Sadaqah and  charity

Author: Mufti Muhammad Justice Thaqi Usmani
                Sadaqah and charity are both acts of great merit anti effective means of earning Divine pardon and escaping the fires of hell. Qur'an and hadith too are replete with the merits of spending money as sadaqah and in charity:

in fact one can do justice to this topic in a book only. Shaikh a1 hadith Maulana Mohammed Zakaria Kandhalvi has written a book "Kitab a1 Sadaqat" which is indeed an excellent encyclopedic work on this topic.

Hence there is no need to describe in detail the merits of sadaqah and charity: those who desire can consult this book.What we wish to bring to the reader's attention here is that it is not at all necessary to spend overmuch to gain merit; one has to spend only as much as he can afford.

If one has only a Rupee and liespends one paisa on some good work it is as if a man with a hundred thousand rupees spends a thousand. Allah does not care for human wealth; Allah values the purity of intent.

Maximum sadaqah with pure intent is as much pleasing to Allah as great spending, and cams much merit anti reward.
Our exalted and blessed Prophet has said:
"اتَّقُوا النَّارَ وَلوْ بِشقِّ تَمْرةٍ"  "Escape the fire of hell he it by the length of half a date"                                                                (Sahih Bukhari - Sahih Muslim)

This hadith means that if one has nothing save half a slate, and he gives to another who needs it,  it too would a sadaqah and would earn merit and lead to Divine pardon.

This hadith also clearly shows that the poor should not think that they cannot earn merit through sadaqah: by spending whatever they can afford, they tots can cam this merit.

There are some who, after paying zakat, believe that they have done all that is required from them and do not spent a paisa more; this is not justified. Zakat is a duty and the money is to be spent for very specific purposes only.

There are many other good deeds which lie outside the imbed of Zakat e.g. contributing to mosque fund. Hence
some money over and above Zakat should be spent on outer good deeds too.

Our spiritual elders anti saints always set aside a certain portion of their incomes for charitable purposes.

Maulana Thanvialways reserved one-fifth of his income for this others reserved one-tenth or one-twentieth part.
The advantage of this practice is that whenever the occasion arises, the money is already set aside andavailable; this availability is also a reminder.
If everyone regularly sets aside some part of his income, he can easily earn much merit and reward: Sadaqah and Khairat (charity) should have only one purpose, viz.

obtaining the pleasure of Allah. Those who give away money for these purpose arc amply rewarded by Allah in this world too. Hadith tells us than "Sadaqah does not reduce wealth:

source: easy good deeds