Abu Sulayman al-Darani used to say; “If I owned the whole world to put into the mouth of a brother of mine, I would still deem it too little for him.”

He also said, “I feed a morsel to a brother of mine and find the taste of it in my own throat.”

                                                          al-Ghazzali

In Sufi literature, everything we have flows from God and everything returns to God. We do not really own anything, but are just stewards of what has for a time been entrusted to us.

Generosity in Sufi thought has a number of levels, as it does thoughout Islamic theology. There is public charity, of course. A higher level of generosity is to give anonymously.

A still higher level, according Sufi wisdom, is “secret charity.” This happens when we give to someone who benefits from our action, but unlike the first two levels of charity, the recipient does not feel given to. There is no burden of gratitude.

For Sufis, each act of generosity is an act of rememberance and an opportunity to draw closer to God. Each time we give we recieve a greater gift, becoming closer to the Beloved.