Aslam

(2) If charity is disclosed and if it gives pain to the receiver of charity, it is better to keep it secret as to give pain to one's mind is unlawful. If it does not give pain, there is difference of opinion among the jurists. One party of the learned men say that in this circumstance, secret charity is better then open charity. Another party say that open charity to encourage others is better than secret charity. It appears that God ordered the prophets to do open divine services. God gave them this status for the rank of their Prophethood. The Prophet said: Secret divine services bring rewards seventy times more than those of open divine services.
Open divine service which is followed by others is seventy times better than secret service. This is shorn of any show and done with sincere intention. So he who does open divine services should observe two things. One thing is that he should disclose it in such place where he know that others will follow it. There are some persons whom his family members follow but not his neighbours. There are some persons whom his neighbours follow but not the mahalla people. A kind man is he who is followed by all the people. An illiterate man cannot expect to have this benefit and so he should hold secret divine service.

The second matter is that there should not be any thing of show in divine services. Generally the people say on completion of their works.: I have done such divine services. But the strictly pious men express their actions not with any thing of show but for public benefit. Hazrat Sa'ad-b-Mu'az said: Since I became a Muslim and observed prayers, I did not think without prayer.
When I buried a man, I did not think of anything except what will

238 The Book of Destructive evils Vol-III

be asked to him. When I heard of a Hadis from the Prophet, I

believed it firmly as true. Hazrat Omar said: I don't fear for any

work whether it is difficult or easy if I can understand that it is

good for me, Hazrat Osman said: Since I took allegiance to the

Prophet, I did not sign, tell falsehood and touch my private parts

by the right hand. The sage Saddad-b-Aus said: Since I accepted

Islam, I did not utter a word without thinking. Abu Sufiyan said

at the time of his death to his family members: Don't weep for me,

as I have not committed any sin since I accepted Islam. Caliph

Omar-b-Abdul Aziz said: I did not even think for any work God

placed upon my shoulder that another work would have been

better for me. I feel pleasure that God placed me in a proper

place. These words cannot be uttered unless one is in a good

condition. These are words of advice giving encouragement to

do good works as these words are fit to the followed and came

out of pure mouths of the leaders. It is allowed to disclose divine'

service on the part of those who are strong in faith, but it is not for

those who are weak in faith.