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Meditations on Virtues of Voluntary Charity (Sadaqa)
Author : Dr. Nidal Sultan
Date Added : 30-04-2014

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions and upon whoever followed his guidance until the Day of Resurrection:

Allah, The Almighty, has made supererogatory acts of worship a means of gaining his love and support. The most rewarding of these acts is voluntary charity, and following are some meditations on its virtues, which I wanted to share with my Muslim brethren. I beseech Allah to make us among those who listen and follow the most righteous of what is said.

Meditation No. (1): None of Man`s Wealth Remains Except That Which He/She Has Given in Charity.

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said: "Man says: "My wealth! My wealth!" The Prophet (PBUH) responds: "None of your wealth remains except that which you had given in charity."  [Moslim].

The meaning intended by the Prophet (PBUH) in this Hadith is that whatever man eats perishes whatever he puts on wears out, and whatever he gives in charity remains.

Moreover, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that when the Prophet`s companions slaughtered a goat, he said: "What is left of it?" she said: "its shoulder." He said: "All of it is left except its shoulder." [Al-Tirmizi].

Accordingly, there is no way that a person could reap the fruits of his wealth after death except through charity that he had given. 

Meditation No. (2): Charity is Like Seeds of Good Deeds, Preserved and

Grown by Allah for their Owner.

Allah, The Almighty, doesn`t only preserve the charity for its giver, but also multiplies and grows it for him/her out of His grace and mercy until it becomes as big as a mountain. He Says in the Holy Quran (What means): "The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of God is that of a grain of corn: it groweth seven ears, and each ear Hath a hundred grains. God giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth: And God careth for all and He knoweth all things." [Al-Baqarah/261]. He also Says (What means): "Who is he that will loan to God a beautiful loan, which God will double unto his credit and multiply many times? It is God that giveth (you) Want or plenty, and to Him shall be your return." [Al-Baqarah/245].

Moreover, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) says: "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), then enlarges its reward for that person (who has given it), as anyone of you brings up his baby horse, so much as that it becomes as big as a mountain." [Bukhari].

Meditation No. (3): The Charity Giver Benefits From it More Than the Poor Recipient Does.

Following are some fruits of charity, which are reaped by its giver:

-It extinguishes sin as the Prophet (PBUH) says: "Charity extinguishes sin as water does fire." [Al-Tirmizi].

-It is a shade for its giver on the Day of Judgment as the Prophet (PBUH) says: “Everyone is protected by the shade of their charity until people are being separated “{Ahmad}.

-It heals the sick as the Prophet (PBUH) says: “Treat the sick with giving charity." [Baihaqi&Tabarani].

-It cleanses wealth from wrongdoings as the Prophet (PBUH) said to the merchants: "Oh! Merchants! Your dealings involve a lot of swearing, so cleanse them with charity." [Abu Dawood].

Whoever closely examines the fruits of charity realizes that the reward of its giver is greater and larger than the benefit received by the poor recipient.

Meditation No. (4): Allah and His Messenger Pledged to Replace Charity.

Allah, To Him belongs Might and Majesty, Says (What means): "Say: "Verily my Lord enlarges and restricts the Sustenance to such of his servants as He pleases: and nothing do ye spend in the least (in His cause) but He replaces it: for He is the Best of those who grant Sustenance." [Saba/34].

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said: "I swear on three: Wealth doesn`t decrease by giving charity, an injustice which a person endures, Allah grants him more honor, and a person who asks to be given charity while not in need becomes poorer." [Al-Tirmizi].

A true believer must realize the truthfulness of Allah`s and His Messenger`s promise.

Meditation No. (5):  The Fruits of Charity are Only Annulled by its Giver.

Despite the virtues and fruits of charity, its giver could annul them in two ways:

1. Showing off

2. Reproach and injury

Therefore, Allah has warned us against that in the following verse (What means): "O you, who believe, annul not your voluntary almsgivings with reproach and injury, as one who expends of his substance to show off to men and believes not in God and the Last Day. The likeness of him is as the likeness of a smooth rock on which is soil, and a torrent smites it, and leaves it barren. They have no power over anything that they have earned. God guides not the disbelieving folk." [Al-Baqarah/264].

 

And All Perfect Praise Be To Allah, The Lord of The Worlds

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

1- A young man whose father and grandfather are dead. Unfortuntly, he passedaway leaving a mother, two sisters and a brother. Do his paternal uncles inherit him? 2- A man died leaving daughters, a wife, brothers, a mother or no mother. It is well known that the daughters inherit two thirds and the wife one eighth. To whom does the rest of the estate go and what is the evidence on that from the texts of Sharia?

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
1- The full brother or the paternal half-sibling disinherits the paternal uncles. The paternal half-sibling takes one sixth and because they are from the Asabah (Male relatives on the father`s side) of the deceased they take the rest of the estate. The proof of this is that Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah Be Pleased with them) reported God’s Messenger (PBUH) as saying: "Give the shares to those who are entitled to them, and what remains over goes to the nearest male heir." [Agreed upon]. In this case, nothing is left to them.
2- The brothers take the rest of the deceased`s estate and the full brother disinherits the paternal half-sibling, and the proof of this is the aforementioned narration. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

Who is required to fast?

Any adult, sane, and hardship enduring Muslim person is required to fast unless there were prohibiting conditions such as menstruation and confinement.

Is it permissible for a woman to say that she loves her husband more than her father?

It is impermissible for her to say so since this would hurt her father deep down. Allah, The Almighty, Says in this regard (What means): "And that ye be kind to parents." [Al-Isra/23]. Saying such a thing to her father isn`t an act of kindness since she should keep it to herself even if she felt that way.

Does the deceased hear the supplications or recitations of those visiting his/her grave? And does making constant supplications for the deceased who didn`t adhere to performing the prescribed prayers ameliorate his/her affliction?

Praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds.

In principle, the dead hear the living since it has been rigorously authenticated that the Prophet (PBUH) ordered the bodies of the idolaters slain in the Battle of Badr to be buried. He then approached them and called them one by one and said: "Have you found what your Lord promised to be true for we have found what our Lord promised us to be true." Umar asked him: "O messenger of God! Why do you speak to lifeless bodies?" The Prophet (PBUH) replied: "By the One Who has sent me with the truth! You do not hear my words better than they do except that they cannot respond." [Agreed upon].

However, not all the deceased are in the same situation because Allah The Almighty Knows: "Before them is a Partition till the Day they are raised up." [Al-Mu`minun/100]. Moreover, supplication reaches the deceased. And Allah Knows Best..

 

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