Islam has given significant value to those actions which serve humanity at its best. And this is reflected by the reality that; Islam has put Charity as a 3rd pillar among the fundamental beliefs of Islam. Mankind is the most intelligent creature of Almighty ALLAH, and he has created rules to take care of his beloved creature. Charity is one of them.
Several different types of charity exist in Islam, the two most important being ZAKAT (Obligatory Charity) and sadaqah (Voluntary Charity).
In Arabic, the word ‘Sadaqah’ means ‘righteousness’ and stems from the root word ‘sidq’, which has meaning, sincerity; implying that Sadaqah is the sincerity of faith and noble and virtuous conduct that lays the foundation of prosperous and well-balanced society.
Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) was known to be ‘more generous than the blowing wind’. [Bukhari].
Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) would give all that he had to the poor, needy and even let himself go hungry to feed someone in need. Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) had an excellent character and there is an acumen and immense reward in following his exemplary actions
‘By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give (freely) of that which you love. And whatever you spend; indeed, Allah is knowing of it’. [3:92]
The Quran and Sunnah, time and again assert the importance of giving Charity/ Sadaqah on regular basis; and Allah has promised many advantages to the person who practices this.
By donating to Charity/ Sadaqah Jariyah; you can invest in the hereafter for yourself or your loved ones and can earn limitless rewards. On Doomsday, we will have to answer for every sin we have committed, major and minor. That is why we need to give Sadaqah/ Charity regularly to compensate for our sins.
When setting up a small but regular donation, the donor barely notices it coming out of his or her account; it can have a huge impact on the lives of needy people. For example, donating 5 to 10 dollars per month can help many needy people.
There are countless ways we can eliminate people’s worry! By donating to the Where Most Needed fund our Charity/Sadaqah or donation will go towards providing urgent relief from poverty and life-transforming sustainable projects in livelihoods, water, education, and healthcare- we have the strength to make someone’s life a lot easier with one click!
By sharing wealth or donating Charity/Sadaqah to orphans, widows, the sick, and those in need, make sure that we live in a much-balanced society. Charity/ Sadaqah does not only mean donating money but it can be any act of kindness and politeness.
A regular donation to masjid management helps to respond quickly in hard times of needy people and help provide urgent relief to victims of war and calamities. This means that Charity/Sadaqah eases the sufferings of our brothers and sisters in their time of hardship, and meanwhile Charity/Sadaqah provides security against adversity in our own life in sha Allah.
Orphans are some of the most vulnerable people in society and funding an orphaned child is a great way to donate Charity regularly and help bring balance to the world.
Better to offer than to require
One should be wary of repeatedly soliciting and taking from Sadaqah and ZAKAT Funds. Those that refrain from taking these funds (so that more are going to be left for the opposite needy) are going to be provided for by Allah and be made self-reliant by Him. It is considered better to offer charity than receive it.
The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: “The upper hand is better than the lower hand (he who gives is better than him who takes). One should start giving first to his dependents. And therefore the best object of charity is that which is given by a rich person (from the cash left after his expenses). And whoever abstains from asking others for a few financial help, Allah will give him and save him from asking others, Allah will make him self-sufficient.” (Al-Bukhari)
Supporting debtor is a charity
The Prophet said: : “If anyone would like Allah to save him from the hardships of the Day of Resurrection, he should give more time to his debtor who is short of money, or remit his debt altogether.” (Muslim)
If someone owes you money, it is considered charity if you show mercy, give the debtor longer to pay back his loan, or maybe wipe out the person’s debt. If charity may be a person’s shade on the Day of Judgment, canceling a person’s debt also will function as protection.
