Companions competed with one another in doing good deeds and were keen on attaining great rewards and favor from Allah Almighty.
  2. The abundance of the fields of goodness and the fact that they include every act that a Muslim does with a righteous intention and for a good purpose.
  3. The ease and simplicity of Islam, for every Muslim can find something to do in obedience to Allah.
  4. An-Nawawi said: This is evidence that permissible actions can become acts of obedience through sincere intentions. Sexual intercourse with one's spouse becomes an act of worship if the person intends to fulfill the rights of the wife, treat her kindly as Allah Almighty has commanded, seek a righteous child, maintain one's or the wife's chastity, or prevent both from looking at the forbidden, thinking about it, or desiring it, or for any other righteous purpose.
  5. Giving examples and using analogies to make the topic clearer and of a stronger impact on the listener.

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