The Eleventh Ramadan Lecture by Sayyid Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, 11 Ramadan 1447 AH

I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan.

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds. I bear witness that there is no god but God, the King, the Truth, the Manifest. And I bear witness that our master Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the Seal of the Prophets.

O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and bestow Your grace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings and bestowed Your grace upon Abraham and the family of Abraham. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. And, O Allah, be pleased with his chosen and virtuous companions, and with all Your righteous and striving servants.

O Allah, be pleased with Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and with all Your righteous and striving servants. O Allah, guide us and accept our deeds, for You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. Accept our repentance, for You are the Oft-Returning, the Most Merciful.

O brothers and sisters:

Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.

In the blessed verses of Surah Al-Qasas, in the story of the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), we reached the discussion of his youth. These blessed verses reveal important aspects of his life during that period, highlighting one of his most prominent and significant qualities: the quality of benevolence (ihsan). They also show how God bestowed upon him wisdom and knowledge. Furthermore, God presents us with one of His established laws, which is also a great promise for all those who do good, and an indication of one of the greatest and most important means of acquiring knowledge and wisdom, when God, the Exalted, says: {And thus do We reward the doers of good} [Al-Qasas: 14].

We have spoken briefly and concisely about the importance of benevolence. Because it is a topic that has been extensively discussed, encouraged, and promoted in the Holy Quran, even if there were no other evidence than the words of God, the Most High: {And do good; indeed, God loves the doers of good} [Al-Baqarah: 195]. God’s love is the greatest honor a believer can attain, and it brings immense good in this life and the Hereafter, and great honor.

Therefore, true goodness is based on sincerity to God, the Most High, the Most Glorified and Exalted. It is a pure motivation, devoid of exploitative motives, seeking material or moral gain from people, or any desire for ostentation. It also stems from purity of soul; true sincerity originates from the purity of a person’s soul.

A person who possesses noble character and whose soul is purified cultivates feelings of goodness, a desire for the well-being of others, and a hatred for injustice and tyranny. They also possess the refined human emotions that are an innate quality with which God created humankind, such as empathy for the suffering, pain, and sorrow of others, especially the destitute, the poor, the vulnerable in general, and the oppressed.

Kindness is a very high degree in its place of faith, a high rank among deeds and great qualities of faith. It holds a very lofty position and brings one closer to God, the Exalted, making a person beloved by God and His creation. It is important to God, but this is automatic, as the Prophet said: “Hearts are naturally inclined to love those who treat them kindly and to hate those who treat them badly.”

Therefore, when a person focuses on this quality, and on the foundation of sincerity to God, the Exalted, and on the noble virtues it encompasses and its role in self-improvement, that person ascends in a holistic manner on their path of faith. This is because it is a quality that unites the various noble virtues, and it has a profound impact. Through it, a person receives God’s care and guidance, and is granted wisdom and knowledge. {And thus do We reward the doers of good} [Al-Qasas: 14], meaning that it is an established principle of God, the Exalted.

At the same time, as we talked about in the previous lecture, regarding the importance of judgment and wisdom within this concept, and knowledge in the matter of benevolence itself, meaning: benevolence is a cause for them, that God grants you judgment and knowledge, and at the same time, in a person’s work in benevolence, he needs wisdom, he needs knowledge, he needs to possess in his psychological reality maturity and psychological balance, so that he acts correctly; because benevolence is a very wide circle, and it includes, along with the miscellaneous and individual interests, major work programs, major situations, and major interests, and this is a very important matter; Because a benevolent person, for example, will focus on what is within their reach on an individual level, on personal and individual concerns, on comforting those in need, on showing broad concern for the plight of the vulnerable and the general condition of people in various fields, within their capacity, ability, and means, and in what they can offer or strive for. Then, they will contribute within a broad framework, within wide-ranging concerns, through extensive programs, taking significant stances, within their faith alongside their fellow believers, within a great practical path and a grand project in which they operate, achieving benevolence with major results for the nation.

This is why we find, for example, that the path of the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) in his benevolence ultimately led to a great divine project, achieving benevolence at the highest levels, resulting in major and decisive outcomes. That is to say, from individual and personal concerns, and specific issues and interests; Reaching the ultimate divine project: the message of God, the Exalted, which embodies benevolence in all its forms and manifestations.

Benevolence towards people involves working to guide them, reform them, purify them, and save them in this life and the hereafter, rescuing them from injustice, and attending to their various needs and circumstances… This is the path of benevolence, an ascending path that encompasses personal life and personal concerns to the highest degree.