Charity
How To Spend Money on Charity
Surah Baqarah, 2:215
يَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَ قُلْ مَا أَنفَقْتُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ فَلِلْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالأَقْرَبِينَ وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ وَمَا تَفْعَلُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ
Charity is best when given privately
Surah Baqarah, 2:271
إِن تُبْدُواْ الصَّدَقَاتِ فَنِعِمَّا هِيَ وَإِن تُخْفُوهَا وَتُؤْتُوهَا الْفُقَرَاء فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لُّكُمْ وَيُكَفِّرُ عَنكُم مِّن سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَاللّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
It is reported of the sixth Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (a) that the Holy Prophet (S) had said that
“Charity in secret, quiets the wrath of God and takes away one’s sin as the water puts out the fire and keeps away seventy kinds of calamities.”
No compulsion by Allah (swt) to spend in His way
Surah Muhammad, 47:36-38
إِنَّمَا الحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَإِن تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا يُؤْتِكُمْ أُجُورَكُمْ وَلَا يَسْأَلْكُمْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ
إِن يَسْأَلْكُمُوهَا فَيُحْفِكُمْ تَبْخَلُوا وَيُخْرِجْ أَضْغَانَكُمْ
هَاأَنتُمْ هَؤُلَاء تُدْعَوْنَ لِتُنفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَمِنكُم مَّن يَبْخَلُ وَمَن يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ وَاللَّهُ الْغَنِيُّ وَأَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاء وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْا يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَكُمْ
The above implication is that since ‘man has been created weak’ the imposition of too great a burden on the believers would be self-defeating inasmuch as it might result not in an increase of faith but, rather, in its diminution. This passage illustrates the supreme realism of the Qur’an, which takes into account human nature as it is, with all its God willed complexity and its inner contradictions, and does not therefore postulate a priori am impossible ideal as a norm of human behaviour. The last verse is a prophesy about the Non-Arabs who would embrace Islam and who would be more loyal to the cause of the faith than those addressed here.
Charity in God’s cause is a loan given to Him
Surah Al – Hadid, 57:11
مَن ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ وَلَهُ أَجْرٌ كَرِيمٌ
The goodly loan to God is charity i.e. spending of the wealth in God’s way. It is bound by the following conditions for its acceptance:
• that which is given away or spent in the way of the Lord must have been well-earned i.e. through lawful means.
• the thing given must be defectless.
• that which is given, must be needed by the giver for himself and not the stuff not needed by the giver.
• not that which is given away at the point of death when the giver would not need it any longer.
• it must be given without publicity.
• it must be given to the one who needs it the most.
• when given away no obligation or even mention of it should be made and the receiver in no way should be troubled thereafter.
• the offer must be exclusively and purely, to please God and not for any hypocritical show, name or fame.
• that which is given, even though it be much in quantity, the giver should consider it to be less and insignificant.
• what is given away should be dear to the giver.
