A Great Good Deed Giving in Charity

To give from ones wealth in charity is from one of the greatest actions that Allâh has blessed the Muslim Nation with. To spend in charity or sadaqah as it is known, has been mentioned in numerous Qur'ânic verses and Prophetic narrations. Its importance and necessity simply cannot be emphasised enough for as the Prophet ( sallallâhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, " Sadaqah is a proof" i.e. to give in charity actually proves a person's religion and faith

Allah says in the interpretation of the meaning: “O you who believe! Spend of that with which We have provided for you, before a Day comes when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession. And it is the disbelievers who are the Wrongdoers.” [al-Baqarah 2:254] “O you who believe! Spend of the good things which you have (legally) earned, and of that which We have produced from the earth for you, and do not aim at that which is bad to spend from it, (though) you would not accept it save if you close your eyes and tolerate therein. And know that Allâh is Rich (Free of all needs), and Worthy of all praise.” [al-Baqarah 2:267]

Also Allah says: “Believe in Allâh and His Messenger, and spend of that whereof He has made you trustees. And such of you as believe and spend (in Allâh’s way), theirs will be a great reward.” [al-Hadeed 57:7]

The Prophet (sa) said: There is no day in which the slaves of Allâh arise except that two angels descend, one saying, "O Allâh, replace the charity for the one who spends!" whilst the other says, "O Allâh, destroy the wealth of the one who holds back (from giving in charity)". He also ( sallallâhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "O Son of Adam, if you spend from that extra you have been given (above and beyond your basic needs), it will be much better for you. If you withhold it, it will be bad for you. There is no blame upon you if you have just what is sufficient for your needs, but know that the upper hand (which gives in charity) is better than the lower hand (which receives charity)."

Once, the Prophet had a sheep slaughtered and then asked ‛A'ishah what was left of it. She replied, "There is nothing left but the shoulder." The Prophet (sallallâhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "All of it remains except the shoulder…" i.e. meaning that he had given the entire sheep as charity except the shoulder. i.e. meaning that he had given the entire sheep as charity except the shoulder. The act of giving the whole sheep bat the shoulder will remain as the true profit realised.

This reality is often very difficult for people to grasp – that whatever one gives in charity is something which will be a huge source of reward for its giver – and this is the real way to spend our wealth the Prophet ( sallallâhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "The Muslim says, 'All my wealth, all my wealth!' whereas he only really has three parts to his wealth: That which is eaten, and so it is consumed. That which is worn, and so it wears out. And that which is given in charity, for this is stored for him. Anything other than that will whither away to be left for the people behind him."

Allah says: "Never will you attain righteousness until you spend from that which you love. And whatever you spend, indeed Allâh is Knowing of it." [ آ le-'Imran, 3:92] We must realise how desperate we are in need of forgiveness for our wrong actions and our dire need for good deeds to help weigh up our scales. One would do well to consider the following Prophetic advice for that Day when no single thing shall be forgotten.

The Prophet (sa) said: There is no one of you except that Allâh will speak to him, without any interpreters. He (the person) will look to his left and right surrounded by the Fire and realise that he might only be saved by the good deeds he did before, then he will look forward and the fire will be directly in front of his face, so (O Muslims) save yourself from the Hellfire even if it is by half a date!" He also said, "O ‛A'ishah, save yourself from the Hellfire even by giving half a date!" It is well known how profoundly affected she was by this, and the example set by the Mother of the Believers in giving from all her wealth in charity after the death of the Messenger is something indeed to behold.

In another hadith the prophet said: "O Ka'b ibn 'Ujrah! Prayer is an offering (to Allâh), Fasting is a shield, and Sadaqah extinguishes sins as water extinguishes fire. O Ka'b ibn 'Ujrah! People are of two kinds: One who buys and keeps himself and thereby is destroyed and the other who sacrifices himself and is thereby freed." Here the Prophet illustrates that real freedom and success does not come by buying up the dunya but rather the sacrificing of that which is beloved for the love of the Hereafter. The one who takes this temporal world as his delight and true objective will only purchase delusion therein; it will ultimately destroy him.

It is well known from the Sunnah and the actions of the early pious generations that if they committed any mistake, bad deed, or anything perceived by them to be unworthy behaviour, they would always pay some sadaqah as an 'expiation' for their behaviour "There was once a pious man who worshipped Allâh from his chamber for sixty years before a woman came to him and he was tempted into spending six illegal nights with her. Once the gravity of his sin dawned upon him, he fled until he came to a Mosque wherein he took refuge for three days, without food or drink, except a bread roll which he broke into two pieces giving half to a man on his right and the other half to a man on his left. Allâh sent the Angel of Death to take his soul at that moment, and his Accounting started as the sixty years of worship were placed on the scale versus the six nights – the six illegal nights outweighed the worship. Then, the six nights were placed on the scale against the bread roll – the bread roll outweighed the six illegal nights." In such a religion of mercy and ease, it is clear that one should never under-estimate the value of small good deeds, especially giving charity, and even more so when you give to others what you might have some need for.

Also, giving Sadaqah doesn't have to mean making one go poor. The Prophet said, Whoever gives the amount of a date in Sadaqah from good halal earnings - and know that Allâh does not accept but that which is good – Allâh will accept it with His Right Hand and will nurture the Sadaqah for its giver as you nurture your young colts, until the Sadaqah becomes like the Mount of Uhud." In another narration, Abu Hurayrah narrates that the Prophet said, "The best charity is that which when given, still leaves the giver self-independent – for the upper hand (that continually gives) is better than the lower hand (which continually takes) – so start with those who are dependent upon you."

One can see that the intention to do good is the key element here, even if one gives little, as long as it sincerely for the Sake of Allâh The huge reward to be earned in giving charity is not just the remit of the very rich. The Prophet ( sallallâhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "One dirham has become greater than a hundred thousand dirhams."The companions asked, "How can that be O Messenger of Allâh?" He replied, "A rich man takes a hundred thousand dirhams from his wealth and gives it away as Sadaqah. Another man has nothing except two dirhams, and so he takes one dirham and gives it away in charity." The Prophet (sallallâhu 'alayhi wa sallam) also said, "Indeed Allâh accepts what is given as Sadaqah, taking it in His Right Hand, nurturing it for you as you nurture your colts, until a small amount becomes as large as Uhud…" [12] He also said, "Wealth is never diminished by giving sadaqah."

So thus giving Sadaqah will be a proof of ones faith and commitment to Allâh. It is the expiator of our mistakes, and a very small amount can bring unimaginable spiritual and material rewards, both in this life and in the Hereafter. It protects one from the Fire of Hell and extinguishes our sins. It leads to blessings in the wealth one has in this world as well as the best possible investment in the Hereafter

As we spend these last days of Ramadan searching for that special night, we should include in our good deeds the giving of charity and ponder the words of Allah: "Say, 'Indeed, my Lord extends provision for whom He wills of His servants and restricts (it) for him. But whatever thing you spend (in His cause) – He will compensate it; and He is the best of Providers." [Saba', 34:39]

The End Questions