SADAQA

AssalaamualaikumWarahmatullahiWabarakaatuh

All praise and glory be to Allah, we send praise and greetings to our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to His household, companions and all who followed his guidance to the day of accountability.

Alhamdulillah, I feel honored this evening to be granted audience to lead our today’s discussion on the topic: SADAQA

Background: Our discussion is going centre on a number of areas:

1.The definition: the word “SADAQA” is defined as anything given out voluntarily for the sake of Allah in order to gain a reward and acquire with it the pleasure of Allah. Sadaqa is usually given as money or in any form such as food, clothes and so on. SADAQA (Charity) is not compulsory but rather the motivation of pure kindness and benevolence and which seeks only Allah’s pleasure.

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "If one give in charity what equals one date-fruit from the honestly-earned money and Allah accepts only the honestly earned money --Allah takes it in His right (hand) and then enlarges its reward for that person (who has given it), as anyone of you brings up his baby horse, so much that it becomes as big as a mountain”. (Bukhari)

Narrated 'Aisha: Allah's Apostle said, "When a woman gives in charity some of the foodstuff (which she has in her house) without spoiling it, she will receive the reward for what she has spent, and her husband will receive the reward because of his earning, and the storekeeper will also have a reward similar to it. The reward of one will not decrease the reward of the others . "(Bukhari)

2. The reward of SADAQA

In order to bring the nature of the reward one attains after giving charity to the fore, Allah the Majestic took it upon himself to coin to us a symbolic parable in Qur’an 2:261

“The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like that of a grain (corn) which brings forth seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold to increase to whom He wills. Allah is Munificent, All-knowing”.

Allah did not start to impose paying of SADAQA (charity) on to us but rather took the angle of encouragement and persuasion in a symbolic approach. This is an attempt to awaking the inner feeling to continue giving charity with simple arithmetic. One grain=700 grains. Wow!! What a gain!!

To re-candle this feeling Allah says: “And the likeness of those who spend out of genuine desire to please Allah, and out of their own inner certainty are like gardens on hillside. Heavy rain falls on it, and it yields up twice its normal produce. If no heavy rain falls on it, a slight drizzle is sufficient. And Allah beholds what you do”. Qur’an 2:265.

 

The effect the above two verses has is an assurance to a believer that since Allah is the one who causes a grain to grow and causes it to multiply and even double its produce, He can increase the reward of my charity no matter its value to unimaginable quantity as He does with a single grain. The “heavy rain” in the above verse matches with the “genuine desire” implying that the more genuine your desire to please Allah, the more your reward.

When one is able to conceal his SADAQA, he will be honored to be under the shade of Allah’s throne on the Day of judgement.

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "Seven people will be shaded by Allah under His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His. They are:  (6) a person who practices charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity)."

Annulling the reward of SADAQA

To help us understand how worthless SADAQA can turn to, Allah gives us a warning: “O you who believe, do not render your charitable deeds worthless by boasting about your benevolence and causing injury to others, as does he who spends his wealth only to show off and to be praised, while he believes neither in Allah nor the last Day. Such a person is like a smooth rock covered with earth. Then heavy rain falls on it and leaves it hard and bare. Such as these shall gain nothing from their works. Allah does not guide the non-believers”. Qur’an 2: 264

All Good deeds are SADAQA

Abu Dharr reported: some of the people from among the Companions of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to him: Messenger of Allah, the rich have taken away the reward. They observe prayer as we do; they keep the fasts as we keep, and they give Sadaqa out of their surplus riches. Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) said: “Has Allah not prescribed for you (a course) by following which you can (also) do sadaqa? In every declaration of the glorification of Allah (i. e. Subhan Allah) there is a Sadaqa, and every Takbir (i. e. Allahu Akbar) is a sadaqa, and every praise of His (i.eAlhamduLillah) is a Sadaqa and every declaration that He is One (La illaha ill-Allah) is a sadaqa, and enjoining of good is a sadaqa, and forbidding of evil is a Sadaqa, and in man's sexual Intercourse (with his wife, ) there is a Sadaqa. They (the Companions) said: Messenger of Allah, is there reward for him who satisfies his sexual passion among us? He said: Tell me, if he were to devote it to something forbidden, would it not be a sin on his part? Similarly, if he were to devote it to something lawful, he should have a reward”. (Muslim)

واللهأعلم                         

جزاكماللهخَيْرٌ.