The Virtue of Benevolent Assistance

3. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa and Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah all from Muhammad ibn Khalid from Sa‘dan ibn Muslim from abu Yaqzan who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah عليه السلام, has said, ‘I see Benevolent Assistance (maʿrūf) is just as good as its name. No other thing is better than providing Benevolent Assistance except the reward that awaits it, and that is what is intended thereby. Not everyone who desires to provide Benevolent Assistance actually carries it out. Not everyone who desires to provide Benevolent Assistance has the ability to do so, and not everyone who desires to provide Benevolent Assistance has permission to do so. When all three conditions - the desire, the ability and permission - to provide Benevolent Assistance come together, (only) then complete happiness is attained for both the one seeking to do good and the one to whom it is done.” (Ahmad ibn ‘Abd Allah has narrated from ibn Faddal from abu Jamilah from Muhammad ibn Marwan from abu ‘Abd Allah عليه السلام, a similar Hadith.)