Attaining Goodness of God

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

In verse 92, from the Chapter of the Family of Imran, God says:

لَن تَنَالُواْ ٱلۡبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُواْ مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ‌ۚ

None of you [believers] will attain true piety unless you give out what you cherish

The son of Omar ibn al-Khattab (ra), Abdullah ibn Omar (ra) was extremely fond of fish. His wife, aware of her husband's favorite viand, saved up, little by little, with the hopes of treating him to a pleasant surprise. After days of saving, she was able to buy and prepare the fish. And just as Abdullah ibn Omar (ra) sat down to eat, there was a knock at the door- a needy man stood there, asking for some help. So, Abdullah ibn Omar (ra) asked his wife to give the fish away.

His wife was perplexed. She asked, "But you loved the fish?". He replied with the verse, "None of you [believers] will attain true piety unless you give out what you cherish".

Not one to give up, his wife ran after the man and bought the fish back from him so that her husband could enjoy it. But as Abdullah ibn Omar (ra) sat down to eat for the second time, there was a knock at the door, and the same man wanted some help. So, Abdullah ibn Omar (ra) gave the fish away once again.

But, his wife wasn't one to give up. She loved her husband dearly. And the same thing happened, not once, but two more times. Except, after the third time, his wife made the man promise not to return for help.

At the end of the ordeal, Abdullah ibn Omar (ra) was able to enjoy the fish with his wife in peace.

Numerous lessons can be derived from this incident. Perhaps, the love that Abdullah ibn Omar's (ra) wife had for her husband is the most striking and heart warming.

The generosity and selflessness they had as a couple is something we can learn from.

But what is even more profound is that despite their act of selflessly giving what they cherished, they still managed to eat the fish. God says in the Qur'an, "Who will give God a good loan, which he will increase many times over?". Often times, people think that the rewards can be had only in the hereafter, but this incident proves that, God does indeed reward you in this world too.