In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
The standard on which our life is judged in Islam is not the materialistic or the economic standard alone but one based on faith, feeling, and sensitivity, which form the core of human relations.
لَّيْسَ ٱلْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ ٱلْمَشْرِقِ وَٱلْمَغْرِبِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلْبِرَّ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ وَٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَءَاتَى ٱلْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِۦ ذَوِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينَ وَٱبْنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَٱلسَّآئِلِينَ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَى ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱلْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَـٰهَدُوا۟ ۖ وَٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ فِى ٱلْبَأْسَآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ وَحِينَ ٱلْبَأْسِ ۗ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا۟ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُتَّقُونَ ﴿١٧٧[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:177]
Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous. (177)
Charity is a necessary part of our every day life. Charity is giving and it is not limited to tangible things like money and services, but also has a vast meaning and covers all forms of virtues. So, all people, whether rich or poor, big or small, strong or weak, male or female, can give charity, and can give everyday.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “A charity is due for every joint in a person on every day the sun comes up. Acting justly between two people is charity. Helping a man with his mount – lifting him onto it or hoisting his belongings onto it – is a charity. A good word is charity, and removing obstacles from the road is charity.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]
Whereas zakat deals mainly with monetary values, sadaqa (voluntary charity) can be of several types, as mentioned in the hadith. Charity, then, encompasses all acts of service done for others. Although giving money to the poor on a daily basis is a tremendous act, the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is telling us in this hadith to perform daily acts of service to others.
Not everyone needs your money, but everyone can benefit from your time and effort. Whether it’s something as small as helping carry someone’s bag or as big as volunteering for a local charity, all types of help count as sadaqa.
Of course, the more money you give, the better, and the sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) and the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) are the best examples of this. They were quick to give large portions of their wealth to others.
However, the vast majority of us are not on their spiritual level, such that we can easily give away vast portions of our wealth. To the contrary, such giving might prove detrimental to our spirituality, especially if we get depressed and despair over this loss.
Therefore, we should seek to strike a practical balance between the money we need, the money we save, and the money we give. The money we need would encompass basic necessities of life including housing, food, travel, and the like. This can be determined by creating a detailed budget based on current and past expenses.
The money we save would include money for future necessities (such as college tuition for our children), emergencies, and luxuries. It is essential that you keep such goals realistic and practical so as to avoid becoming stingy, which the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) described as being one of the most evil traits a person can have [Sunan Abi Dawud]. So long as your intention is pure and you are saving the money for noble purposes, the money you save will not be seen as excessive.
Once you have a clear picture of how much money you need to live and how much money you want to save, you now have a good idea of how much money is “extra.” Donate generously from this amount, and if you use any of it in investments, to invest in ethical businesses and projects that you support.
It is always better to do small consistent deeds rather than big, infrequent ones. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) tells us that Allah loves most those deeds that are consistent, even if small [Sahih al-Bukhari].
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to consistently give throughout the year, and then give even more during the blessed month. As ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with father and son) said, “The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was the most generous of people, and he was most generous during Ramadan.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]
So, give charity on a consistent basis, and then give a little more than usual during Ramadhan. This will give us the full benefit of emulating the generosity of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace).
Give in secret because it is better for you.
إِن تُبْدُوا۟ ٱلصَّدَقَـٰتِ فَنِعِمَّا هِىَ ۖ وَإِن تُخْفُوهَا وَتُؤْتُوهَا ٱلْفُقَرَآءَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۚ وَيُكَفِّرُ عَنكُم مِّن سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ ﴿٢٧١[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:271]
If you disclose your charitable expenditures, they are good; but if you conceal them and give them to the poor, it is better for you, and He will remove from you some of your misdeeds [thereby]. And Allah, with what you do, is [fully] Acquainted. (271)
Actually, once you give something to people, you have no connection with the person who you gave to with regard to that thing you gave. So you should not tell people, "I did this" and "I gave this." It is as if you are telling them "I still have a connection with that person." You don't want to destroy your good deed by reminding them of what you did for them or give to them. This could hurt their feelings.
In addition to giving in charity, it is important to develop a charitable and generous character, as that is the true sunnah of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). The sunna of generosity is not simply a matter of doing a number of good deeds, but rather it is a matter of developing the habit of striving to help others in whatever ways one can whenever possible.
Once we adopt this trait, our money, time, energy, and even our entire lives will be spent in service to others. Their needs will take precedence over our personal comforts and worldly pursuits. This is the excellent character of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), and it comes from an understanding of the world as it truly is: that acts done for Allah are of infinitely greater benefit than acts done for the self.
May Allah increase us in our generosity this Ramadhan, and may He increase His generosity and blessings upon us. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and He alone grants success.
Wassalaam
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