Question:
Assalamualaikum SS Datuk Mufti. I once heard that during the end of times, there will be such an abundance of wealth that it will be hard to find anyone who will receive charity. When will this happen?
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam wrt wbt,
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
In answering this question, we will stat with the hadith from Abu Hurairah RA, where the Prophet PBUH said:
لاَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى يَكْثُرَ فِيْكُمُ الْمَالُ، فَيَفِيضَ حَتَّى يُهِمَّ رَبَّ الْمَالِ مَنْ يَقْبَلُهُ مِنْهُ صَدَقَةً وَيُدْعَى إِلَيْهِ الرَّجُلُ فَيَقُولُ: لاَ أَرَبَ لِي فِيهِ
“The Last Hour will not come till wealth is abundant and overflowing, so much so that the owner of the property will think as to who will accept Sadaqa from him, and a person would be called to accept Sadaqa and he would say: I do not need it.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (1412) and Sahih Muslim (157)
While in a hadith narrated by Abu Musa RA, the Prophet PBUH said:
لَيَأْتِيَنَّ عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ يَطُوفُ الرَّجُلُ فِيهِ بِالصَّدَقَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ، ثُمَّ لاَ يَجِدُ أَحَدًا يَأْخُذُهَا مِنْهُ
“There would come a time for the people when a person would roam about with Sadaqa of gold, but he would find no one to accept it from him.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (1414) and Sahih Muslim (1012)
There was a time during the rule of Caliph ‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz when there was an abundance of wealth that not a single person in his time who would accept sadaqa (donation/charity). (See Asyrat al-Sa’ah by Syeikh Mahir Ahmad al-Sufi, pg. 143)
However, the nearest opinion regarding this matter is that it will happen during the time of al-mahdi and the Prophet Jesus AS. The reason is this is when there will an abundance of wealth and the earth will release its treasures. (Also see Asyrat al-Sa’ah by Yusuf bin Abd Allah bin Yusuf al-Wabil, pg. 81-89)
We end this discussion with the following supplication:
اللَّهُمَّ اخْتِمْ لَنَا بِحُسْنِ الْخَاتِمَةِ وَلَا تَخْتِمْ عَلَيْنَا بِسُوْءِ الْخَاتِمَةِ
“O Allah, end our lives (let us die) with the best of endings and don’t You end our lives with the worst of endings.”
Amin.