Ethics of Islam

hadîth-i-sherîf incidentally serves as a basis for the conclusion that
it is utterly rewarding (thawâb) for holders of position to help
needy people and for teachers to support their pupils by using
their authority and property. Anyone who begs while having
means [nafaqa] to support himself for one day would be
committing excessive humility and thus would be committing
harâm. If a person having one day’s means (nafaqa) collects
donations for others who do not possess one day’s means or for
those who owe money to others, he would not be committing
excessive humility. Giving a small gift while expecting a larger gift
in return is excessive humility. Verses in the Qur’ân prohibit this
type of gift giving. It is a very good deed to return a better gift in
response to a gift received but it is not permissible to give a gift in
expectation of receiving a better gift in return. Going to a
reception without being invited would also be excessive humility.
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-isherîf:
“Not attending to an invitation is a sin. Going to a
reception without being invited to it is a theft.” Attending to an
invitation of a marriage ceremony is necessary (wâjib) if there are
no prohibited (harâm) things or affairs taking place at the
ceremony. Attending all other types of invitations is sunnat. It is
not permissible to accept invitations which are done for boasting
or ostentation or hypocrisy. Establishing friendships with
government officials, rich people and judges with the hope of
receiving worldly benefits from them is excessive humility. The
exception in the case of forced necessity (dharûrat) was already
discussed above. Greeting by bowing down or by prostrating upon
meeting one of these people is excessive humility and is a grave
sin. Bowing down for the purpose of worshiping would cause
disbelief. It would mean to imitate a Jewish way of salutation. [A
poor person means a needy one. In Islam, a person who has
enough money to purchase his basic necessities of life but does
not have enough money to purchase a sheep for slaughtering, is
poor. The state of poverty Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’
asked from Allâhu ta’âlâ and commended possession of, is
different from material poverty; it means ‘consciousness of the
fact that you always need Allâhu ta’âlâ in everything you do’.
Abdullah ad-Dahlawî ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ in his book Durr-ulma’ârif,
says, “In Sufism, poor (faqîr) means one who has no
desire, or, in other words, one who has no desire other than to
please Allâhu ta’âlâ.” A person who meets this definition will
embrace patience and contentment when there is no means
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