Once a non-Muslim called Syed Abdullah Tariq’s office and expressed a sincere desire to speak to him on the phone. When his wish materialized, he greeted Syed Abdullah Tariq with a Salam. Since this individual had prior knowledge of some Ayahs, which he discussed deeply, Syed Abdullah Tariq became curious and asked him what motivated him to read the Quran. The response to the question was interesting. The individual recalled and explained incidents that will be mentioned throughout this article. The intention of doing so is to let you benefit from them as well. It is worth noting that the man did not reveal that he is a non-Muslim during the initial call.
This individual was involved in property dealing. He recalls that when he was fifteen years old, he heard some announcements being made in a temple which highlighted that ‘If you willingly give one lakh, then God will return you ten lakhs’. The proposition that you could get ten times what you give impacted the youngster who wished to test its authenticity. Since he did not have too much money of his own, he gave what he found inside his pocket to the temple. To his surprise, when the boy reached home, his uncle handed him ten rupees as soon as he saw him. The amount he received pleased him since he believed he got it because of his experiment.
This determined young fellow set out on the hunt for more treasure. How could he ignore this wonderful lesson? A few years later, he collected about 21 thousand rupees, which he directly donated to ISKCON Temple. When he calculated his net profit at the end of the same year, he realized that he earned about 2.1 lac rupees. Again, his fortune had multiplied by ten times what he had given charitably.
The financial situation of this man improved drastically. One day a relative approached him for the help of about 4 to 5 lacs. It made sense for him to charge interest for loaning out such a vast amount. The borrower agreed to the offer, and the loan was granted. The individual found himself in an odd situation later as he observed that his business slowed down. He was not receiving the same amount of return, which he had learned to expect.
This man then came across Nirmal Baba on TV preaching people to refrain from taking an interest. He also gave a warning that interest decreases profit. Surprisingly, his teaching is aligned with the Quran, while Hindu scriptures do not outrightly give this suggestion. The Quran says that whoever takes interest; God increases his misfortune.
The Quran also mentions that-
…He causes charity to prosper..” – ( 2:276).
The man believed he should meet Nirmal Baba, who charged about Rs. 10,000 for a meeting of five minutes. Naturally, he booked an appointment. On the day of the meeting, the saint declared that it doesn’t matter if he had taken interest before, but from now onwards, he should altogether avoid it.
Interestingly, the same instructions are also mentioned in the Quran.
Have a look at the picture below for more clarification:
The Quran further says-
“ … then be apprised of war from Allah and his messenger; and if you repent, then you shall have your capital… ( 2:279)
Conclusion:
1)The Quran orders not to take interest from borrowers to have a good fortune.
2) In case someone has already taken the interest amount, then he is advised to avoid taking it in the future, although he is allowed to take the previous principle amount which is left.
3) If in case someone takes interest, then that person is compared to someone who is at war with God and His Messenger.
Since Nirmal Baba advised him to refrain from collecting interest, he decided to act upon this suggestion immediately. When he went back home, he called his relative and only requested him to return the principal amount, which equated to around Rs. 3,60,000 and refused to take the rest of the interest payments. From then onwards, the man noticed that his income started growing.
He started pondering more on this secret of wealth and realized that Hindus donate heavily to holy places. However, on average, the overwhelmingly Christian countries of the west were wealthier. He wondered what they did differently, which led them to a higher increment. This led to the conclusion- whosoever gives more charity becomes wealthier.
He then decided to buy a Bible to learn more about Christian thought on wealth. He was very punctual and dedicated to reading it. After some time, certain things in the Bible made sense to him. He had read more than half of it, and he found guidance within it in multiple places. The same message was reiterated that if you give from the resources and wealth you have, your wealth will increase.
It is worth mentioning that we, as Muslims believe in whatever is written in the Bible, which aligns with the Quran. Because the Quran states that the Bible and Torah still contain divine guidance and light to this day, so, we can follow verses in the Bible that have the backing of the Quran.
There is one incident mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, where Iblees (Satan) comes to Prophet Isa (Jesus) and takes him to the top of the mountain. Satan exclaimed that “If you are the Son of God, jump off, because the Scriptures say, ‘God will command his angels to help you, and their hands will catch you so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.’” Jesus replied with confidence that, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”. Similarly, are we not sent to Earth for a test? However, if you think about it, the man was testing God’s principle. The Old Testament mentions numerous times that if one wants to experiment with God’s instruction regarding giving, he can as wealth is bound to increase.
The Quran also states the same–
“ Who is it that will offer Allah a goodly gift, so He multiplies it to him manifold…
Quran 2;245
This Ayat (verse) means ‘who will lend a Karz-e-Hasna or a beautiful debt to God?’ The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) explained Karz-e-Hasna. According to him, giving a loan to Allah entails providing loans to the needy, poor, and distressed people without a clearly expressed timeframe and interest amount. Moreover, if the borrower isn’t able to return the amount, the lender should forget about it. However, if the borrower repays the amount when it is possible for him, it is allowed to take the amount. This is the main criterion of Islamic Economics, which is forgotten nowadays. The reward given by Allah will be huge, and your possessions will multiply manifold.
But the point is, who among us has this much faith in Allah’s commandments? The Christians believe whatever the Priests say. The person mentioned previously in the article also has faith in the announcements that were made by the temple. This man immediately went on to implement the suggestions in his life. Consequently, his faith in God’s word and financial returns both grew. Ultimately, his thirst for learning more about wealth led him to other religious books. It is evident that, on average, Christians give a lot to charity. Unfortunately, while Muslims are also instructed to give from whatever wealth is provided to them, we are still not giving enough. The question here is, how much faith do we have in God’s words? Even the wealthiest people spend a lot on charity, and they never become impoverished because of their actions.
He then met a person who asked him to read the latest edition of God’s Book because the Bible is an older edition. Therefore, the man decided to read the Holy Quran. He was keen to look at the formulas and principles that will help him increase his wealth. He gradually read the entire book. Suddenly one day, he decided to remove all idols from his home because the Quran said it is wrong. He did this despite the fear he held about the public’s reaction. Vehemently opposed by his family and friends, he still stood firm in his actions. To his surprise, he found the principles that Nirmal Baba told him about interest within the Holy Quran.
While on the call with Syed Abdullah Tariq, the man asked, “at some instances in the Quran, it is written God will increase the return by ten times while at other places it is stated that God will increase it by 700 times. While I’ve experienced a ten times increment, can you tell me how to achieve a 700 times increment?”
Nowadays, the man is researching the concept of 700 times increment and trying to figure out how much time it will take to get better returns. He started praying five times; while reading the Quran, he also noticed that the Quran says Do not believe in the rumors or the things you simply hear from others.
However, his research is still going on to this day. Allama told him that his research might help other people increase their faith because, unfortunately, had they put faith in God’s words, they would have been more giving. Leave aside the fact that in how many days will the return be given because the Quran nowhere says it will be increased suddenly or within days. Whatever the case may be, he had faith in God’s commandments, and his faith only grew. Nobody went to preach to him. He did all research on his own. Now the point is Muslims have to go nowhere to do the research; instead, they just have to read the book and implement it.
The Quran says, “ The devil threatens you with poverty and enjoins you to be niggardly, and Allah promises you forgiveness from Himself and abundance…” (2:268). This means the Devil creates a fear of poverty in our minds. However, if we continue to donate towards good causes, God promises forgiveness and an increase in wealth. The question here is, how many of us believe in this principle? If we are Muslims, as we claim, shouldn’t we trust it?
Someone instructed the man that his desire to receive 700 times return will be fulfilled if he goes to Delhi. The man declined the idea and expressed his disbelief over this claim. He is currently researching to figure out the mystery for himself.
But here, there are two conditions from the Quran that should be kept in mind:
1) “ O you who believe, make not your charity worthless by reproach and injury… ( 2:264)
2) “… spend of the good things that you earn and of that which we bring forth for you out of the Earth, and aim not at the bad to spend thereof…”
(meaning- do not show that you’ve given favor to those whom you’ve helped & provide people from your right earnings, not from those you’ve earned through frauds, etc.)
Now here, after reading this, many of you might go out to give charity expecting a ten times return. But remember, if you are testing God, won’t he test you too?
Conclusion:
1) The principles and laws given by the Quran apply to everyone and are not limited to Muslims.
2) Incidents like these are Allah’s Ayats (miracles/ proofs/evidence), which makes us ponder and learn profound life lessons.
3) The faith we have on God matters a lot.
4) Even if you think you are very poor, you should still start giving charity with whatever you have. Learn from the story and recall how he began donating with a single rupee that he found in his pocket.
Let me end this article by narrating one more incident about a person that Syed Abdullah Tariq personally knows who incurred considerable losses in his business. The man came across time in his life in which there was very little money left for basic amenities. Gradually he was left with a single ten-rupee note. He was contemplating how he would be unable to get dinner if he had lunch in the afternoon with the last of his wealth. At that instance, he heard a beggar crying out for help, stating that ‘I am hungry, and I haven’t had anything to eat in the last two meal-times.’. The man thought to himself and decided to give the beggar his final ten-rupee note. He would be hungry at nighttime anyway, so why not help out the poor man. He gave that money and became empty-handed. This is when a close relative of his called from Delhi and said, “ I’ve become very old, and my children do not possess the qualities needed to handle the business, so you should come here. Both of us can enter into a partnership.”
This message is for all those who are afraid of giving because of poverty. This man gave everything he had by offering that 10 rupees to the beggar.
– You, too, can apply this in your life. Just make sure to remember the conditions given by God, also do not be greedy for return. Remember this is Karz-e-Hasna, which after being given, is forgotten. These are the Ayats of Allah, which, when implemented in life, offer good returns in this World and Hereafter.