The Importance of Giving Charity

The Importance of Giving Charity (As-Sadaqah)

All praise is due to Allah, and his praise and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, his family, his companions and his followers until the Day of Judgment. I bear witness that Allah is the only one worthy of worship and Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is his last and final messenger.

Ramadan: A Month of Worship and Forgiveness

My dear brothers and sisters, Ramadan is known as the month of great acts of worship. We pray a lot in Ramadan, we fast in Ramadan, we read Quran in Ramadan, we give our zakat — many of us — in Ramadan, we donate during the month of Ramadan, we help one another, we invite one another over food, which is an act of worship in itself.

And there are so many ways for our sins to be forgiven during the month of Ramadan. From the beginning — you start your prayer, the daily prayers, to the fasting, when you break your fast, when you make your suhoor — all these are times where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will forgive your sins.

And Ibn Taymiyyah, rahimahullah, was once asked a question — and others as well — "What's the point of all these narrations that say your sin will be forgiven? Why do I keep doing these deeds if my sins are forgiven?" He said: Because your record, your sheet, is like a white cloth — some of them the stains are too much. You wash it one time but it's still not clean. You need to wash it again. You know when you're running your washing machine on heavy duty, it cycles multiple times instead of just 30 minutes — it has to be like maybe two hours in order for it to be cleaned. You need bleach, you need this, you need that. So it depends on how much you need to be cleansed. That's why there are so many of these narrations, so many of these deeds that keep cleaning.

"What if I'm cleansed completely?" When you cleanse completely, anything beyond that will come in the form of extra reward. And if the person reached a level where he or she is completely cleansed — which is something I doubt anyone can reach — just think about one aspect: are we thankful enough to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for all the blessings that He has given us? We would never be able to thank Him enough for all the blessings He has given us. You would never be able to thank Him enough for the heart that He blessed you with, for the kidney that He blessed you with, for the blood pressure that you have, for the systems inside your body — and I'm not even outside the internal things yet, I'm not even talking about your hand and your eyes and your ear and your brain. And you can imagine, you can see all these blessings that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given you. Just being grateful and thankful enough — nobody can claim that he or she is doing that.

So what happens is that this istighfar makes our shortcomings in relation to these things forgiven, so when we meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, He rewards us fully, insha'Allah ta'ala. Allahumma ameen.

The Topic of As-Sadaqah (Charity)

Today I would like to talk about something that is important to discuss — not because it's a fundraiser, not because I want to collect money, not because of anything of that nature — but because of the act itself, which is as-sadaqah. Sometimes I hear — sometimes in a joke format, sometimes people really feel it — but I notice in many communities that when they hear about fundraising and sadaqah and charity, they feel like they're being put in a tight spot. And I think that comes from not knowing what sadaqah really means to you and what it does to you, and how much you need that charity.

You need it more than the organization that is asking you. You need it more than the poor people who are in need of your money.

We really desire, deserve, and benefit more from our sadaqah than the receiver — than the one on the other end who is receiving that charity.

As-sadaqah is one of the greatest acts of worship, one of the greatest things that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has ordained. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala ordered his Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to order us:

"Tell my servants who have believed to establish prayer and spend from what We have provided for them, secretly and publicly, before a Day comes in which there is neither exchange nor friendship."

Allah is reminding us — "from what We have given them." So many of us, alhamdulillah, the wealth that we have right now is not something that we started with. We worked so hard and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made it possible for us. I'm sure every one of us has his own story. And I'm sure every one of us knows people who work so hard and they don't have money. I know people who are — mashallah — so smart, so capable, but Allah did not make them rich. It is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala who, when He decides for someone to be rich and to get the money, He will make it happen.

You never thought one day in your life that you would have what you have today. As you grow, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala opens doors of rizq — and rizq is not only money; there are many other forms as well. But here Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is ordering us to perform the salah — and the second thing that came directly after is: give from what Allah has given us. In secret and in public. Before a Day will come where trade or nothing will benefit you, except what you have offered.

Allah makes this an order: "Give for His sake."

"O you who believe, spend from what We have provided for you." And He called the believers — He did not call anyone else. He called the believers. Sometimes the calls in the Quran are different. Sometimes Allah says يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ — "O mankind." But sometimes He only calls the believers.

"O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you." Not "O mankind." Why? Because fasting — and by the way, we are not the only ones who fast. There are many people who fast in different ways. The ancient Egyptians fasted; the Buddhist monks fast; the Hindus fast; Christians fast; Jewish people fast. All religions have some form of fasting. But why, when Allah came to us, did He say "O you who believe, fast"? Because when you fast while you have Iman, we call this in Islam Siyam. The other kind is simply abstaining from food — a diet, whatever you call it. But when it comes to us, why we do what we do is because it is Siyam: it is an act of worship.

Sadaqah vs. Mere Generosity

You can call it generosity, you can call it being a generous person. There are billionaires giving billions of dollars — way more than what you give. Maybe you give $500 a year; there is somebody like Bill Gates who will give millions and millions of dollars. But his giving is called just "generosity," just being a nice, kind person. You, as Abdillah — a servant to Allah — for that $10 that you have given: that is a sadaqah you will find in your scale on the Day of Judgment. He will not find that. That is why when Aisha asked about a generous man, Ibn Jud'an — one of the most generous people among the Arabs — she said: "Will that benefit him on the Day of Judgment?" The answer was no.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 214)

Because that person never once said, "O Lord, forgive me my sins on the Day of Judgment." He never prayed to Allah. It will not benefit him. But you — Allah is calling the Iman in you, calling you to believe in what you are doing, to believe in the giving that you are giving or the donation that you are making.

"O you who believe, give from the good things that you have earned." And Allah recognizes here — in the previous verses, Allah always refers to the money that He has blessed you with. Some people say, "Sheikh, I know that Allah blessed me, and I agree with that — but I worked hard too. It's not like I was born and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala just gave it to me like I won something. I worked so hard." Allah recognizes that. He said مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ — from the good things that you have earned. Allah in this verse recognizes, and makes the point, that this is from the money you have earned, from the money you have worked so hard to have. And He recognizes that and He appreciates that.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said: "Have taqwa of Allah as much as you can. Listen and obey — and give. It is better for yourselves. Those who Allah protects from the miserliness of their own souls — those are the successful ones."

Controlling Money — Not Being Controlled by It

I still remember one of the books that I read long time ago — either The Millionaire Next Door or a book similar to it. In that book, there is a chapter about charity. The author, presenting a study, was saying that millionaires in general are known to be charitable people, and he connected how this relates to the concept of being a rich person from a purely worldly, secular perspective. The whole point is that in order for you to be rich, you have to take risks. In order for you to take risks, you have to control the money — not let the money control you. That's the logic behind it.

SubhanAllah — your deen teaches you that from the beginning. Yes, there is a risk in giving. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is giving you the guarantee — not that author of that book. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala guarantees you that فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ — those are the successful ones: the ones who know how to control money and not be controlled by it, who are not controlled by stinginess and miserliness.

It is a terrible thing to be a stingy person. Those stingy people — it is only about receiving, not giving. There is a famous story: a stingy man was drowning. He didn't know how to swim and was looking for help. Someone reached out and said, "Give me your hand!" — and when he heard the word "give," he pulled back. So the other person, knowing his nature, said, "Okay — take my hand." Then he grabbed it. Just the word "give" frightened him. That is not someone who will achieve success.

Why Is Sadaqah Such a Great Act of Worship?

Why is sadaqah such a great act of worship? Because:

Because in it there is a resemblance to the attributes of the Lord. And in the narrations: "Emulate My attributes." Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has certain qualities that we have been asked to emulate. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is generous, so we should be generous. He is Merciful, so we should be merciful. He is kind, so we should be kind. Allah forgives, so we learn how to forgive. Allah loves, so we learn how to love. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is kind, so we need to know how to be kind and to be a loving person, and so on.

One of these things is that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is so generous and He gives. And that is something you do in resemblance to your Lord — the One who made you, subhanahu wa ta'ala. Also, in giving, it shows how much you trust Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and how much you rely on Him.

You can say whatever you want. You can say, "I love this masjid, I love this person, I love the poor." You can say whatever you want. But what the Prophet said is: charity is a proof. It is the proof of whether you really truly are what you claim to be and have what you claim to have. That's why it shows how much you trust Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and how much you really believe in Him.

Who Really Benefits from Sadaqah?

The righteous predecessors — the salaf — used to say: "When the poor person receives from me in the worldly sense, maybe I helped someone pay salaries, buy a car they need, buy food and clothes — I improved their livelihood. But when Allah accepts from me, Allah elevates my status in paradise." So you are the one who really benefits the most. That is why they never felt they were doing a favor by giving.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said: "Whatever good you give — it is for your own selves." It is for your own self.

Never Fear Poverty — Give Generously

My brothers and sisters, in closing, it is important to never fear poverty. Never fear poverty. Our Prophet ﷺ told Bilal: "Give, and don't worry — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will not hold back." Also, don't worry about how much. There is no such thing as too much or too little when it comes to charity — which is something amazing about it. It is not something that should occasionally happen. It should be something we do every day, every week, as much as we can — every Ramadan. And it's not something that we should be bored with or put off by. No — be happy and glad that you have been given the opportunity to give.

Be Wise in How You Give

The final point I have is this: it is important, whenever you are so blessed, to find a good way to give your sadaqah. The areas of sadaqah are so many — that's why a person must be wise. And Allah, when He mentioned the verses about sadaqah, mentioned them in relation to al-hikmah — those who are given wisdom — in the middle of the verses about giving. So it is so important for us to be wise about how we give our donation, how to maximize the benefit of our giving.

In this regard, I want to say that alhamdulillah, this is something I take very, very seriously. I know that so many of you have a great deal of trust in me and the team here at the masjid. Any money given here, I take it so seriously to maximize its benefit as much as I can — whether it is given to organizations, to people in need, or spent in programs and within the masjid.

I do believe that one of the greatest investments you can make is in a good organization or a good masjid — one that is active in many different areas. Whatever you give to this masjid: part of it goes to dawah, part of it goes to education, part of it goes to supporting new Muslims, to supporting people around the world. You should be proud of yourself — that you are among the few masajid in America that were able to send doctors to Gaza to save lives, actual lives, every day. And not only that, the impact continues — staff were trained, and not just one or two, but many. Just recently, a doctor — an ER doctor — came back from there, having been sent and sponsored by your support and the masjid's support. We look into areas where we don't just talk, but make a real difference through action and impact on people's lives.

So please — this Ramadan, I want you to maximize your support to the masjid. I really plead with you and ask you — alhamdulillah, we only fundraise in Ramadan — I want you not to walk away today without giving. Come tonight, support the masjid, give and give generously this week, next week, throughout this month of Ramadan, insha'Allah ta'ala. If we all come together collectively, we can take this place to another level and create an even greater impact. And alhamdulillah, I always believe in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and believe in my community.

Du'a (Closing Supplication)

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept from all of us. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept your charity, and may Allah give life to whatever you give — in this dunya and the akhirah and in your grave. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make it easy for our brothers and sisters in Gaza and Palestine.