The Best Forms of Charity - Shaykh Zakaullah Saleem

The Best Forms of Charity

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

Charity generally is something that is highly recommended, and something that Allah has encouraged us in the Qur'an. You will hardly find a juz in the Qur'an where Allah did not mention the spending in His way.

Right from the beginning of the Qur'an in Surah Al-Baqarah, in the very first few verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah has highlighted this good deed. All the way up to the 30th juz when Allah says to pray for your Lord, slaughter on His name, and give sadaqah. So Allah has encouraged us throughout the Qur'an to give sadaqah and to spend in His way.

But Rasulullah ﷺ has highlighted some of the best forms of sadaqah. When we say "best form of sadaqah", it means that if you give that type of sadaqah, your reward will be increased. This addition in reward is given because of many reasons. Sometimes the reward is added into your charity due to the situation and the condition of the giver, the donor.

Giving While Healthy and Desiring Wealth

Rasulullah ﷺ was asked: "Which type of sadaqah is the best one?" He ﷺ said: The best form of charity and sadaqah is that when you give — whatever you give and whoever you give to — you give while you are healthy, in the state of good health. Not when you fall ill and then you desire to give whatever you possess in the way of Allah. Because when you are afflicted by a hardship or a calamity, you want to give anything and everything away anyway.

But the true sadaqah, or the best sadaqah, is that you give in the way of Allah while you are in a good state of health. And then he said: you give while you have the desire within your heart to accumulate more and more wealth — you feel stingy. You don't really want to give, but you do give in the way of Allah in order to please Allah. You give when you have the fear of poverty.

Shaytan whispers in your mind — as Allah said in the Qur'an, Shaytan threatens you of poverty. Shaytan says: if you give 100 in the way of Allah, if you take away 100 from your 1,000, you will be left with 900. But the promise of Allah is: whatever you give in the way of Allah, Allah will replace it with better.

And Rasulullah ﷺ said: "By Allah, charity never ever decreases the wealth." And you will never find any person in this dunya who ever says: "I became poor because of giving in the way of Allah," or "I have spent too much in charity."

So the reward is increased for charity when you give while you are in a good state of health, you have the desire to accumulate more wealth, and Shaytan whispers in your mind and threatens you of poverty. This is because of the situation of the donor, the giver.

The Charity of the One Who Has Little

Likewise, Rasulullah ﷺ was once again asked: "What type of charity is the best?" He ﷺ said: The best charity is the charity of the person who has little wealth and yet struggles and gives in the way of Allah.

And in this regard, he ﷺ also said: in the sight of Allah, sometimes one single dirham surpasses 100,000 dirhams. The companions asked the Prophet ﷺ: "How is it, O Messenger of Allah?" He ﷺ said: It is because of the fact that the person who gives one dirham in the way of Allah possesses only two dirhams — his whole wealth is two dirhams — and he takes one dirham out and gives it in the way of Allah. It means that he has donated half of his wealth in the way of Allah. Whereas the other person possesses hundreds and thousands of dirhams and takes only 1,000 dirhams from his wealth, which is not even a quarter of his wealth. So in this way, the person who has given only one dirham — which is half of his wealth — has more value in the sight of Allah than 1,000 or 100,000 dirhams.

So the reward is increased because of the situation and the condition of the donor, the person who gives in the way of Allah.

The Reward Increases Based on the Recipient

Likewise, the reward of sadaqah is also increased because of the condition and the situation of the recipient and the beneficiaries. Allah says in the Qur'an, in Surah Al-Baqarah:

O Messenger ﷺ, these people ask you what they should spend. Allah said: say to them, whatever you give — regardless of the amount — from the khair and goodness and from the wealth, as long as it is spent on your parents, on your relatives, on the masakin, on the needy and poor, and on the orphan and the wayfarers or the travelers — Allah has the knowledge of all of it.

Rasulullah ﷺ said in a hadith reported by Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 12, Hadith 994)

There is one dinar that you spend in the way of Allah. Another dinar you spend in order to free a slave. There is another dinar that you have given to a needy and poor person. And there is a fourth dinar that you have spent on your own family — on your own wife and your children, and those who are your dependents. He ﷺ said: the greater in reward is the dinar that you have spent on your own family.

Spending on Your Family and Relatives

He ﷺ was asked again: "Ayyu sadaqatin afdal? — Which type of sadaqah is best?" He ﷺ replied and said: Wabda' biman ta'ul — Whenever it comes to spending your wealth, always begin with those who are your dependents.

So spending on your own family — Rasulullah ﷺ has even said that the food that the husband provides to his wife is also a form of sadaqah. Whatever you spend on your children is a form of sadaqah. Whatever you spend on your parents is another form of sadaqah. And within the creation of Allah, those who deserve our spending the most are our own parents, and then after that our relatives.

Rasulullah ﷺ was asked: "Is it permissible, O Messenger of Allah, to spend our wealth and donate to our own relatives?" He ﷺ said: Yes, indeed — there is double reward. The reward of giving charity as well as the reward of strengthening and enhancing your relationship with your relatives. SubhanAllah, such a beautiful religion.

Looking After Orphans

Rasulullah ﷺ has also encouraged us to look after the orphans. As we all know, the famous hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ in which he said:

I and the one who takes care of an orphan will be like these two fingers in Paradise — very close. So this is another reason for the reward of your sadaqah to be increased.

Sadaqah Jariyah: Providing Water

Another way of increasing the reward of sadaqah is the form and the method of giving sadaqah. Rasulullah ﷺ was asked: "Which sadaqah is the best?" He ﷺ said: providing water. This is one of the best forms of sadaqah. And providing water is also classed as a form of sadaqah jariyah — continuous charity. As long as the people benefit from the water, the hand pump, the well, or whatever form of water you provide, as long as people benefit, you will continue receiving the reward.

Two Things to Always Bear in Mind

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, whatever type of sadaqah we give, there is always a way to increase the reward. And there are two things that we should always bear in mind.

The first is what Allah has mentioned in the Qur'an:

O you who believe, give in the way of Allah from the best and the purest of what you earn. The best — whatever you like for yourself, give in the way of Allah. Do not always donate worn or old clothes. Sometimes give newly purchased clothes in the way of Allah as well. Do not always give leftover food in the way of Allah. Rather, the best type of food that you like for yourself — give that in the way of Allah.

And another way of increasing the reward generally in sadaqah is that we should try our best to give in the way of Allah secretly, as much as possible. Because this is one of the ways and one of the means of receiving the great reward of having the shade of Allah on the Day of Judgment.

We ask Allah that He gives us tawfiq and ability to spend in His way, and whatever we spend, we ask Allah that He accepts from us.