SPENDING on the family is highly recommended. Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said: “Of the dinar you spend in the way of Allah, the dinar you spend for the freedom of slave, the dinar you give away in charity to the poor, and the dinar you spend on your wife and children, the highest in respect of reward is the one you spend on your family.” (Sahih Muslim) Mother of the believers, Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) once asked the Prophet (peace be upon him), “Shall I get a reward if I spend on the children (from my first husband Abu Salamah)? They cannot be left uncared for, running about here and there (in search of a living). They are after all are my children. He answered: “Yes, you will have reward for whatever you spend on them.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) Ibn Mas'ud Al-Badri relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said; When a person spends on his family, hoping for reward, the same is counted as charity on his part. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: “It is indeed a sin for a person to hold back the sustenance of one who is dependent depend on him.” (Sahih Muslim) Abu Hurairah relates that Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said, “Everyday, two angels descend, one of them saying; Allah, bestow a (good) return upon the spender: and the other saying: Allah, Destroy the goods of the miser.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) In another Hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The upper hand (the giver) is better than the lower hand (the receiver) and start (your generosity) with your dependents; and the best kind of charity is from your surplus; and one who wants to become virtuous, Allah will make him so, and one who desires abundance will be given so by Allah. (Al-Bukhari) – Compiled by Fatimah Abdur Rahman,
