What is sadaqah? What is it given out of and how is it given?

- It is said that sadaqah eliminates misfortunes and calamities and lengthens life. What are the narrations about it?
- How should we understand the statement that sadaqah lengthens life?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Sadaqah (charity) is what is given to the poor and needy for the sake of Allah, without any return; any kind of help, any kind of favor; any expenditure made in the way of Allah.(1)

The following three characteristics must be present together for any help or favor to be considered sadaqah:

1. It must be done for the sake of Allah,
2. It must be given especially to the poor and needy,
3. It must be done gratuitously.

If those three conditions do not occur together, what is given does not gain value as sadaqah.

Sadaqah is a clear sign and an actual witness of obedience to Allah’s commands.

Our Lord orders believers to give sadaqah as follows: “And spend something (in charity) out of the substance which We have bestowed on you, before Death should come to any of you and he should say, ‘O my Lord! why didst Thou not give me respite for a little while? I should then have given (largely) in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of good.’”(2)

“O ye who believe! Give of the good things which ye have (honorably) earned, and of the fruits of the earth which We have produced for you…”(3)

He describes real believers as follows:

“…and spend out of what We have provided for them.”(4) 
“Those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity, or in adversity...”(5)

Sadaqah is the way to gain Allah’s consent and to achieve happiness in this world and the Hereafter.

Our Lord Almighty states in the Holy Quran that every good and nice deed done in the way of Allah will be rewarded:

“Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise)...”(6)

“...And whatever good ye send forth for your souls ye shall find it in Allah’s Presence...”(7)

“Those who spend their substance in the cause of Allah, and follow not up their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with injury,-for them their reward is with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”(8)

“Now no person knows what delights of the eye are kept hidden (in reserve) for them - as a reward for their (good) deeds.”(9)

“…For men and women who give in Charity… for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.(10)

“Whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner.”(11)

Sadaqah does not diminish wealth(12); it increases wealth and makes it prosperous.

The following is stated in a sacred hadith: “O son of Adam! Give charity and I will give you charity.”(13)

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) gave Asma, the daughter of Abu Bakr, the following advice:

“O Asma! Do not be stingy so that Allah will not give you less. Give without counting, and Allah will give you without counting. Do not tighten your purse strings so that Allah will not decrease His blessings to you and will not tighten His purse strings. Give charity so that Allah will give charity to you.”(14)

Sadaqah is an expression of gratitude for Allah’s blessings.

Our Lord wants us to be grateful to Him and not be ungrateful(15); He says,  “If you are grateful, I will add more favors unto you”(16) and states the following: “Then, shall ye be questioned that Day about the joy (ye indulged in!)”(17)

Sadaqah is a donation that makes the poor smile in this world and the giver smile in the hereafter and brings people closer to their Lord.

When the Companions asked our beloved Prophet (pbuh), “O Messenger of Allah! What shall we spend in the way of Allah?”, our Lord said, “…They ask thee how much they are to spend; Say: “What is beyond your needs.”(18)

“…And whatever of good ye give, be assured Allah knoweth it well.”(19)
“…And nothing do ye spend in the least (in His cause) but He replaces it.”(20)
“Then shall anyone who has done an atom’s weight of good, see it.”(21)

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “(Doing favors) and recommending good is sadaqah; so is avoiding evil and forbidding others to do so.”(22)

“Make haste in giving sadaqah because misfortunes cannot get ahead of sadaqah.”(23)

“On the Day of Resurrection, when there is no other shade, Allah will shelter seven people in the shade of the Throne. One of them is the one who gives sadaqah so secretly that his right hand does not know what his left hand gives.”(24)

Umar b. Abdulaziz said: “Prayer leads you halfway, fasting leads you to the door of the Ruler, and sadaqah leads you to the presence of the Ruler.”

As a matter of fact, our Lord says, “When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them)…”(25) This fact is expressed as follows in two sacred hadiths:  

“I am as My slave thinks I am, and I am with him when he mentions Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it.”(26)

“When My servant draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a cubit, and if he draws near to Me a cubit, I draw near to him a fathom. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.”(27)

“You are closer to us than us, / You are invisible; what is veil?”(28)

The poet Yunus Emre expresses that fact in the couplet above.

Sadaqah prevents misfortunes, lengthens life, eradicates mistakes and protects man from hellfire.

Our beloved Prophet said: “Give sadaqah to the extent that you can afford, even if it is little.”(29)

“Protect yourself from the fire of hell, even if it is with half a date; and those who cannot find that much should protect themselves even with a good word.”(30) “A good word;(31) every legitimate and good deed is sadaqah.”(32)

“Give sadaqah even if it is a date, because a date satisfies hunger. Just like water extinguishes fire, sadaqah extinguishes mistakes.”(33)

Sadaqah extinguishes Allah’s anger and averts evil death.”(34) 

“Sadaqah prevents misfortunes and lengthens life.”(35); “ It extinguishes the penalty of sins just like water extinguishes fire.”(36)

Ibn Abi Ja’d said, “Sadaqah closes seventy doors of evil.”

Luqman advised his son as follows: “My son! When you commit a mistake, give sadaqah immediately after it.”(37)

We should know that “A little sadaqah repels a lot of trouble.”

Sadaqah means giving away the most valuable, best, cleanest, most beautiful and lovable property for the sake of Allah because Allah is clean. He accepts only the clean ones.(38)

The Prophet said: “Good news for those who give away what they earn through halal ways.”(39)

It is not appropriate for a person to keep the good part of his wealth for himself and spend the bad part in the way of Allah. A believer spends the best of his wealth in the way of Allah, not the worst.

Allah Almighty states the following: “O ye who believe! Give of the good things which ye have (honorably) earned, and of the fruits of the earth which We have produced for you, and do not even aim at getting anything which is bad, in order that out of it ye may give away something, when ye yourselves would not receive it except with closed eyes. And know that Allah is Free of all wants, and worthy of all praise.”(40)

The following is stated in a hadith: “Whoever gives sadaqah from his lawful earnings, Allah accepts it.”(41) The following is stated in another hadith: “The most valuable sadaqah is the one that a poor person gives secretly to another poor person according to his means.”(42)

Sadaqah is a kind of lending to Allah. Allah will repay this sadaqah many times over. As a matter of fact, the following is stated in the Quran: “O ye who believe! If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you...”(43)

“If ye loan to Allah, a beautiful loan, He will double it to your (credit), and He will grant you Forgiveness: for Allah is most Ready to appreciate (service), Most Forbearing.”(44)

The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Whichever believer feeds a hungry believer, Allah feeds him from the fruits of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. Whichever believer gives drink to a thirsty believer, Allah gives him to drink from the ‘sealed nectar (rahiq makhtum)’ on the Day of Resurrection.”(45)

Every kind of help and good deed is sadaqah (charity). Our Almighty Lord says, “By no means shall ye attain righteousness unless ye give (freely) of that which ye love”(46)

“Goodness (righteousness) is to believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the holy books, the prophets, to spend out of what one loves on the near and dear ones, orphans, the poor, the stranded, the beggar and the slave, to pray, to pay zakah, to fulfill one’s promises when one makes a contract, to be patient in times of hardship, sickness and war.” As the Quran puts it,

“It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing.”(47)

The characteristics of the servants who do good and the rewards they will receive are described as follows.

“As to the Righteous, they shall drink of a Cup (of Wine) mixed with Kafur.”

“A Fountain where the Devotees of Allah do drink, making it flow in unstinted abundance. They perform (their) vows, and they fear a Day whose evil flies far and wide. And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive,- (Saying),”We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.”(48)

According to the narration, those verses were sent down about Ahl al-Bayt.

Hasan and Husayn, the grandsons of our beloved Prophet, fell ill. Ali (ra) and Fatima (ra) were in sorrow. Some of the Companions suggested to Fatima (ra) and Ali (ra) that they should make offerings in the way of Allah for their children to recover from their illness. Ali and Fatima made a vow to fast for three days if their children recovered from their illness. Hasan and Husayn regained their health. Ali and Fatima began to fast. On the evening of the first day, a poor person came to the door at iftar time and asked for help. Ali and Fatima offered all the food they had prepared for iftar to the poor person; they broke their fast with water and intended to fast the next day. On the evening of the second day, an orphan came to the door during iftar and asked for help from Fatima and Ali. Ali and Fatima offered the orphan the food they had prepared; they broke their fast with water and intended to fast the next day. On the third day, a captive came to the door at iftar time and asked Ali and Fatima for help. Ali (ra) and Fatima (ra) gave the captive the food they had prepared and said, “We are feeding you for the sake of Allah; we do not expect any thanks or reward from you. They broke their fast with water.

The highest form of sadaqah is when a person learns knowledge and then teaches it to a fellow Muslim,(49) and when he gives sadaqah that lasts, which is what we call ongoing charity (sadaqah jariyah).” Social services such as mosques, schools, hospitals, fountains, bridges, etc. that a Muslim builds during his lifetime are sadaqah jariyah.

The Prophet (pbuh) states the following regarding the issue:

“When a human being dies, his book of deeds closes. Three things ensure that his book of deeds remains open:

1. Sadaqah jariyah, (ongoing charity),
2. Knowledge that people benefit from,
3. A good son who prays for him.”(50)

“The knowledge that a believer learns and spreads while he is alive, a righteous son he leaves behind, a Mushaf (copy of the Holy Quran) he bequeaths, a mosque he built, a building (guesthouse) he built for travelers, a fountain he built, everything he gives while he is alive and healthy are all sadaqah.”(51)

 “Every tasbih (subhanallah) is a sadaqah, every hamd (alhamdulillah) is a sadaqah, every tahlil (la ilaha illallah) is a sadaqah, every takbir (Allahuakbar) is a sadaqah, recommending what is good is a sadaqah, and forbidding what is evil is a sadaqah...”(52)

“If a Muslim plants a tree and a human or an animal eats its fruit, it is a sadaqah for the owner of that tree.”(53)

“If a Muslim spends money for the sustenance of his family and hopes for reward, it is a sadaqah for him. Even if a Muslim shows a smiling face to his Muslim brother, it is sadaqah.”(54)

It is possible to give sadaqah openly or secretly. However, it is better to give it secretly.

“If ye disclose (acts of) charity, even so it is well, but if ye conceal them, and make them reach those (really) in need, that is best for you: It will remove from you some of your (stains of) evil. And Allah is well acquainted with what ye do.”(55)

 “Those who (in charity) spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”(56)

The verse above was sent down about Abu Bakr (ra).

Our beloved Prophet (PBUH) asked the Companions to help the army in the expedition to Tabuk, whereupon Ali (ra) gave one of the four dinars he had in his possession at night, one during the day, one secretly and one openly.

Umar (ra) gave half of his wealth and thought that he had surpassed everyone in this regard. However, Abu Bakr (ra) spent all his wealth in the way of Allah.

Thereupon, the Prophet (pbuh) asked, “What have you left for your children, O Abu Bakr?” Abu Bakr (ra) replied, “I have left Allah and His Messenger, O Messenger of Allah!” After this incident, Abu Bakr (ra) returned to his house, made wudu, performed a prayer of two rak’ahs and said, “O Lord, I have spent everything for Your sake. Now I have one more wish, and it is this: On the Day of Resurrection, O Lord, enlarge this gentle body of mine so much as to cover the fire of hell; and burn me instead of the believers who will enter Hell. When the above-mentioned verse 274 of chapter of al-Baqarah was sent down, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Those who accumulate much wealth are miserable.” One of the Companions asked three times, “Is there not any exception to it? O Messenger of Allah!” The Prophet (pbuh) pointed with his blessed hands and said, “Except for those who spend their wealth from their right and left, from behind and in front, from this and that.” The following is stated in another verse: “The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn: it groweth seven ears, and each ear Hath a hundred grains. Allah giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth: And Allah careth for all and He knoweth all things.”(57) When this verse was sent down, our beloved Prophet prayed three times, “O Lord, increase it even more for my ummah.” Then, the following good news came: “Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure”(58).

(Mehmet Emin BAYAR, Din Hizmetleri Müşaviri)

Footnotes:

(1) Türk Dil Kurumu dictionary Sadaka item.
(2) al-Munafiqun 63/10.
(3) al-Baqara: 2/267.
(4) al-Baqara: 2/3.
(5) Aal-i Imran 3/134.
(6) at-Tawba: 9/111.
(7) al-Muzzammil: 73/20.
(8) al-Baqara: 2/262.
(9) as-Sajda 32/17.
(10) al-Ahzab 33/35.
(11) al-Kahf : 18/110.
(12) Muslim: Birr 69; Muwatta Sadaqah 12.
(13) Bukhari, Zakah 28; Muslim, Zakah 57.
(14) Bukhari, Zakah 21; Muslim, Zakah 88; Tirmidhi, Birr 40.
(15) al-Baqara, 2/152.
(16) Ibrahim 14/7.
(17) at-Takathur, 102/8.
(18) al-Baqara, 2/219.
(19) al-Baqara, 2/273.
(20) Saba, 34/39.
(21) az-Zilzal, 99/7.
(22) Muslim Salatul-Musafirin 48, Zakah 56; Bukhari, Sulh 11.
(23) Faydul-Qadir, 3/195.
(24) Bukhari, Adhan 36, Zakah 16; Muslim, Zakah 91.
(25) al-Baqara 2/186.
(26) Riyadus-Salihin Translation Vol. 3 pp 38-39 h. no. 1464.
(27) Bukhari, Tawhid 50; Muslim, Dhikr 2,3 20-22.
(28) Yunus Emre.
(29) Bukhari, Zakah 21.
(30) Bukhari, Zakah 10, 9, Adab 34; Muslim, Zakah 66-67.
(31) Bukhari, Adab 34, Muslimi, Zakah 56.
(32) Bukhari, Adab 33; Muslim, Zakah 53.
(33) Riyadus-Salihin, .
(34) Tirmidhi, Zakah 28.
(35) Defterdar S. M. Paşa Devlet Adamlarına Öğütler, 124.
(36) Riyadus-Salihin Hadith no 1525.
(37) Luqman:
(38) Bukhari, Zakah 8; Muslim, Zakah 68.
(39) Bazzar.
(40) al-Baqara: 2/267.
(41) Bukhari, Tirmidhi.
(42) Hadith
(43) Muhammad 47/7.
(44) at-Taghabun: 64/17.
(45) Tirmidhi, Qiyamah 42.
(46) Aal-i Imran: 3/92.
(47) al-Baqara: 2/177.
(48) ad-Dahr: 76/5-9.
(49) Kütüb-ü Sitte Muhtasarı Vol. 16 p. 548 H. no. 6060.
(50) Muslim, Dhikr 23, 20/22; Bukhari Tevhid 50.
(51) Kütüb-ü Sitte Muhtasarı, Vol. 16 p. 547 H. no. 6059.
(52) Muslim Salatul-Musafirin, 84, Zakah: 56; Bukhari Sulh: 11, Jihad 72.
(53) Sahih-i Buhari Muhtasarı, Vol. 12, p. 129.
(54) Bukhari, Nafaqat 1, Iman 41; Muslim, Zakah 48.
(55) al-Baqara: 2/271.
(56) al-Baqara 2/274.
(57) al-Baqara: 2/261.
(58) az-Zumar 39/10.

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When it is said that lifespan is lengthened through sadaqah, does it mean the time of death changes?

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