A man from among the people present...

A man from among the people present, then said: We know that you abstain from good food but at the same time ask people to give away from their properties so that you in turn benefit from such properties given away’. Abu Abd Allah -asws then said: You should leave alone the matters that do not benefit you. You, however, must tell me this.

Do you have the knowledge of the abrogating and abrogated matters of the Holy Quran, what are unequivocal and ambiguous matters in which strayed those who strayed and faced destruction, those who were doomed to face destruction of members of this nation? They or certain ones among them replied: ‘We do not know all of such matters’. He -asws then said: This is where you have difficulties. The same case applies to Ahadith of the Messenger of Allah -azwj .

However, what you mentioned of the matters that Allah -azwj has Spoken to us in His -azwj Book about a people and their good deeds, you must take notice, such deeds were permissible and lawful. It was not prohibited for them, and their reward for such deeds is with Allah -azwj . (But it was not obligatory on them). (Later on) Allah -azwj has Commanded to do what is opposite to what they had done (previously).

Therefore, His -azwj Prohibition was abrogating their (earlier) practice; Allah -azwj out of His Mercy toward the believing people, stopped them from harming themselves, their dependents, the weak ones, the small ones like children, the old men and women who are not able to bear hunger’. The Donation in Way of Allah -azwj Comes at 5 th Stage: If the loaf of my bread is given away while I have no other loaf of bread, then the lives of such ones (of my dependents) are jeopardized because of hunger.

For this reason the Messenger of Allah -saww has said, If one has five dates in his possession or five loaves and he wants to give charity, the best charity to give is to spend it on ones parents, then on his own self and dependents, thirdly on his relatives, fourthly on his neighbours, fifthly he should spend it in the way of Allah -azwj which is of the lowest degree of rewards.