Give should any ask of thee.

 

82. Give should any ask of thee: To be giving and charitable are well known teachings in all of God’s revealed religions.  CHRISTIANITY: Matthew: 5:42 “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” Luke: 6:30 “Give to every man that asketh of thee.” Luke: 6:31 “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” Luke: 11:41 “Give alms of such things as ye have;” 2 Corinthians: 9:7 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” (God loves those that give of their own free will).  JUDAISM: Deuteronomy: 16:17 “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of The LORD thy God which he hath given thee.” Psalms: 2:8 “Ask of me, and I shall give thee.” Proverbs: 3:27 “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.”  CHRISTIANITY: Matthew: 7:11 “Your Father which is in heaven gives good things to them that ask him.”

BAHA’I FAITH: “O SON OF MAN! Deny not My servant should he ask anything from thee, for his face is My face; be then abashed before Me.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

 ISLAM: 177. “It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces toward East or West; but it is righteousness to believe in Allah (God) and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing.”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah   2)

 43. “And be steadfast in prayer; practice regular charity; and bow down your heads with those who bow down (in worship).”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah   2)

ZOROASTRIANISM: “A virtuous person does not shirk works of Spenta Manyu even if he is poor. The vicious even if he is well off cannot give up greed. The pious man is always true to his own self, whatever may be his circumstances. It requires great magnanimity to be able to give, without expecting a return.” (ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan p. 589)

 36. “The Law of Mazda (God) will not deliver thee unto pain. Thou art entreated (for charity) by the  whole of the living world, and she is ever standing at thy door in the person of thy brethren in the faith beggars are ever standing at the door of the stranger, amongst those who beg for bread.”

(Zoroaster, The Zend-Avesta, Avesta Fragments)

 HINDUISM: 226. “Let him, without tiring, always offer sacrifices and perform works of charity with faith; for offerings and charitable works made with faith and with lawfully-earned money, (procure) endless rewards.”

(Hindu, Laws of Manu chapter 4)

 2. “The person asked for alms, must examine the qualities (of the petitioner) and give according to his power.”

(Hindu, The Dharma Sutras, Apastamba Prasna 2, Patala 5, Khanda 10)

 BUDDHISM: 17. “Speak the truth, don’t get angry, and always give, even if only a little, when you are asked. By these three principles you can come into the company of the devas.”

(Buddhist, Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 1 (tr. J. Richards))

 17. “Overcome anger by love; overcome wrong by good; overcome the miserly by generosity, and the liar by truth. Speak the truth; do not yield to anger; give even if asked for a little. These three steps lead you to the gods.”

(Buddhist, Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 2 (tr. J. Richards))

 “If persons should come to them and ask for something, they should as far as their means allow, supply it ungrudgingly and thus make them happy.” “Moreover, Subhuti, an enlightened disciple in his acts of charity, ought to act spontaneously, uninfluenced by such things as form, sound, taste, odor, touch, discrimination, and favoritism.” “It is impossible to estimate the merit of an enlightened disciple who practices charity unperturbed by the disturbing influences of Phenomena. Subhuti, the minds of all disciples ought thus to be taught.” (Buddha, Diamond Sutra)

 SABEANISM: “Every man who giveth will be made to shine (doubly) On the day of deliverance.” (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba- chapter 76)

 “To each according to the works of his hands It is awarded.” “Every man who toiled And was long-suffering shall come and take with both hands, But he who did not toil nor endure, Standeth empty in the House of Dues.” “He will seek but will not find, And ask, but naught will be given him, Because he had in his hand and gave not,” Generosity was not found in his heart. (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba- chapter 123

 BABI RELIGION: “He [the Bab] makes alms a strict obligation. He reminds the rich that they are only repositories, that no one on earth possesses anything, it all belongs to God. Consequently, the rich must give to religion and to those who have nothing or who do not have enough.”

(Moojan Momen, The Babi  and Baha’i Religions, p. 21)

BAHA’I FAITH: “Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 284)

“Oh, friends of God! If ye will trust in the Word of God and be strong; if ye will follow the precepts of Bahá’u’lláh to tend the sick, raise the fallen, care for the poor and needy, give shelter to the destitute, protect the oppressed, comfort the sorrowful and love the world of humanity with all your hearts, then I say unto you that ere long this meeting-place will see a wonderful harvest. Day by day each member will advance and become more and more spiritual. But ye must have a firm foundation and your aims and ambitions must be clearly understood by each member. They shall be as follows:”  1.”show compassion and goodwill to all mankind.” 2. “render service to humanity.” 3. “endeavour to guide and enlighten those in darkness.” 4. “be kind to everyone, and show forth affection to every living soul.” 5. “be humble in your attitude towards God, to be constant in prayer to Him, so as to grow daily nearer to God.” 6. “be so faithful and sincere in all your actions that every member may be known as embodying the qualities of honesty, love, faith, kindness, generosity, and courage. To be detached from all that is not God, attracted by the Heavenly Breath — a divine soul; so that the world may know that a Bahá’í is a perfect being.”

“Strive to attain this at these meetings. Then, indeed and in truth will ye, the friends of God, come together with great joy! Render help one to the other, become as one man, having reached perfect unity.”

(Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 73)

 “It is they who help the poor and needy and give to them their daily bread.”

(Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 73)