a. Abundance in Infaq
٦٣. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«قَالَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (أَنْفِقْ أُنْفِقْ عَلَيْكَ) وَقَالَ يَدُ اللّٰهِ مَلْأَى لَا تَغِيضُهَا نَفَقَةٌ سَحَّاءُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَقَالَ أَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا أَنْفَقَ مُنْذُ خَلَقَ السَّمَاءَ وَالْأَرْضَ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَغِضْ مَا فِي يَدِهِ».
63. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Allah said, ‘Spend (O man), and I shall spend on you.’ Allah’s hand [treasures] is full, and (its fullness) is not affected by the continuous spending night and day. Do you see what He has spent since He created the Heavens and the Earth? Nevertheless, what is in His Hand is not decreased.” (Bukhari, Tafsir, 11/2; Tawhid, 22)
٦٤. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«مَنْ تَصَدَّقَ بِعَدْلِ تَمْرَةٍ مِنْ كَسْبٍ طَيِّبٍ وَلَا يَقْبَلُ اللّٰهُ إِلَّا الطَّيِّبَ وَإِنَّ اللّٰهَ يَتَقَبَّلُهَا بِيَمِينِهِ ثُمَّ يُرَبِّيهَا لِصَاحِبِهِ كَمَا يُرَبِّي أَحَدُكُمْ فَلُوَّهُ حَتَّى تَكُونَ مِثْلَ الْجَبَلِ».
64. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“If one gives in charity what equals one date-fruit from the honestly-earned money –and Allah accepts only the honestly earned money,– then Allah takes it in His right (hand) and then enlarges its reward for that person (who has given it), as anyone of you rears his foal, until it becomes as big as a mountain.” (Bukhari, Zakat, 8; Tawhid, 23; Muslim, Zakat, 63, 64. Also see Tirmidhi, Zakat, 28/661, Nasai, Zakat, 48/2523; Ibn Majah, Zakat, 28)
٦٥. عَنْ خُرَيْمِ بْنِ فَاتِكٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«مَنْ أَنْفَقَ نَفَقَةً فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ كُتِبَتْ لَهُ بِسَبْعِمِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ».
65. Huraym b. Fatiq (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Those who spend his wealth on Allah’s cause receive divine rewards as much as seven hundred times of what they spent.” (Tirmidhi, Fadail al-Jihad, 4/1625; Nasai, Jihad, 45/3184)
٦٦. عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا: أَنَّهُمْ ذَبَحُوا شَاةً فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«مَا بَقِيَ مِنْهَا؟» قَالَتْ:
«مَا بَقِيَ مِنْهَا إِلَّا كَتِفُهَا» قَالَ:
«بَقِيَ كُلُّهَا غَيْرَ كَتِفِهَا».
66. Aisha narrated that the family of the Messenger of Allah sacrificed a sheep. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked:
“What is left from it?”
Aisha (r.a.) answered:
“Only its scapula”
Upon that, Prophet (pbuh) said:
“In fact, except the shoulder blade, the whole sheep is here!” (Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 33/2470)
Explanations:
Allah the Almighty gave us everything that we need[1] and wanted us to let others benefit from these blessings. For this reason, while making to give one fortieth of the wealth obligatory as zakat, He kept the door of Sadaqah (charity) open for those who want to give more and earn more divine rewards. As long as one does not put himself and those who depend on him in a difficult position, he can give alms as much as wants and is encouraged to do so. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) even said:
“In one’s wealth, there are rights other than zakat.” (Tirmidhi, Zakat, 27/659-660. Also see Al-Baqarah; 2:177)
One day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told the wisdom and virtues of infaq (giving) and gave the following speech to his companions:
“O people, give charity! O people give charity so that I can be witness to your faith on the Day of Judgment with it. Maybe when one of you and the offspring of his camels are full and comfortable, his nephew might be cringed from hunger. Maybe when the trees of one of you give nice fruits and increase his wealth his neighbor might be a poor person who does not have anything. Isn’t there a man who can give one of his camels as charity so it gives milk to poor in the morning and evening and be a blessing to them? Be careful! The reward of this is huge.” (Alusi, X, 146, [Al-Tawbah; 9:79]; Ali al-Muttaqi, no: 16181)
In many hadith, we are given the good news that those who give charity will not be deprived of anything and will definitely be compensated by calling the divine mercy and receive blessings. In the first hadith, expressing this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) encourages and motivates people to give charity by saying that the treasures of our Exalted Lord will never end. In another hadith, he said:
“There are three things that I can swear to:
- 1. Sadaqah (charity) does not in any way decrease the wealth of a servant.
- 2. Allah advances the honor of those who are patient to unfairness done to them.
- 3. Allah opens the door of poverty for those who open the door of begging.” (Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 17/2325. Also see Muslim, Birr, 69)
Then, one should absolutely not be afraid of giving charity asking for rewards only from Allah. As a matter of fact, for sure Allah the Almighty, while continuously giving charity at all times to His servants can give more to those who give alms. In a verse, it is stated in the Qur’an that:
“Allah will deprive usury of all blessing, but will give increase for deeds of charity: For He loves not creatures ungrateful and wicked.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:276)
Ali’s (r.a.) advice deals with the same issue:
“When you get poor, give alms as if you make trade with Allah, so that He will give you more.” (Sharif al-Radi‘, Nahj al-Balagha, no: 258)
Pointing out the blessings in charity Abu Mas’ud al-Ansari (r.a.) says:
“When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) ordered us to give in charity, we used to go to the market and work as porters and get a Mudd[2] and then give it in charity. (Those were the days of poverty) and today some of us have one hundred thousand (dinars).” (Bukhari, Zakat, 10)
Besides the material benefits of giving alms, there are also many spiritual blessings. This issue is clearly explained in the second hadith. Even if the thing given as charity is something small, Allah the Almighty increases its divine rewards, and advances it unimaginably and responds with incomparable blessings. This situation shows that Allah gets very pleased when alms and charities are given. As a matter of fact, in order to express this, it is said that Allah receives the alms with His right hand. The phrase “right hand” is an expression that means Allah accepts alms with pleasure. Otherwise, Allah does not resemble any creature.
Another report that shows how Allah gets pleased with those who give alms is as follows:
“Before the alms are received by poor, they get received by Allah the Exalted. Because of the alms given, apart from the rewards that will be given in the Hereafter for those who give the alms, Allah also closes the doors of seventy disasters in this world. Leprosy, skin discoloration diseases, and some other serious illnesses are among them.” (Abu Nuaym, Hilya, IV, 81. Also see Haythami, III, 110, 111; Ali al-Muttaqi, VI, 377/16134)
Another hadith that expresses Allah’s pleasure when alms are given and informs of its rewards in the Hereafter is as follows:
“If any Muslim clothes a Muslim when he is naked, Allah will clothe him with some green garments of Paradise; if any Muslim feeds a Muslim when he is hungry, Allah will feed him with some of the fruits of Paradise; and if any Muslim gives a Muslim drink when he is thirsty, Allah will give him some of the pure wine which is sealed to drink.” (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 41/1682; Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 18/2449; Ahmad, III, 13)
Once the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said in order to explain the broad and comprehensive blessings of charity:
“Allah the Exalted puts three people into His paradise in return for a morsel of bread, couple of dates, and other things that the poor can benefit from:
- 1. The owner of the house and the person who ordered to give these to the poor,
- 2. The wife who prepares the things that are given,
- 3. The helper who takes the alms to the poor.”
After stating this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) completed his words saying:
“Many thanks to Allah who does not forget anyone of us!” (Haythami, III, 112)
On the other hand, giving out of wealth and life strenghtens the spirituality of a person and enriches his character. While people feel overwhelmed by taking something from others, they get elevated by the things that they give. Therefore, giving alms and treating others with respect helps a person to mature his spiritual life.
There is another important issue that must be expressed here. Above all, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) emphasized that alms should be given out of an income that is rightfully earned. This is because the rightful earning is the essence of happiness both in this world and in the hereafter. In one of his sayings, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) explained this condition as follows:
“…If a person earns an income from a prohibited way (haram) and if he spends it, he does not benefit from it; and if he gives alms from this income, his charity does not get accepted by Allah. The share that he leaves behind only gets him closer to the Fire. That is because Allah does not erase wrongdoings with other wrongdoing, but only with goodness. For sure, something evil does not exterminate another evil thing.” (Ahmad, I, 387)
As it can be understood from our third hadith, the best charity is the one done in the way of Allah, in other words to glorify His religion and deliver His message to others. The rewards and blessings given to such charity are expressed in the hadith by a term indicating abundance. Or that number shows the minimum level. As a matter of fact, Allah gives much more rewards or even uncountable rewards to those whom He wishes. This is expressed in a noble verse of the Qur’an as:
“The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn: it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases and Allah cares for all and He knows all things.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:261)
Giving charity not only increases the wealth but also saves it from being destroyed by perpetuating it. Wealth is always under the risk of being destroyed in the hands of humans. Even if it stays safe, it might be spent unnecessarily and turn into a sin. Even the wealth spent by the owner himself is considered lost, wasted, or luxury if it does not get spent appropriately. When it comes to wealth that is given as charity, it will be protected in the sight of Allah and turn into a capital for eternal life depending upon the level of sincerity of the donor. Indeed in our forth hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) explained this issue in its best form. In other words, the wealth that is given as charity becomes ours and the wealth spent is lost from us most of the time.
Allah the Almighty says:
“…Whatever of good you give benefits your own souls, and you shall only do so seeking the “Face” of Allah. Whatever good you give, shall be rendered back to you, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:272)
On the other hand, sadaqah (charity) prevents many troubles, both material and spiritual. Some of them are stated in various ahadith as follows:
“As the water extinguishes fire, sadaqah extinguishes torment of the sins.” (Tirmidhi, Iman, 8/2616. Also see Ibn Majah, Fitan, 12)
“Sadaqah extinguishes the anger of the Lord and protects one from dying in a bad condition.” (Tirmidhi, Zakat, 28/664)
“The sadaqah that a Muslim gives lengthens his life time, prevents unfortunate dying, and Allah prevents arrogance, poverty, and pride with it.” (Haythami, III, 110)
“Until everyone is judged (on the Day of Judgment), everyone will wait under the shade of the sadaqah that they have given.”
Abu’l Hayr, one of the narrators of this hadith, did his best to give a sadaqah every day even if it is a piece of cake, onion, or something small like these… (Ahmad, IV, 147-8; Haythami, III, 110)
In another hadith the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Sadaqah extinguishes the heat of the grave for its donor. A believer takes a shade under the sadaqah he has given on the Day of Judgment.” (Haythami, III, 110)
“Hurry in giving sadaqah! For trouble cannot pass before sadaqah.” (Haythami, III, 110)
According to what the Prophet informed us, a group of people visited Isa (Jesus) (pbuh) and he said to them:
“One of you will die today if Allah wishes.”
They went and came back to Jesus (pbuh) in the evening with woodpiles on their shoulders. He said:
“Drop the woodpiles!”
Then he said to the man whom had said that he was going to die:
“Untie the woodpile!”
As soon as the man untied it, a black snake appeared. Jesus (pbuh) asked:
“What good deed have you done today?”
The man said:
“I did not do any good deed today.”
Jesus (pbuh) said:
“Think one more time, what did you do?”
Then, the man said:
“I did not do anything, but I had a piece of bread. Then, there came a poor man and asked for something. I shared my bread with him.”
Upon this, Jesus (pbuh) said:
“Well, in this way, you had been protected from that trouble.” (Haythami, III, 109-110; Ahmad, Zuhd, I, 96)
The Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) used to compete with each other in helping others and giving charity. The following story is an exemplary incident speaking to this fact:
Umar (r.a.) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) commanded us to give charity. I was wealthy at the time. I said to myself ‘If I ever have a chance to exceed Abu Bakr, this will be the day’ and gave half of my wealth to the Messenger of Allah.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked:
“What did you leave for your family?”
“I left as much as what I brought here” I said.
Abu Bakr (r.a.) brought all of his wealth.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked:
“Abu Bakr, what did you leave for your children and family?”
Abu Bakr (r.a.) answered:
“Allah and His Messenger.”
Then, I said to myself “I swear to Allah that I cannot exceed him in any matter!” (Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 16/3675)
b. To Hurry up in Giving Charity
٦٧. عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ قَالَتْ: دَخَلَ عَلَيَّ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ سَاهِمُ الْوَجْهِ قَالَتْ فَحَسِبْتُ أَنَّ ذٰلِكَ مِنْ وَجَعٍ فَقُلْتُ:
«يَا نَبِيَّ اللّٰهِ مَا لَكَ سَاهِمُ الْوَجْهِ؟» قَالَ:
«مِنْ أَجْلِ الدَّنَانِيرِ السَّبْعَةِ الَّتِي أَتَتْنَا أَمْسِ. أَمْسَيْنَا وَهِيَ فِي خُصْمِ الْفِرَاشِ».
67. Ummu Salama (r.a.) narrated:
One day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came to me and the color of his face was changed. I thought that he had an ache and asked:
“O Messenger of Allah, what happened, why is you face like that, its color has changed?”
Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said:
“I am in this state because of the seven dinars that we received yesterday. It is almost evening and they are still under the bad (we did not have a chance to donate them yet!)” (Ahmad, VI, 293; Haythami, X, 238)
٦٨. عَنْ عُقْبَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: صَلَّيْتُ وَرَاءَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ الْعَصْرَ فَسَلَّمَ ثُمَّ قَامَ مُسْرِعًا فَتَخَطَّى رِقَابَ النَّاسِ إِلَى بَعْضِ حُجَرِ نِسَائِهِ فَفَزِعَ النَّاسُ مِنْ سُرْعَتِهِ فَخَرَجَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَرَأَى أَنَّهُمْ عَجِبُوا مِنْ سُرْعَتِهِ قَالَ:
«ذَكَرْتُ شَيْئًا مِنْ تِبْرٍ عِنْدَنَا فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ يَحْبِسَنِي فَأَمَرْتُ بِقِسْمَتِهِ».
68. Uqba (r.a.) narrated:
Once in Medina, I prayed the late afternoon prayer led by the Messenger of Allah. When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) finished the prayer by giving a salutation, he suddenly stood up and went to one of his wives’ room. The Companions worried about Prophet’s rush. A while later, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) returned. He recognized that the congregation got worried after him and so he said:
“I remembered that there was some gold – or silver – in our room and that bothered me so I ordered them to be given as charity.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 158; al-Amal fi al-Salah, 18; Nasai, Sahw, 104/1363)
٦٩. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ:
«يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ أَيُّ الصَّدَقَةِ أَعْظَمُ أَجْرًا؟» قَالَ:
«أَنْ تَصَدَّقَ وَأَنْتَ صَحِيحٌ شَحِيحٌ تَخْشَى الْفَقْرَ وَتَأْمُلُ الْغِنَى وَلاَ تُمْهِلْ حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الْحُلْقُومَ قُلْتَ لِفُلاَنٍ كَذَا وَلِفُلاَنٍ كَذَا وَقَدْ كَانَ لِفُلاَنٍ».
69. Abu Huraira (r.a.) said:
A man came to the Prophet and asked:
“O Allah’s Apostle! Which charity is the most superior in reward?”
The Messenger of Allah replied:
“The charity which you practice while you are healthy, niggardly and afraid of poverty and wish to become wealthy. Do not delay it to the time of approaching death and then say, “Give so much to such and such, and so much to such and such.” And it has already belonged to such and such (as it is too late).” (Bukhari, Zakat, 11; Wasaya, 17; Muslim, Zakat, 92)
٧٠. عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«لَأَنْ يَتَصَدَّقَ الْمَرْءُ فِي حَيَاتِهِ بِدِرْهَمٍ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أنْ يَتَصَدَّقَ بِمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ».
70. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said the following:
“A man giving a dirham as sadaqah (charity) during his life is better than giving one hundred dirhams as sadaqah (charity) at the moment of his death.” (Abu Dawud, Wasaya, 3/2866)
Explanations:
Sadaqah (charity) is considered the best way of doing goodness because of its benefits to individuals and the society. Indeed under the previous title, we have mentioned many narratives concerning the blessings and benefits of sadaqah. Therefore, one must hurry to benefit from such an important act of worship. This was one of the distinguishing attributes of the Messenger of Allah, who was always the leading figure in all good deeds. In the first and second hadith, we have seen examples of how the Messenger of Allah used to hurry in giving charity. When the planned charity is postponed, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) got worried and he got up and went home leaving the congregation right after the prayer even if he did not typically used to act in this way. He explained the reason for this when he returned as:
“I remembered that there were some goods in our room saved to be given as charity, and I hastened to order that they should be distributed among the poor so that it would not prevent me to turn to Allah, and also I should not worry about giving the account of postponing it on the Judgment Day.”
One should hurry when he intends to do a good deed.For disasters may ruin the wealth or other obstacles may come up. Most important of all, no one knows when death will come. Therefore, it is not right to postpone performing good deeds and thinking about doing it later. Another point is that everything is better in their times; they would not have any value after their time passes. Because of this, our ancestors said “do not postpone the good deed of the morning to the night!”
In various occasions, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) forbade walking in hurry in the mosques and stepping on the shoulders of those who are sitting. However, it is understood from the second hadith that he encouraged to hurry in giving charity and performing good deeds. This explains how much one should hurry in performing good deeds and giving charities.
One of the most important benefits of the charity is to beautify human soul by purifying it and to strengthen the donor’s faith. One needs this benefit of sadaqah most during his youth and prime years. Young people who are in the best years of their life think that they should earn more to raise their kids. For this reason, they tend to save more and be stingy. Satan also scares one with poverty and discourages giving sadaqah and charity (Al-Baqarah; 2:268)
To be able to give charity by opposing the inner self in such feelings is something hard to accomplish. It is also considered as the best type of sadaqah since it is very influential in disciplining the inner self. On the other hand charity given in this period of life shows that the person prefers the Hereafter over this world and performs his deeds with a tranquil heart and sincerity. The good deeds postponed to a time when all hopes are gone indicate that the person acted selfish and preferred himself over his heirs. Their benefits would be little even if Allah rewards them. That is because they have seen the end of the tunnel and lost their hopes from this world.
If someone gives alms in his young age by overcoming all of the difficulties, he benefits more but if he postpones it to the last minute, he loses. That is because death may catch him before he gets a chance to give alms. After that, even if he wants to give alms, he can not make others listen to him. As a matter of fact, his wealth would already be about to change hands. Now, the wealth that he has not spent due to his greed and love had fallen into hands of others’ ambitions and desires. Therefore, a smart person should hurry in performing good deeds when his health is alright and prepare himself for the Hereafter. If a person does not personally do a good deed, he should not expect others to do it on his behalf. What did he do for his ancestors to deserve to expect something from his heirs? One must not forget that wealth spent in the way of Allah is his real wealth and the wealth saved for himself becomes others’ at the very end.
The following narration is so meaningful and supports our point:
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Allah the Almighty says:
“O Son of Adam! How would you think that you could incapacitate Me?! As a matter of fact, I have created you from a spit of water and shaped you in a perfect and the most appropriate form in every aspect. You have walked on earth in greed and arrogance within embellished clothing. You have buried your children alive. (In other words, you have committed such major sins) You have saved wealth and did not share it. You say “I give charity” at your last breath. Is this the time to give charity?” (Ahmad, IV, 210. Also see Ibn Majah, Wasaya, 4; Hakim, II, 545/3855)
Since the mystery of testing starts to become clear at the last moments of one’s life, the time for some acts ends and the deeds that were very valuable before do not mean a lot anymore. Pointing out to this side of the issue, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) informed us that the sadaqah given at the death bed is not even as valuable as one hundredth of a charity given on time.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) described those who come to their senses at the last minute as follows:
“A man who emancipates a slave (or gives charity) at the time of his death is like a man who gives the remaining food as present after satisfying his appetite.” (Abu Dawud, Kitab Al-‘Itq, 15/3968; Tirmidhi, Wasaya, 7/2123)
Usage of the term “to give as a present” is to show how ridiculous the situation of such people is. That is because those people think only themselves with selfish feelings, and accept to share things with others only when they are full and satisfied and do not need them anymore.
Another important issue regarding charity ordered to be given at the death bed is that such charity becomes a will. A person who wants to give charity in this state has the right of use only in one third of his wealth. Transactions exceeding this limit require the permission of the heirs. Besides, it is not permissible to give charity just to harm the heirs even if the amount does not exceed one third of the wealth. The Righteous Predecessors (Salaf al-Salihin) said about those who like to show off and act wastefully:
“They rebel against Allah twice with their wealth. First, they are acting stingily when they have the money in this world. Second, they are wasting their wealth by distributing it on their death bed after they have already lost their right over it.” (Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari, V, 374/2597)
The following noble verse from the Qur’an is so alarming and eye-opening. It expresses the regret of those at the time of death who did not give charity in time and earn rewards for Hereafter:
“And spend something (in charity) out of the substance which We have bestowed on you, before death should come to any of you and he should say, “O my Lord! Why did You not give me respite for a little while? I should then have given (largely) in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of good”.” (Al-Munafiqun; 63:10)
Apart from that, if a good heir comes and gives charity on behalf of his ancestors, Allah accepts that as well:
According to the narration of Abdurrahman bin Abi Amra, once his mother had wanted to emancipate a slave and postponed it till the next morning. However, she had passed away before the morning. Abdurrahman came to Qasim b. Muhammad and asked:
“If I emancipate a slave in the name of my mother, would she benefit from it?”
Qasim answered:
“Once Sa’d bin Ubada came to the Messenger of Allah and asked:
“My mother passed away and if I emancipate a slave in her name, would she benefit from it?”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Yes!” (Muwatta, Kitab Al-‘Itq, 13)
Aisha (r.anha) narrated that a person came to the Messenger of Allah and asked:
“My mother unexpectedly passed away. I believe that if she could talk she would give charity. Can I give charity in her name?”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Yes, give charity in her name!” (Bukhari, Wasaya, 19; Abu Dawud, Wasaya, 15/2881)
c. The Manners of Giving Charity
٧١. عَنْ عَوْفِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ: دَخَلَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْمَسْجِدَ وَبِيَدِهِ عَصًا وَقَدْ عَلَّقَ رَجُلٌ قَنَا حَشَفًا فَطَعَنَ بِالْعَصَا فِي ذٰلِكَ الْقِنْوِ وَقَالَ:
«لَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّ هٰذِهِ الصَّدَقَةِ تَصَدَّقَ بِأَطْيَبَ مِنْهَا» وَقَالَ: «إِنَّ رَبَّ هٰذِهِ الصَّدَقَةِ يَأْكُلُ الْحَشَفَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ».
71. Awf ibn Malik narrated: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) entered the masjid where we were, and he had a stick in his hand. A man had hung there a bunch of low quality dried dates. He probed the bunch with the stick, and said:
“If the owner of this sadaqah (alms) wished to give a better one than this, he could have done it. The owner of this sadaqah will eat low quality dates on the Day of Judgment.” (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 17/1608)
٧٢. عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ قَالَ: قُلْتُ:
«يَا نَبِيَّ اللّٰهِ فَأَيُّ الصَّدَقَةِ أَفْضَلُ؟» قَالَ:
«سِرٌّ إِلَى فَقِيرٍ وَجُهْدٌ مِنْ مُقِلٍّ».
72. Abu Dhar (r.a.) narrated:
I asked the Messenger of Allah:
“O the Messenger of Allah! Which sadaqah is more virtuous?”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“The one that is given to the poor secretly and what a man with little property can afford to give” (Ahmad, V, 265, 178-179. Also see Abu Dawud, Zakat, 40/1677)
٧٣. عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«لَمَّا خَلَقَ اللّٰهُ الْأَرْضَ جَعَلَتْ تَمِيدُ فَخَلَقَ الْجِبَالَ فَعَادَ بِهَا عَلَيْهَا فَاسْتَقَرَّتْ فَعَجِبَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْجِبَالِ قَالُوا: يَا رَبِّ هَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْجِبَالِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ اَلْحَدِيدُ قَالُوا: يَا رَبِّ فَهَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْحَدِيدِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ اَلنَّارُ فَقَالُوا: يَا رَبِّ فَهَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنَ النَّارِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ اَلْمَاءُ قَالُوا: يَا رَبِّ فَهَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْمَاءِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ اَلرِّيحُ قَالُوا: يَا رَبِّ فَهَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الرِّيحِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ اِبْنُ آدَمَ تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ بِيَمِينِهِ يُخْفِيهَا مِنْ شِمَالِهِ».
73. Anas bin Malik (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“When Allah the Exalted has created the Earth, it started to shake. Upon that Allah has created mountains and placed them on earth and stabilized it. Angels were fascinated with the power of the mountains. They asked:
“O our Lord, have You created a more powerful creature than mountains?” Allah said:
“Yes, I have created the iron.”
“O our Lord, have You created something more powerful than the iron?” they asked. Allah the Exalted said:
“Yes, I have created the fire.” They asked:
“O our Lord, have You created something more powerful than the fire?” Allah the Exalted said:
“Yes, I have created the water!”
“O our Lord, have You created something more powerful than the water?” they asked and He answered:
“Yes, I have created the wind.” They asked:
“O our Lord, have You created something that is more powerful than the wind?” Allah said:
“Yes, I have created the humankind. If he gives charity with his right hand and keeps it secret even from his left hand, (he becomes more powerful than all of the mentioned above).” (Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 113-114/3369; Baihaqi, Shuab, III, 244)
Explanations:
Since the charity given for the sake of Allah reaches Allah before it reaches to the poor, one must be careful about the quality of the goods saved for zakat and charity. On the other hand, the quality of a person’s charity should be as good as he would like it to be if he were the receiver. When one thinks like this, he is expected to give the best of his propert as zakat and sadaqah; however, Allah is so merciful to His servants that He informed us that He accepts our charities from the middle quality of our goods.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“…when paying the zakat, one should not give an aged animal, nor one suffering from itch or ailing, and one most condemned, but one should give animals of medium quality (to have the taste of faith), for Allah did not demand from you the best of your animals, nor did He command you to give the animals of worst quality.” (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 5/1582)
When Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) sent Muadh to Yemen, he told him to invite them to believe in Allah, perform five-daily prayers, and pay their zakat, and he added:
“Avoid taking the best of their possessions (as zakat)! Be afraid of the curse of an oppressed person because there is no screen between his invocation and Allah.” (Bukhari, Zakat, 63; Maghazi, 60; Tawhid, 1; Muslim, Iman, 29, 31)
Allah warned those who save the worst part of their property as zakat and charity ignoring all these blessings and mercy of Allah the Almighty. Bara b. Azib (r.a.) narrated:
Ansar used to hang bunches of dates to a rope tied between two columns of Masjid al-Nabawi during the harvest time and the needy Muslim immigrants used to come and eat from them. Some ansar left dates with poor quality among the others by looking at the abundance of dates and thinking that it would not matter. Allah the Almighty revealed the following verse about those who acted like this:
“O you who believe! Give of the good things which you have (honorably) earned, and of the fruits of the earth which We have produced for you, and do not even aim at getting anything which is bad, in order that out of it you may give away something, when you yourselves would not receive it except with closed eyes. And know that Allah is Free of all wants, and worthy of all praise.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:267) (Wahidi, p. 90)
In the first hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) informed us that those who gave dates with poor quality as charity even if they could afford the better ones will be punished in Hereafter. Since the punishment will be in terms of the sin done, those who bring dates with poor quality will be fed by bad things in the Hereafter. As a matter of fact, even the best blessings of this world would be like pain compared to the unimaginable fruits of Paradise. One must imagine how unfortunate it is to eat dates with poor quality there! Therefore, one must never find it acceptable to give things to the poor which he himself would not like.
One day Aisha (r.anha) wanted to give a piece of meat as sadaqah which smelled a little different.
The Prophet (pbuh) told her:
“Are you going to give something that you are not going to eat yourself?!” (Haythami, III, 113)
Again our mother Aisha asked the following question about a food that the Messenger of Allah did not like:
“O the Messenger of Allah, is it acceptable if we give it to the needy?”
The Noble Prophet (pbuh) said:
“Do not give them something that you would not eat!” (Ahmad, VI, 105, 123; Haythami, III, 113; IV, 37)
Even if giving sadaqah is a good deed under all conditions, it is considered better if it is done secretly. Allah the Almighty says:
“If you disclose (acts of) charity, even so it is well, but if you conceal them, and make them reach those (really) in need, that is best for you: It will remove from you some of your (stains of) evil. And Allah is well acquainted with what you do.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:271)
In the following Qur’anic verse, the words “night” and “secret” come before the words “day” and “publicly” to emphasize the importance of giving charity secretly:
“Those who (in charity) spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:274)
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) put a lot of emphasis upon the importance of giving charity secretly. That is because giving it secretly both protects the donor from the temptations of the carnal-self and also saves the receiver from embarrassment. In order to encourage this, we are informed that those who give charity in such a manner that “the left hand would not know what the right hand gives” will be forgiven and will be under the shade of Heaven in the fearsome moments of the Day of Judgment. (Al-Baqarah; 2:271; Bukhari, Adhan, 36)
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said about another benefit of giving sadaqah in secret:
“A sadaqah that is given in secret extinguishes the anger of Allah.” (Baihaqi, Shuab, III, 244; VI, 255; Haythami, III, 115)
Moreover, those who give sadaqah secretly gain the love of Allah. This is expressed in another hadith:
“…A man comes to a community and asks for something not because he is related to them but only in the name of Allah. They don’t give what he asks for. One of them slowly and secretly goes towards the rear of the community and gives something to the man. (He gives so secretly that) only Allah and the man who received the goods knows about it. (Allah loves this person)…” (Tirmidhi, Jannah, 25/2568; Nasai, Zakat, 75/2568)
In our third hadith, it is expressed how much power and strength that a secretly given sadaqah provides humans. As a matter of fact, giving sadaqah secretly requires a strength that is more than what mountains, fire, water, and wind have. That is because acting in this manner requires overcoming greediness and desire to be known by opposing the inner-self and casting Satan down. This indeed is a very difficult thing to do. On the other hand, when a believer gives sadaqah in secret, Allah protects him with the blessing of the sadaqah from disasters that may come from mountains, iron, fire, water, wind, and such.
Also, sadaqah given in secret connects the heart of a believer to Allah with such a strong bond that with this bond the believer becomes more powerful than anything else. The spiritual power of those with strong spiritual lives is an example of this. As a matter of fact, about them is said:
هِمَّةُ الرِّجَالِ تَقْلَعُ الْجِبَالَ
“The favor of the friends of Allah knocks the mountains down.”
If no such problematic issues exist, then it is permissible to give sadaqah in public. Furthermore under some circumstance, it may even be better to give sadaqah in public. Under such circumstances, one does not have to give sadaqah in secret. On the other hand, Muslim scholars considered that it is better to give the obligatory zakat in public and supererogatory sadaqah in secret.
There are other manners that must be followed when giving sadaqah. Some of them can be listed as follows:
1. Those who give sadaqah should personally give it to the poor. According to Abdullah bin Abbas’s narration, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did not have anyone give sadaqah on his behalf, but rather he preferred to give it personally. (Ibn Majah, Taharah, 30)
Companion Harise b. Numan (r.a.) had lost his eyesight. He tied a rope from his prayer room to the door of his living room and placed next to him a basket that had dates and other things in it. When someone poor passed by and saluted him, he would take something from the basket, come to the door holding from the rope and give it to the poor personally.
Whenever his family said:
“We can give it on your behalf,” he would respond:
“I heard the Prophet (pbuh) saying:
“Giving sadaqah personally to the poor saves one from dying in an unfortunate way.” (Ibn Sa’d, III, 488; Tabarani, Kabir, III, 229, 231; Haythami, III, 112)
2. One should not nullify the rewards of his charity by unwanted reminders of his generosity to the receiver and hurting him. Allah strongly forbids acting in such an unpleasant manner. (Al-Baqarah; 2:262-264) (Al-Insan; 76:8-11)
As a matter of fact, the donor should thank the receivers of his zakat or sadaqah. That is because by taking them, the poor ensures that the donor fulfills his responsibility and gain divine rewards.
3. Another important issue is not to return from sadaqah and alms after giving it. Indeed, in order to discourage people from this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said that:
“Those who take their sadaqah back are compared to a dog that eats his vomit.” (Muslim, Hibat 5)
Umar (r.a.) narrated:
I had given a horse to a person who fights in the name of Allah. That person did not take good care of the horse and the horse lost weight. Then, I thought that he would sell it for cheap and wanted to buy the horse back from him. I asked this to the Prophet.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Never buy it! Even if he sells it for one dirham, do not take your sadaqah back! That is because those who take their sadaqah back are like a dog that eats his vomit.” (Bukhari, Zakat, 59; Hibat, 29, 37; Jihad, 119, 137; Muslim, Hibat, 1-2; Muwatta, Zakat, 49)
4. The most important one is to give sadaqah sincerely and with good intentions, and only for the sake of Allah. The alms that are given to show off or for other worldly benefits would be a waste and do not benefit the donor. (Al-Baqarah; 2:264)
The following are said in the noble verses of Qur’an:
“And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive, (Saying), “We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.” “We only fear a Day of distressful Wrath from the side of our Lord.” But Allah will deliver them from the evil of that Day, and will shed over them a Light of Beauty and (blissful) Joy.” (Al-Insan; 76:8-11)
In this verse the praised servants of Allah are those who are so sincere and humble in their act of giving that even if they internally say “…We feed you for the sake of Allah alone…” they never say this out loud to the face of the poor, and it is as if they reflect this fact in their acts. In order to point out this nuance, the word “saying” is not explicitly mentioned in the verse.
d. Those who can afford to give only a few indeed give from their heart
٧٤. عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ النَّبِىَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ:
«اِتَّقُوا النَّارَ وَلَوْ بِشِقِّ تَمْرَةٍ».
74. Adi b. Hatim (r.a.) narrated:
I heard the Prophet (pbuh) saying:
“Save yourselves from the Fire (by giving sadaqah) even if it is the half of a date fruit!” (Bukhari, Zakat, 10; Riqaq, 51; Tawhid, 36; Muslim, Zakat, 66-70)
٧٥. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«سَبَقَ دِرْهَمٌ مِائَةَ أَلْفٍ» قَالُوا:
«يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ وَكَيْفَ؟» قَالَ:
«رَجُلٌ لَهُ دِرْهَمَانِ فَأَخَذَ أَحَدَهُمَا فَتَصَدَّقَ بِهِ وَرَجُلٌ لَهُ مَالٌ كَثِيرٌ فَأَخَذَ مِنْ عُرْضِ مَالِهِ مِائَةَ أَلْفٍ فَتَصَدَّقَ بِهَا».
75. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“One dirham is more than one hundred thousand dirhams.”
The Companions asked:
“O Messenger of Allah, how is that possible?”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) answered:
“One man had two dirhams and he gave one of them as sadaqah. Another man was very wealthy but took one hundred thousand dirhams out of his wealth and gave that as sadaqah.” (Nasai, Zakat, 49/2526)
Explanations:
In order for zakat to become obligatory upon a believer, one’s wealth must exceed a certain level whereas there is no such requirement for sadaqah. Some people have a misconception that “giving sadaqah and alms are for rich people.” However, everyone can give in proportion to their means. As a matter of fact, as a proof of His countless blessings, Allah the Almighty made it easy for His servants to gain divine rewards by giving sadaqah.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“A smile to your brother (in Islam) is sadaqah. Enjoining the good and forbidding the evil is sadaqah. Showing the way to someone who lost his way is sadaqah; seeing for the blind is sadaqah (helping him); removing a stone, thorn bush, bone (and such) from the street is sadaqah; emptying water from your bucket to your brother’s bucket is sadaqah.” (Tirmidhi, Birr, 36/1956)
On the other hand, humans will need the help of even very minor good deeds in the Hereafter. They will strongly wish that they have done any kind of good deed or had given some charity while they were on Earth. They will even ask the help of a glass of water that they had given in this world. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) explains this situation as:
“On the Day of Judgment, people (or people of heaven according to another narration) will line up. Then one person who will go to Hell comes across someone who will go to Paradise and says:
“O so and so! Did you remember that you wanted a sip of water and I gave it to you?” (and asks for his intercession.) And the believer intercedes for that person.
Another person (who will go to Hell) comes to a person who will go to Paradise and asks for intercession saying:
“Did you remember that one day I gave you water for ablution?” and the person remembers him and intercedes for him.
Again one of the people who will go to Hell says to a person who will go to Paradise:
“O such and such! Do you remember the day that you had sent me for such and such work? And I went that day for you.” The person who will go to Paradise intercedes for him.” (Ibn Majah, Adab, 8)
In another narration, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“There will be none among you but his Lord will talk to him, and there will be no interpreter between him and Allah. He will look to his right and see nothing but his deeds which he has sent forward, and will look to his left and see nothing but his deeds which he has sent forward, and will look in front of him and see nothing but the (Hell) Fire facing him. So save yourself from the (Hell) Fire even with half a date (given in charity). Those who cannot find this, save yourself even with a good word.” (Bukhari, Tawhid, 36; Muslim, Zakat, 97)
Therefore, everyone should take advantage of the benefits of giving charity in both of the worlds even by giving something very small and gain the heart of the needy.
Umm Bujayd (r. anha), one of the female Companions, came to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and said:
“O Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon you! Sometimes, a poor person comes to my door and I cannot find anything to give.”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told her:
“Even if you cannot find anything to give him other than a burned nail of a sheep, give that to the poor!” (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 33/1667; Tirmidhi, Zakat, 29/665; Nasai, Zakat, 70/2566; Ahmad, VI, 383)
This saying of the Messenger of Allah is an exaggerated expression to show that sadaqah given to the poor can even be something so small. Therefore, the important thing in giving something is having good intentions, and the importance of the value of the donation is secondary. As a matter of fact, we are informed that a small thing given with difficulty by a relatively poor person is the most valuable type of charity. (Ahmad, V, 265, 178-179)
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to express the value and virtue of such action:
“Three things are among the signs of faith:
- 1. Giving charity from the wealth that is not much at all,
- 2. Spreading the salutation by saluting everyone,
- 3. Being objective in matters about the individual himself. (In other words, being just and not deciding either for or against oneself by being just and measured.)” (Suyuti, Jami, I, 117/3441)
One day, a poor person came to Uthman (r.a.) and said:
“O rich men! You took away all the good deeds; you give sadaqah from your wealth, you emancipate slaves, you go to Hajj, and give charity!”
Uthman (r.a.) asked:
“Do you really envy us?” The man said:
“Yes, I swear to Allah we envy you!” Then, Uthman (r.a.) made the following explanation:
“I swear to Allah that one dirham given with difficulty (by someone not so wealthy) is more valuable than ten thousand dirhams given by a wealthy person.” (Baihaqi, Shuab, III, 251; Ali al-Muttaqi, VI, 612/17098)
That is because those who are not so wealthy are giving out of their own needs rather than giving from what is extra. When this is the case, the chance that it is given only for the sake of Allah is higher. The chance for some humanly desires to interfere with sadaqah given by the rich is higher, and the rich also do not experience any difficulties when giving it.
However, it is not right for a person to give everything and end up needy. In particular, those with weak faith regret for their sadaqah when they become needy by giving too much sadaqah. In such a situation, they lose both their wealth and the divine rewards that they get by giving charity.
The Pride of the Universe (pbuh) told to keep the balance in this matter:
“Some of you bring what they have and say “this is sadaqah!” and then they sit and beg. The most valuable sadaqah is the one that is given from what is more than needed.” (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 39/1673)
However, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did not object for Abu Bakr to donate all of his wealth as charity. That is because he and some others are among the exceptional characters that have strong faith, and they are exemplary Muslims. They are great characters who know to give charity without hesitation whether they are poor or rich.
How nicely the following story expresses the peak state of Abu Bakr (r.a) in generosity:
One day, after leading the dawn prayer, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked his Companions:
“Is there anyone among you who fed a poor today?” Umar (r.a.) said:
“O Messenger of Allah! We have just performed the dawn prayer and did not leave for anywhere else. How could we feed a poor in this situation?”
Abu Bakr (r.a.) said:
“When I entered into the praying room, I saw someone who was telling about his needs. There was a piece of rye bread that my son Abdurrahman was holding. I immediately took that and gave it to the poor.”
Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“I give you the good news that you will go to Paradise.” (Haythami, III, 163-164. Also see Abu Dawud, Zakat, 36/1670; Hakim, I, 571/1501)
Another exceptional character who gave a little but from the heart is Zaynap (r.anha), the mother of the faithful. Aisha (r.anha) narrates:
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to his wives:
“One who has the longest hands amongst you would meet me most immediately (in the hereafter).”
They (the wives of Allah’s Apostle) used to measure their arms as to whose was the longest. It turns out, it was Zainab’ arm that was the longest amongst them, for she used to work with her hand and spend (that income) on charity. (Muslim, Kitab al-Fada’il al-Sahabah, 101)
The figurative meaning of having long hands is to give sadaqah and to do good deeds and to be generous. According to the measurement of the mothers of the faithful, the longest arms were those of Sawda (r.anha). However, Zainab (r.anha) was the one who reached the Messenger of Allah the first. Then they understood that what the Messenger of Allah had implied was giving sadaqah, doing good deeds, and being generous.
[1] According to Islam, the real owner of the wealth that humans own is Allah. One must give charity from this wealth which He gave it temperorarly to test him. (Al-Nur (Light) 24:33; Hadid (Iron)57:7; Al-Baqara (The Cow) 2:3; Al-Ra’d (The Thunder) 13:22)
[2] Mudd is a special measurement of weight which is about 687 gr.
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7. Sadaqah (Charity) and Infaq (Donating)
a. Abundance in Infaq
٦٣. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«قَالَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (أَنْفِقْ أُنْفِقْ عَلَيْكَ) وَقَالَ يَدُ اللّٰهِ مَلْأَى لَا تَغِيضُهَا نَفَقَةٌ سَحَّاءُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَقَالَ أَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا أَنْفَقَ مُنْذُ خَلَقَ السَّمَاءَ وَالْأَرْضَ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَغِضْ مَا فِي يَدِهِ».
63. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Allah said, ‘Spend (O man), and I shall spend on you.’ Allah’s hand [treasures] is full, and (its fullness) is not affected by the continuous spending night and day. Do you see what He has spent since He created the Heavens and the Earth? Nevertheless, what is in His Hand is not decreased.” (Bukhari, Tafsir, 11/2; Tawhid, 22)
٦٤. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«مَنْ تَصَدَّقَ بِعَدْلِ تَمْرَةٍ مِنْ كَسْبٍ طَيِّبٍ وَلَا يَقْبَلُ اللّٰهُ إِلَّا الطَّيِّبَ وَإِنَّ اللّٰهَ يَتَقَبَّلُهَا بِيَمِينِهِ ثُمَّ يُرَبِّيهَا لِصَاحِبِهِ كَمَا يُرَبِّي أَحَدُكُمْ فَلُوَّهُ حَتَّى تَكُونَ مِثْلَ الْجَبَلِ».
64. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“If one gives in charity what equals one date-fruit from the honestly-earned money –and Allah accepts only the honestly earned money,– then Allah takes it in His right (hand) and then enlarges its reward for that person (who has given it), as anyone of you rears his foal, until it becomes as big as a mountain.” (Bukhari, Zakat, 8; Tawhid, 23; Muslim, Zakat, 63, 64. Also see Tirmidhi, Zakat, 28/661, Nasai, Zakat, 48/2523; Ibn Majah, Zakat, 28)
٦٥. عَنْ خُرَيْمِ بْنِ فَاتِكٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«مَنْ أَنْفَقَ نَفَقَةً فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ كُتِبَتْ لَهُ بِسَبْعِمِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ».
65. Huraym b. Fatiq (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Those who spend his wealth on Allah’s cause receive divine rewards as much as seven hundred times of what they spent.” (Tirmidhi, Fadail al-Jihad, 4/1625; Nasai, Jihad, 45/3184)
٦٦. عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا: أَنَّهُمْ ذَبَحُوا شَاةً فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«مَا بَقِيَ مِنْهَا؟» قَالَتْ:
«مَا بَقِيَ مِنْهَا إِلَّا كَتِفُهَا» قَالَ:
«بَقِيَ كُلُّهَا غَيْرَ كَتِفِهَا».
66. Aisha narrated that the family of the Messenger of Allah sacrificed a sheep. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked:
“What is left from it?”
Aisha (r.a.) answered:
“Only its scapula”
Upon that, Prophet (pbuh) said:
“In fact, except the shoulder blade, the whole sheep is here!” (Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 33/2470)
Explanations:
Allah the Almighty gave us everything that we need[1] and wanted us to let others benefit from these blessings. For this reason, while making to give one fortieth of the wealth obligatory as zakat, He kept the door of Sadaqah (charity) open for those who want to give more and earn more divine rewards. As long as one does not put himself and those who depend on him in a difficult position, he can give alms as much as wants and is encouraged to do so. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) even said:
“In one’s wealth, there are rights other than zakat.” (Tirmidhi, Zakat, 27/659-660. Also see Al-Baqarah; 2:177)
One day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told the wisdom and virtues of infaq (giving) and gave the following speech to his companions:
“O people, give charity! O people give charity so that I can be witness to your faith on the Day of Judgment with it. Maybe when one of you and the offspring of his camels are full and comfortable, his nephew might be cringed from hunger. Maybe when the trees of one of you give nice fruits and increase his wealth his neighbor might be a poor person who does not have anything. Isn’t there a man who can give one of his camels as charity so it gives milk to poor in the morning and evening and be a blessing to them? Be careful! The reward of this is huge.” (Alusi, X, 146, [Al-Tawbah; 9:79]; Ali al-Muttaqi, no: 16181)
In many hadith, we are given the good news that those who give charity will not be deprived of anything and will definitely be compensated by calling the divine mercy and receive blessings. In the first hadith, expressing this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) encourages and motivates people to give charity by saying that the treasures of our Exalted Lord will never end. In another hadith, he said:
“There are three things that I can swear to:
Then, one should absolutely not be afraid of giving charity asking for rewards only from Allah. As a matter of fact, for sure Allah the Almighty, while continuously giving charity at all times to His servants can give more to those who give alms. In a verse, it is stated in the Qur’an that:
“Allah will deprive usury of all blessing, but will give increase for deeds of charity: For He loves not creatures ungrateful and wicked.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:276)
Ali’s (r.a.) advice deals with the same issue:
“When you get poor, give alms as if you make trade with Allah, so that He will give you more.” (Sharif al-Radi‘, Nahj al-Balagha, no: 258)
Pointing out the blessings in charity Abu Mas’ud al-Ansari (r.a.) says:
“When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) ordered us to give in charity, we used to go to the market and work as porters and get a Mudd[2] and then give it in charity. (Those were the days of poverty) and today some of us have one hundred thousand (dinars).” (Bukhari, Zakat, 10)
Besides the material benefits of giving alms, there are also many spiritual blessings. This issue is clearly explained in the second hadith. Even if the thing given as charity is something small, Allah the Almighty increases its divine rewards, and advances it unimaginably and responds with incomparable blessings. This situation shows that Allah gets very pleased when alms and charities are given. As a matter of fact, in order to express this, it is said that Allah receives the alms with His right hand. The phrase “right hand” is an expression that means Allah accepts alms with pleasure. Otherwise, Allah does not resemble any creature.
Another report that shows how Allah gets pleased with those who give alms is as follows:
“Before the alms are received by poor, they get received by Allah the Exalted. Because of the alms given, apart from the rewards that will be given in the Hereafter for those who give the alms, Allah also closes the doors of seventy disasters in this world. Leprosy, skin discoloration diseases, and some other serious illnesses are among them.” (Abu Nuaym, Hilya, IV, 81. Also see Haythami, III, 110, 111; Ali al-Muttaqi, VI, 377/16134)
Another hadith that expresses Allah’s pleasure when alms are given and informs of its rewards in the Hereafter is as follows:
“If any Muslim clothes a Muslim when he is naked, Allah will clothe him with some green garments of Paradise; if any Muslim feeds a Muslim when he is hungry, Allah will feed him with some of the fruits of Paradise; and if any Muslim gives a Muslim drink when he is thirsty, Allah will give him some of the pure wine which is sealed to drink.” (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 41/1682; Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 18/2449; Ahmad, III, 13)
Once the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said in order to explain the broad and comprehensive blessings of charity:
“Allah the Exalted puts three people into His paradise in return for a morsel of bread, couple of dates, and other things that the poor can benefit from:
After stating this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) completed his words saying:
“Many thanks to Allah who does not forget anyone of us!” (Haythami, III, 112)
On the other hand, giving out of wealth and life strenghtens the spirituality of a person and enriches his character. While people feel overwhelmed by taking something from others, they get elevated by the things that they give. Therefore, giving alms and treating others with respect helps a person to mature his spiritual life.
There is another important issue that must be expressed here. Above all, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) emphasized that alms should be given out of an income that is rightfully earned. This is because the rightful earning is the essence of happiness both in this world and in the hereafter. In one of his sayings, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) explained this condition as follows:
“…If a person earns an income from a prohibited way (haram) and if he spends it, he does not benefit from it; and if he gives alms from this income, his charity does not get accepted by Allah. The share that he leaves behind only gets him closer to the Fire. That is because Allah does not erase wrongdoings with other wrongdoing, but only with goodness. For sure, something evil does not exterminate another evil thing.” (Ahmad, I, 387)
As it can be understood from our third hadith, the best charity is the one done in the way of Allah, in other words to glorify His religion and deliver His message to others. The rewards and blessings given to such charity are expressed in the hadith by a term indicating abundance. Or that number shows the minimum level. As a matter of fact, Allah gives much more rewards or even uncountable rewards to those whom He wishes. This is expressed in a noble verse of the Qur’an as:
“The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn: it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases and Allah cares for all and He knows all things.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:261)
Giving charity not only increases the wealth but also saves it from being destroyed by perpetuating it. Wealth is always under the risk of being destroyed in the hands of humans. Even if it stays safe, it might be spent unnecessarily and turn into a sin. Even the wealth spent by the owner himself is considered lost, wasted, or luxury if it does not get spent appropriately. When it comes to wealth that is given as charity, it will be protected in the sight of Allah and turn into a capital for eternal life depending upon the level of sincerity of the donor. Indeed in our forth hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) explained this issue in its best form. In other words, the wealth that is given as charity becomes ours and the wealth spent is lost from us most of the time.
Allah the Almighty says:
“…Whatever of good you give benefits your own souls, and you shall only do so seeking the “Face” of Allah. Whatever good you give, shall be rendered back to you, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:272)
On the other hand, sadaqah (charity) prevents many troubles, both material and spiritual. Some of them are stated in various ahadith as follows:
“As the water extinguishes fire, sadaqah extinguishes torment of the sins.” (Tirmidhi, Iman, 8/2616. Also see Ibn Majah, Fitan, 12)
“Sadaqah extinguishes the anger of the Lord and protects one from dying in a bad condition.” (Tirmidhi, Zakat, 28/664)
“The sadaqah that a Muslim gives lengthens his life time, prevents unfortunate dying, and Allah prevents arrogance, poverty, and pride with it.” (Haythami, III, 110)
“Until everyone is judged (on the Day of Judgment), everyone will wait under the shade of the sadaqah that they have given.”
Abu’l Hayr, one of the narrators of this hadith, did his best to give a sadaqah every day even if it is a piece of cake, onion, or something small like these… (Ahmad, IV, 147-8; Haythami, III, 110)
In another hadith the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Sadaqah extinguishes the heat of the grave for its donor. A believer takes a shade under the sadaqah he has given on the Day of Judgment.” (Haythami, III, 110)
“Hurry in giving sadaqah! For trouble cannot pass before sadaqah.” (Haythami, III, 110)
According to what the Prophet informed us, a group of people visited Isa (Jesus) (pbuh) and he said to them:
“One of you will die today if Allah wishes.”
They went and came back to Jesus (pbuh) in the evening with woodpiles on their shoulders. He said:
“Drop the woodpiles!”
Then he said to the man whom had said that he was going to die:
“Untie the woodpile!”
As soon as the man untied it, a black snake appeared. Jesus (pbuh) asked:
“What good deed have you done today?”
The man said:
“I did not do any good deed today.”
Jesus (pbuh) said:
“Think one more time, what did you do?”
Then, the man said:
“I did not do anything, but I had a piece of bread. Then, there came a poor man and asked for something. I shared my bread with him.”
Upon this, Jesus (pbuh) said:
“Well, in this way, you had been protected from that trouble.” (Haythami, III, 109-110; Ahmad, Zuhd, I, 96)
The Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) used to compete with each other in helping others and giving charity. The following story is an exemplary incident speaking to this fact:
Umar (r.a.) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) commanded us to give charity. I was wealthy at the time. I said to myself ‘If I ever have a chance to exceed Abu Bakr, this will be the day’ and gave half of my wealth to the Messenger of Allah.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked:
“What did you leave for your family?”
“I left as much as what I brought here” I said.
Abu Bakr (r.a.) brought all of his wealth.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked:
“Abu Bakr, what did you leave for your children and family?”
Abu Bakr (r.a.) answered:
“Allah and His Messenger.”
Then, I said to myself “I swear to Allah that I cannot exceed him in any matter!” (Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 16/3675)
b. To Hurry up in Giving Charity
٦٧. عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ قَالَتْ: دَخَلَ عَلَيَّ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ سَاهِمُ الْوَجْهِ قَالَتْ فَحَسِبْتُ أَنَّ ذٰلِكَ مِنْ وَجَعٍ فَقُلْتُ:
«يَا نَبِيَّ اللّٰهِ مَا لَكَ سَاهِمُ الْوَجْهِ؟» قَالَ:
«مِنْ أَجْلِ الدَّنَانِيرِ السَّبْعَةِ الَّتِي أَتَتْنَا أَمْسِ. أَمْسَيْنَا وَهِيَ فِي خُصْمِ الْفِرَاشِ».
67. Ummu Salama (r.a.) narrated:
One day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came to me and the color of his face was changed. I thought that he had an ache and asked:
“O Messenger of Allah, what happened, why is you face like that, its color has changed?”
Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said:
“I am in this state because of the seven dinars that we received yesterday. It is almost evening and they are still under the bad (we did not have a chance to donate them yet!)” (Ahmad, VI, 293; Haythami, X, 238)
٦٨. عَنْ عُقْبَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: صَلَّيْتُ وَرَاءَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ الْعَصْرَ فَسَلَّمَ ثُمَّ قَامَ مُسْرِعًا فَتَخَطَّى رِقَابَ النَّاسِ إِلَى بَعْضِ حُجَرِ نِسَائِهِ فَفَزِعَ النَّاسُ مِنْ سُرْعَتِهِ فَخَرَجَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَرَأَى أَنَّهُمْ عَجِبُوا مِنْ سُرْعَتِهِ قَالَ:
«ذَكَرْتُ شَيْئًا مِنْ تِبْرٍ عِنْدَنَا فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ يَحْبِسَنِي فَأَمَرْتُ بِقِسْمَتِهِ».
68. Uqba (r.a.) narrated:
Once in Medina, I prayed the late afternoon prayer led by the Messenger of Allah. When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) finished the prayer by giving a salutation, he suddenly stood up and went to one of his wives’ room. The Companions worried about Prophet’s rush. A while later, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) returned. He recognized that the congregation got worried after him and so he said:
“I remembered that there was some gold – or silver – in our room and that bothered me so I ordered them to be given as charity.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 158; al-Amal fi al-Salah, 18; Nasai, Sahw, 104/1363)
٦٩. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ:
«يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ أَيُّ الصَّدَقَةِ أَعْظَمُ أَجْرًا؟» قَالَ:
«أَنْ تَصَدَّقَ وَأَنْتَ صَحِيحٌ شَحِيحٌ تَخْشَى الْفَقْرَ وَتَأْمُلُ الْغِنَى وَلاَ تُمْهِلْ حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الْحُلْقُومَ قُلْتَ لِفُلاَنٍ كَذَا وَلِفُلاَنٍ كَذَا وَقَدْ كَانَ لِفُلاَنٍ».
69. Abu Huraira (r.a.) said:
A man came to the Prophet and asked:
“O Allah’s Apostle! Which charity is the most superior in reward?”
The Messenger of Allah replied:
“The charity which you practice while you are healthy, niggardly and afraid of poverty and wish to become wealthy. Do not delay it to the time of approaching death and then say, “Give so much to such and such, and so much to such and such.” And it has already belonged to such and such (as it is too late).” (Bukhari, Zakat, 11; Wasaya, 17; Muslim, Zakat, 92)
٧٠. عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«لَأَنْ يَتَصَدَّقَ الْمَرْءُ فِي حَيَاتِهِ بِدِرْهَمٍ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أنْ يَتَصَدَّقَ بِمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ».
70. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said the following:
“A man giving a dirham as sadaqah (charity) during his life is better than giving one hundred dirhams as sadaqah (charity) at the moment of his death.” (Abu Dawud, Wasaya, 3/2866)
Explanations:
Sadaqah (charity) is considered the best way of doing goodness because of its benefits to individuals and the society. Indeed under the previous title, we have mentioned many narratives concerning the blessings and benefits of sadaqah. Therefore, one must hurry to benefit from such an important act of worship. This was one of the distinguishing attributes of the Messenger of Allah, who was always the leading figure in all good deeds. In the first and second hadith, we have seen examples of how the Messenger of Allah used to hurry in giving charity. When the planned charity is postponed, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) got worried and he got up and went home leaving the congregation right after the prayer even if he did not typically used to act in this way. He explained the reason for this when he returned as:
“I remembered that there were some goods in our room saved to be given as charity, and I hastened to order that they should be distributed among the poor so that it would not prevent me to turn to Allah, and also I should not worry about giving the account of postponing it on the Judgment Day.”
One should hurry when he intends to do a good deed.For disasters may ruin the wealth or other obstacles may come up. Most important of all, no one knows when death will come. Therefore, it is not right to postpone performing good deeds and thinking about doing it later. Another point is that everything is better in their times; they would not have any value after their time passes. Because of this, our ancestors said “do not postpone the good deed of the morning to the night!”
In various occasions, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) forbade walking in hurry in the mosques and stepping on the shoulders of those who are sitting. However, it is understood from the second hadith that he encouraged to hurry in giving charity and performing good deeds. This explains how much one should hurry in performing good deeds and giving charities.
One of the most important benefits of the charity is to beautify human soul by purifying it and to strengthen the donor’s faith. One needs this benefit of sadaqah most during his youth and prime years. Young people who are in the best years of their life think that they should earn more to raise their kids. For this reason, they tend to save more and be stingy. Satan also scares one with poverty and discourages giving sadaqah and charity (Al-Baqarah; 2:268)
To be able to give charity by opposing the inner self in such feelings is something hard to accomplish. It is also considered as the best type of sadaqah since it is very influential in disciplining the inner self. On the other hand charity given in this period of life shows that the person prefers the Hereafter over this world and performs his deeds with a tranquil heart and sincerity. The good deeds postponed to a time when all hopes are gone indicate that the person acted selfish and preferred himself over his heirs. Their benefits would be little even if Allah rewards them. That is because they have seen the end of the tunnel and lost their hopes from this world.
If someone gives alms in his young age by overcoming all of the difficulties, he benefits more but if he postpones it to the last minute, he loses. That is because death may catch him before he gets a chance to give alms. After that, even if he wants to give alms, he can not make others listen to him. As a matter of fact, his wealth would already be about to change hands. Now, the wealth that he has not spent due to his greed and love had fallen into hands of others’ ambitions and desires. Therefore, a smart person should hurry in performing good deeds when his health is alright and prepare himself for the Hereafter. If a person does not personally do a good deed, he should not expect others to do it on his behalf. What did he do for his ancestors to deserve to expect something from his heirs? One must not forget that wealth spent in the way of Allah is his real wealth and the wealth saved for himself becomes others’ at the very end.
The following narration is so meaningful and supports our point:
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Allah the Almighty says:
“O Son of Adam! How would you think that you could incapacitate Me?! As a matter of fact, I have created you from a spit of water and shaped you in a perfect and the most appropriate form in every aspect. You have walked on earth in greed and arrogance within embellished clothing. You have buried your children alive. (In other words, you have committed such major sins) You have saved wealth and did not share it. You say “I give charity” at your last breath. Is this the time to give charity?” (Ahmad, IV, 210. Also see Ibn Majah, Wasaya, 4; Hakim, II, 545/3855)
Since the mystery of testing starts to become clear at the last moments of one’s life, the time for some acts ends and the deeds that were very valuable before do not mean a lot anymore. Pointing out to this side of the issue, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) informed us that the sadaqah given at the death bed is not even as valuable as one hundredth of a charity given on time.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) described those who come to their senses at the last minute as follows:
“A man who emancipates a slave (or gives charity) at the time of his death is like a man who gives the remaining food as present after satisfying his appetite.” (Abu Dawud, Kitab Al-‘Itq, 15/3968; Tirmidhi, Wasaya, 7/2123)
Usage of the term “to give as a present” is to show how ridiculous the situation of such people is. That is because those people think only themselves with selfish feelings, and accept to share things with others only when they are full and satisfied and do not need them anymore.
Another important issue regarding charity ordered to be given at the death bed is that such charity becomes a will. A person who wants to give charity in this state has the right of use only in one third of his wealth. Transactions exceeding this limit require the permission of the heirs. Besides, it is not permissible to give charity just to harm the heirs even if the amount does not exceed one third of the wealth. The Righteous Predecessors (Salaf al-Salihin) said about those who like to show off and act wastefully:
“They rebel against Allah twice with their wealth. First, they are acting stingily when they have the money in this world. Second, they are wasting their wealth by distributing it on their death bed after they have already lost their right over it.” (Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari, V, 374/2597)
The following noble verse from the Qur’an is so alarming and eye-opening. It expresses the regret of those at the time of death who did not give charity in time and earn rewards for Hereafter:
“And spend something (in charity) out of the substance which We have bestowed on you, before death should come to any of you and he should say, “O my Lord! Why did You not give me respite for a little while? I should then have given (largely) in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of good”.” (Al-Munafiqun; 63:10)
Apart from that, if a good heir comes and gives charity on behalf of his ancestors, Allah accepts that as well:
According to the narration of Abdurrahman bin Abi Amra, once his mother had wanted to emancipate a slave and postponed it till the next morning. However, she had passed away before the morning. Abdurrahman came to Qasim b. Muhammad and asked:
“If I emancipate a slave in the name of my mother, would she benefit from it?”
Qasim answered:
“Once Sa’d bin Ubada came to the Messenger of Allah and asked:
“My mother passed away and if I emancipate a slave in her name, would she benefit from it?”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Yes!” (Muwatta, Kitab Al-‘Itq, 13)
Aisha (r.anha) narrated that a person came to the Messenger of Allah and asked:
“My mother unexpectedly passed away. I believe that if she could talk she would give charity. Can I give charity in her name?”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Yes, give charity in her name!” (Bukhari, Wasaya, 19; Abu Dawud, Wasaya, 15/2881)
c. The Manners of Giving Charity
٧١. عَنْ عَوْفِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ: دَخَلَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْمَسْجِدَ وَبِيَدِهِ عَصًا وَقَدْ عَلَّقَ رَجُلٌ قَنَا حَشَفًا فَطَعَنَ بِالْعَصَا فِي ذٰلِكَ الْقِنْوِ وَقَالَ:
«لَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّ هٰذِهِ الصَّدَقَةِ تَصَدَّقَ بِأَطْيَبَ مِنْهَا» وَقَالَ: «إِنَّ رَبَّ هٰذِهِ الصَّدَقَةِ يَأْكُلُ الْحَشَفَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ».
71. Awf ibn Malik narrated: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) entered the masjid where we were, and he had a stick in his hand. A man had hung there a bunch of low quality dried dates. He probed the bunch with the stick, and said:
“If the owner of this sadaqah (alms) wished to give a better one than this, he could have done it. The owner of this sadaqah will eat low quality dates on the Day of Judgment.” (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 17/1608)
٧٢. عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ قَالَ: قُلْتُ:
«يَا نَبِيَّ اللّٰهِ فَأَيُّ الصَّدَقَةِ أَفْضَلُ؟» قَالَ:
«سِرٌّ إِلَى فَقِيرٍ وَجُهْدٌ مِنْ مُقِلٍّ».
72. Abu Dhar (r.a.) narrated:
I asked the Messenger of Allah:
“O the Messenger of Allah! Which sadaqah is more virtuous?”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“The one that is given to the poor secretly and what a man with little property can afford to give” (Ahmad, V, 265, 178-179. Also see Abu Dawud, Zakat, 40/1677)
٧٣. عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«لَمَّا خَلَقَ اللّٰهُ الْأَرْضَ جَعَلَتْ تَمِيدُ فَخَلَقَ الْجِبَالَ فَعَادَ بِهَا عَلَيْهَا فَاسْتَقَرَّتْ فَعَجِبَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْجِبَالِ قَالُوا: يَا رَبِّ هَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْجِبَالِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ اَلْحَدِيدُ قَالُوا: يَا رَبِّ فَهَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْحَدِيدِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ اَلنَّارُ فَقَالُوا: يَا رَبِّ فَهَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنَ النَّارِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ اَلْمَاءُ قَالُوا: يَا رَبِّ فَهَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْمَاءِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ اَلرِّيحُ قَالُوا: يَا رَبِّ فَهَلْ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ شَيْءٌ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الرِّيحِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ اِبْنُ آدَمَ تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ بِيَمِينِهِ يُخْفِيهَا مِنْ شِمَالِهِ».
73. Anas bin Malik (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“When Allah the Exalted has created the Earth, it started to shake. Upon that Allah has created mountains and placed them on earth and stabilized it. Angels were fascinated with the power of the mountains. They asked:
“O our Lord, have You created a more powerful creature than mountains?” Allah said:
“Yes, I have created the iron.”
“O our Lord, have You created something more powerful than the iron?” they asked. Allah the Exalted said:
“Yes, I have created the fire.” They asked:
“O our Lord, have You created something more powerful than the fire?” Allah the Exalted said:
“Yes, I have created the water!”
“O our Lord, have You created something more powerful than the water?” they asked and He answered:
“Yes, I have created the wind.” They asked:
“O our Lord, have You created something that is more powerful than the wind?” Allah said:
“Yes, I have created the humankind. If he gives charity with his right hand and keeps it secret even from his left hand, (he becomes more powerful than all of the mentioned above).” (Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 113-114/3369; Baihaqi, Shuab, III, 244)
Explanations:
Since the charity given for the sake of Allah reaches Allah before it reaches to the poor, one must be careful about the quality of the goods saved for zakat and charity. On the other hand, the quality of a person’s charity should be as good as he would like it to be if he were the receiver. When one thinks like this, he is expected to give the best of his propert as zakat and sadaqah; however, Allah is so merciful to His servants that He informed us that He accepts our charities from the middle quality of our goods.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“…when paying the zakat, one should not give an aged animal, nor one suffering from itch or ailing, and one most condemned, but one should give animals of medium quality (to have the taste of faith), for Allah did not demand from you the best of your animals, nor did He command you to give the animals of worst quality.” (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 5/1582)
When Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) sent Muadh to Yemen, he told him to invite them to believe in Allah, perform five-daily prayers, and pay their zakat, and he added:
“Avoid taking the best of their possessions (as zakat)! Be afraid of the curse of an oppressed person because there is no screen between his invocation and Allah.” (Bukhari, Zakat, 63; Maghazi, 60; Tawhid, 1; Muslim, Iman, 29, 31)
Allah warned those who save the worst part of their property as zakat and charity ignoring all these blessings and mercy of Allah the Almighty. Bara b. Azib (r.a.) narrated:
Ansar used to hang bunches of dates to a rope tied between two columns of Masjid al-Nabawi during the harvest time and the needy Muslim immigrants used to come and eat from them. Some ansar left dates with poor quality among the others by looking at the abundance of dates and thinking that it would not matter. Allah the Almighty revealed the following verse about those who acted like this:
“O you who believe! Give of the good things which you have (honorably) earned, and of the fruits of the earth which We have produced for you, and do not even aim at getting anything which is bad, in order that out of it you may give away something, when you yourselves would not receive it except with closed eyes. And know that Allah is Free of all wants, and worthy of all praise.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:267) (Wahidi, p. 90)
In the first hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) informed us that those who gave dates with poor quality as charity even if they could afford the better ones will be punished in Hereafter. Since the punishment will be in terms of the sin done, those who bring dates with poor quality will be fed by bad things in the Hereafter. As a matter of fact, even the best blessings of this world would be like pain compared to the unimaginable fruits of Paradise. One must imagine how unfortunate it is to eat dates with poor quality there! Therefore, one must never find it acceptable to give things to the poor which he himself would not like.
One day Aisha (r.anha) wanted to give a piece of meat as sadaqah which smelled a little different.
The Prophet (pbuh) told her:
“Are you going to give something that you are not going to eat yourself?!” (Haythami, III, 113)
Again our mother Aisha asked the following question about a food that the Messenger of Allah did not like:
“O the Messenger of Allah, is it acceptable if we give it to the needy?”
The Noble Prophet (pbuh) said:
“Do not give them something that you would not eat!” (Ahmad, VI, 105, 123; Haythami, III, 113; IV, 37)
Even if giving sadaqah is a good deed under all conditions, it is considered better if it is done secretly. Allah the Almighty says:
“If you disclose (acts of) charity, even so it is well, but if you conceal them, and make them reach those (really) in need, that is best for you: It will remove from you some of your (stains of) evil. And Allah is well acquainted with what you do.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:271)
In the following Qur’anic verse, the words “night” and “secret” come before the words “day” and “publicly” to emphasize the importance of giving charity secretly:
“Those who (in charity) spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:274)
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) put a lot of emphasis upon the importance of giving charity secretly. That is because giving it secretly both protects the donor from the temptations of the carnal-self and also saves the receiver from embarrassment. In order to encourage this, we are informed that those who give charity in such a manner that “the left hand would not know what the right hand gives” will be forgiven and will be under the shade of Heaven in the fearsome moments of the Day of Judgment. (Al-Baqarah; 2:271; Bukhari, Adhan, 36)
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said about another benefit of giving sadaqah in secret:
“A sadaqah that is given in secret extinguishes the anger of Allah.” (Baihaqi, Shuab, III, 244; VI, 255; Haythami, III, 115)
Moreover, those who give sadaqah secretly gain the love of Allah. This is expressed in another hadith:
“…A man comes to a community and asks for something not because he is related to them but only in the name of Allah. They don’t give what he asks for. One of them slowly and secretly goes towards the rear of the community and gives something to the man. (He gives so secretly that) only Allah and the man who received the goods knows about it. (Allah loves this person)…” (Tirmidhi, Jannah, 25/2568; Nasai, Zakat, 75/2568)
In our third hadith, it is expressed how much power and strength that a secretly given sadaqah provides humans. As a matter of fact, giving sadaqah secretly requires a strength that is more than what mountains, fire, water, and wind have. That is because acting in this manner requires overcoming greediness and desire to be known by opposing the inner-self and casting Satan down. This indeed is a very difficult thing to do. On the other hand, when a believer gives sadaqah in secret, Allah protects him with the blessing of the sadaqah from disasters that may come from mountains, iron, fire, water, wind, and such.
Also, sadaqah given in secret connects the heart of a believer to Allah with such a strong bond that with this bond the believer becomes more powerful than anything else. The spiritual power of those with strong spiritual lives is an example of this. As a matter of fact, about them is said:
هِمَّةُ الرِّجَالِ تَقْلَعُ الْجِبَالَ
“The favor of the friends of Allah knocks the mountains down.”
If no such problematic issues exist, then it is permissible to give sadaqah in public. Furthermore under some circumstance, it may even be better to give sadaqah in public. Under such circumstances, one does not have to give sadaqah in secret. On the other hand, Muslim scholars considered that it is better to give the obligatory zakat in public and supererogatory sadaqah in secret.
There are other manners that must be followed when giving sadaqah. Some of them can be listed as follows:
1. Those who give sadaqah should personally give it to the poor. According to Abdullah bin Abbas’s narration, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did not have anyone give sadaqah on his behalf, but rather he preferred to give it personally. (Ibn Majah, Taharah, 30)
Companion Harise b. Numan (r.a.) had lost his eyesight. He tied a rope from his prayer room to the door of his living room and placed next to him a basket that had dates and other things in it. When someone poor passed by and saluted him, he would take something from the basket, come to the door holding from the rope and give it to the poor personally.
Whenever his family said:
“We can give it on your behalf,” he would respond:
“I heard the Prophet (pbuh) saying:
“Giving sadaqah personally to the poor saves one from dying in an unfortunate way.” (Ibn Sa’d, III, 488; Tabarani, Kabir, III, 229, 231; Haythami, III, 112)
2. One should not nullify the rewards of his charity by unwanted reminders of his generosity to the receiver and hurting him. Allah strongly forbids acting in such an unpleasant manner. (Al-Baqarah; 2:262-264) (Al-Insan; 76:8-11)
As a matter of fact, the donor should thank the receivers of his zakat or sadaqah. That is because by taking them, the poor ensures that the donor fulfills his responsibility and gain divine rewards.
3. Another important issue is not to return from sadaqah and alms after giving it. Indeed, in order to discourage people from this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said that:
“Those who take their sadaqah back are compared to a dog that eats his vomit.” (Muslim, Hibat 5)
Umar (r.a.) narrated:
I had given a horse to a person who fights in the name of Allah. That person did not take good care of the horse and the horse lost weight. Then, I thought that he would sell it for cheap and wanted to buy the horse back from him. I asked this to the Prophet.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Never buy it! Even if he sells it for one dirham, do not take your sadaqah back! That is because those who take their sadaqah back are like a dog that eats his vomit.” (Bukhari, Zakat, 59; Hibat, 29, 37; Jihad, 119, 137; Muslim, Hibat, 1-2; Muwatta, Zakat, 49)
4. The most important one is to give sadaqah sincerely and with good intentions, and only for the sake of Allah. The alms that are given to show off or for other worldly benefits would be a waste and do not benefit the donor. (Al-Baqarah; 2:264)
The following are said in the noble verses of Qur’an:
“And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive, (Saying), “We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.” “We only fear a Day of distressful Wrath from the side of our Lord.” But Allah will deliver them from the evil of that Day, and will shed over them a Light of Beauty and (blissful) Joy.” (Al-Insan; 76:8-11)
In this verse the praised servants of Allah are those who are so sincere and humble in their act of giving that even if they internally say “…We feed you for the sake of Allah alone…” they never say this out loud to the face of the poor, and it is as if they reflect this fact in their acts. In order to point out this nuance, the word “saying” is not explicitly mentioned in the verse.
d. Those who can afford to give only a few indeed give from their heart
٧٤. عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ النَّبِىَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ:
«اِتَّقُوا النَّارَ وَلَوْ بِشِقِّ تَمْرَةٍ».
74. Adi b. Hatim (r.a.) narrated:
I heard the Prophet (pbuh) saying:
“Save yourselves from the Fire (by giving sadaqah) even if it is the half of a date fruit!” (Bukhari, Zakat, 10; Riqaq, 51; Tawhid, 36; Muslim, Zakat, 66-70)
٧٥. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«سَبَقَ دِرْهَمٌ مِائَةَ أَلْفٍ» قَالُوا:
«يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ وَكَيْفَ؟» قَالَ:
«رَجُلٌ لَهُ دِرْهَمَانِ فَأَخَذَ أَحَدَهُمَا فَتَصَدَّقَ بِهِ وَرَجُلٌ لَهُ مَالٌ كَثِيرٌ فَأَخَذَ مِنْ عُرْضِ مَالِهِ مِائَةَ أَلْفٍ فَتَصَدَّقَ بِهَا».
75. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“One dirham is more than one hundred thousand dirhams.”
The Companions asked:
“O Messenger of Allah, how is that possible?”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) answered:
“One man had two dirhams and he gave one of them as sadaqah. Another man was very wealthy but took one hundred thousand dirhams out of his wealth and gave that as sadaqah.” (Nasai, Zakat, 49/2526)
Explanations:
In order for zakat to become obligatory upon a believer, one’s wealth must exceed a certain level whereas there is no such requirement for sadaqah. Some people have a misconception that “giving sadaqah and alms are for rich people.” However, everyone can give in proportion to their means. As a matter of fact, as a proof of His countless blessings, Allah the Almighty made it easy for His servants to gain divine rewards by giving sadaqah.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“A smile to your brother (in Islam) is sadaqah. Enjoining the good and forbidding the evil is sadaqah. Showing the way to someone who lost his way is sadaqah; seeing for the blind is sadaqah (helping him); removing a stone, thorn bush, bone (and such) from the street is sadaqah; emptying water from your bucket to your brother’s bucket is sadaqah.” (Tirmidhi, Birr, 36/1956)
On the other hand, humans will need the help of even very minor good deeds in the Hereafter. They will strongly wish that they have done any kind of good deed or had given some charity while they were on Earth. They will even ask the help of a glass of water that they had given in this world. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) explains this situation as:
“On the Day of Judgment, people (or people of heaven according to another narration) will line up. Then one person who will go to Hell comes across someone who will go to Paradise and says:
“O so and so! Did you remember that you wanted a sip of water and I gave it to you?” (and asks for his intercession.) And the believer intercedes for that person.
Another person (who will go to Hell) comes to a person who will go to Paradise and asks for intercession saying:
“Did you remember that one day I gave you water for ablution?” and the person remembers him and intercedes for him.
Again one of the people who will go to Hell says to a person who will go to Paradise:
“O such and such! Do you remember the day that you had sent me for such and such work? And I went that day for you.” The person who will go to Paradise intercedes for him.” (Ibn Majah, Adab, 8)
In another narration, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“There will be none among you but his Lord will talk to him, and there will be no interpreter between him and Allah. He will look to his right and see nothing but his deeds which he has sent forward, and will look to his left and see nothing but his deeds which he has sent forward, and will look in front of him and see nothing but the (Hell) Fire facing him. So save yourself from the (Hell) Fire even with half a date (given in charity). Those who cannot find this, save yourself even with a good word.” (Bukhari, Tawhid, 36; Muslim, Zakat, 97)
Therefore, everyone should take advantage of the benefits of giving charity in both of the worlds even by giving something very small and gain the heart of the needy.
Umm Bujayd (r. anha), one of the female Companions, came to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and said:
“O Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon you! Sometimes, a poor person comes to my door and I cannot find anything to give.”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told her:
“Even if you cannot find anything to give him other than a burned nail of a sheep, give that to the poor!” (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 33/1667; Tirmidhi, Zakat, 29/665; Nasai, Zakat, 70/2566; Ahmad, VI, 383)
This saying of the Messenger of Allah is an exaggerated expression to show that sadaqah given to the poor can even be something so small. Therefore, the important thing in giving something is having good intentions, and the importance of the value of the donation is secondary. As a matter of fact, we are informed that a small thing given with difficulty by a relatively poor person is the most valuable type of charity. (Ahmad, V, 265, 178-179)
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to express the value and virtue of such action:
“Three things are among the signs of faith:
One day, a poor person came to Uthman (r.a.) and said:
“O rich men! You took away all the good deeds; you give sadaqah from your wealth, you emancipate slaves, you go to Hajj, and give charity!”
Uthman (r.a.) asked:
“Do you really envy us?” The man said:
“Yes, I swear to Allah we envy you!” Then, Uthman (r.a.) made the following explanation:
“I swear to Allah that one dirham given with difficulty (by someone not so wealthy) is more valuable than ten thousand dirhams given by a wealthy person.” (Baihaqi, Shuab, III, 251; Ali al-Muttaqi, VI, 612/17098)
That is because those who are not so wealthy are giving out of their own needs rather than giving from what is extra. When this is the case, the chance that it is given only for the sake of Allah is higher. The chance for some humanly desires to interfere with sadaqah given by the rich is higher, and the rich also do not experience any difficulties when giving it.
However, it is not right for a person to give everything and end up needy. In particular, those with weak faith regret for their sadaqah when they become needy by giving too much sadaqah. In such a situation, they lose both their wealth and the divine rewards that they get by giving charity.
The Pride of the Universe (pbuh) told to keep the balance in this matter:
“Some of you bring what they have and say “this is sadaqah!” and then they sit and beg. The most valuable sadaqah is the one that is given from what is more than needed.” (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 39/1673)
However, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did not object for Abu Bakr to donate all of his wealth as charity. That is because he and some others are among the exceptional characters that have strong faith, and they are exemplary Muslims. They are great characters who know to give charity without hesitation whether they are poor or rich.
How nicely the following story expresses the peak state of Abu Bakr (r.a) in generosity:
One day, after leading the dawn prayer, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked his Companions:
“Is there anyone among you who fed a poor today?” Umar (r.a.) said:
“O Messenger of Allah! We have just performed the dawn prayer and did not leave for anywhere else. How could we feed a poor in this situation?”
Abu Bakr (r.a.) said:
“When I entered into the praying room, I saw someone who was telling about his needs. There was a piece of rye bread that my son Abdurrahman was holding. I immediately took that and gave it to the poor.”
Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“I give you the good news that you will go to Paradise.” (Haythami, III, 163-164. Also see Abu Dawud, Zakat, 36/1670; Hakim, I, 571/1501)
Another exceptional character who gave a little but from the heart is Zaynap (r.anha), the mother of the faithful. Aisha (r.anha) narrates:
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to his wives:
“One who has the longest hands amongst you would meet me most immediately (in the hereafter).”
They (the wives of Allah’s Apostle) used to measure their arms as to whose was the longest. It turns out, it was Zainab’ arm that was the longest amongst them, for she used to work with her hand and spend (that income) on charity. (Muslim, Kitab al-Fada’il al-Sahabah, 101)
The figurative meaning of having long hands is to give sadaqah and to do good deeds and to be generous. According to the measurement of the mothers of the faithful, the longest arms were those of Sawda (r.anha). However, Zainab (r.anha) was the one who reached the Messenger of Allah the first. Then they understood that what the Messenger of Allah had implied was giving sadaqah, doing good deeds, and being generous.
[1] According to Islam, the real owner of the wealth that humans own is Allah. One must give charity from this wealth which He gave it temperorarly to test him. (Al-Nur (Light) 24:33; Hadid (Iron)57:7; Al-Baqara (The Cow) 2:3; Al-Ra’d (The Thunder) 13:22)
[2] Mudd is a special measurement of weight which is about 687 gr.
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