SubhanAllah

Among the many virtues we know of our Mother Aisha (ra), the one she received a nickname for was charity. She was called Umm al-Teeb (the mother of fragrance). Using “umm” or “mother” in Arabic emphasizes that this person is the source of something or that this is a particular characteristic of the person or object.  Aisha (ra) was called Umm al-Teeb because she used to spray perfume on the money she donated. When asked why she did this, she explained that charity reaches Allah before the receiving person’s hand1 so she wanted it to smell nice. She did this so often that it became her trademark and earned her this nickname.

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1. This means that the reward for this charity is recorded by Allah (swt) first, thus “reaching” Him. It does not refer to the tangible donation.