Theme
الصدقة
Charity
as-Sadaqah
The Companions gave from what they had. Some gave enormous wealth; many gave very little: a single date, a bowl of broth sent next door, a meal shared with a poor man at the table. The sources treat both as real charity.
The practices below cover giving of every size, lasting charity such as wells and endowments, and the manners of giving: to relatives first, without reminding, and without waiting to feel rich.
قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ مَعْقِلٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَدِيَّ بْنَ حَاتِمٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " اتَّقُوا النَّارَ وَلَوْ بِشِقِّ تَمْرَةٍ".
“Save yourself from Hell-fire even by giving half a date-fruit in charity”
47 practices from 39 companions
Open any practice to read it in full on the Companion's page, with the Arabic and English text of every source.
Abd al-Rahman ibn Awfعبد الرحمن بن عوف
Marrying simply and feeding others
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Celebrate with food shared with others, however modest.
Sit with this How could your next celebration feed someone beyond your guests?
Abdullah ibn al-Zubayrعبد الله بن الزبير
Feeding the hungry in famine
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Feed those in need, and keep the manners of the table while doing it.
Sit with this Who near you is going hungry, quietly, without asking?
Abdullah ibn Salamعبد الله بن سلام
Spreading salam, feeding people and praying at night
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Greet more people, feed someone and make a small night prayer, as this is the Prophet's first advice in Medina.
Sit with this Which of the three, salam, food or night prayer, comes least easily to you?
Abdullah ibn Umarعبد الله بن عمر
Not eating alone
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Invite someone to your table, especially a person in need, at least once a week.
Sit with this Who could you invite to your table who rarely gets invited anywhere?
Abu Bakr al-Siddiqأبو بكر الصديق
Giving everything and trusting Allah with the rest
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Give a share you can feel, with real trust in Allah to provide.
Sit with this What would it look like to give a share you can actually feel?
Abu Bakr al-Siddiqأبو بكر الصديق
Forgiving a relative and resuming support
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Keep helping someone who has hurt you, for the sake of being forgiven yourself.
Sit with this Who has hurt you that you could keep helping, hoping Allah forgives you?
Abu Bakr al-Siddiqأبو بكر الصديق
Spending to free the oppressed
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Use wealth and influence to lift someone out of hardship.
Sit with this Whose hardship could your wealth or influence lift this month?
Abu Dharr al-Ghifariأبو ذر الغفاري
Sharing food with neighbours
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Make your dinner stretch: cook a little extra and share it with the people next door.
Sit with this Could tonight's dinner stretch to a bowl for the people next door?
Abu Dharr al-Ghifariأبو ذر الغفاري
Morning charity and the two Duha rak'ahs
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Pray two rak'ahs after sunrise and count your tasbih as charity.
Sit with this How many small charities could your tongue give before noon?
Hosting in Ramadan
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Invite someone for iftar this week and share something you have learned.
Sit with this Whom could you invite for iftar, and what could you share with them after?
Abu Musa al-Ash'ariأبو موسى الأشعري
Pooling food when it runs short
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When resources run short, pool and share equally instead of everyone guarding their own.
Sit with this When things run short, do you guard your own share or pool it with others?
Abu Qatadah al-Ansariأبو قتادة الأنصاري
Taking on a dead man's debt
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Help settle someone's debts, and treat debt seriously yourself.
Sit with this Is there a debt, yours or someone else's, that you could help close?
Abu Sa'id al-Khudriأبو سعيد الخدري
Giving zakat al-fitr as food
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Pay zakat al-fitr early, in the measure and form of the sunnah.
Sit with this Who will receive your zakat al-fitr this year, and when will you give it?
Abu Talhah al-Ansariأبو طلحة الأنصاري
Giving what you love
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Give something you truly love, and think of your relatives first.
Sit with this What do you own that you love too much to give away?
Abu Talhah al-Ansariأبو طلحة الأنصاري
Feeding the Prophet and his guests
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Feed someone who is hungry before you worry about whether you have enough.
Sit with this Is there someone you could feed before you are sure you have enough?
Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrahأبو عبيدة بن الجراح
Sharing scarce food fairly under pressure
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In a hard time, share what you have fairly, and do not hoard.
Sit with this In a hard week, how fairly do you share what little there is?
Adi ibn Hatim al-Ta'iعدي بن حاتم الطائي
Shielding yourself from the Fire with even a small gift
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Give something every day, even if it is only half a date or a kind word.
Sit with this What is your half a date today?
Aisha bint Abi Bakrعائشة بنت أبي بكر
Giving, even when you have only one date
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Give what you have, however small.
Sit with this What small thing could you give today, even if it is your last?
Ali ibn Abi Talibعلي بن أبي طالب
Carrying out the Prophet's charity faithfully
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When you are trusted with charity, distribute all of it exactly as intended.
Sit with this When you are trusted with others' charity, does every part reach its place?
Asma bint Abi Bakrأسماء بنت أبي بكر
Spending without hoarding
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Give from what you have, regularly, without calculating.
Sit with this Do you count before you give, or give before you count?
Feeding the family of the bereaved
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Take food to a bereaved family this week.
Sit with this Which bereaved family could you take a meal to this week?
Helping people give in charity
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Help others give: collect for a cause, or hand someone a way to donate.
Sit with this Who could you help to give, by making giving easy for them?
Jabir ibn Abdullahجابر بن عبد الله
Hosting guests with what you have
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Offer what you have, even if it is small; Allah can multiply it.
Sit with this What small thing could you offer, trusting Allah to bless it?
Ja'far ibn Abi Talibجعفر بن أبي طالب
Feeding the poor with whatever is in the house
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Invite someone to share what you have, even when it is little.
Sit with this Who could share what is in your kitchen today?
Ja'far ibn Abi Talibجعفر بن أبي طالب
Supporting a bereaved family with food
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When a neighbour loses someone, send food.
Sit with this Which grieving family nearby could you send food to?
Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajaliجرير بن عبد الله البجلي
Spreading good by example
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Be the first to start a good deed; others will follow.
Sit with this What good deed could you begin so others find it easy to follow?
Juwayriyyah bint al-Harithجويرية بنت الحارث
Giving what little you have
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Do not feel embarrassed to offer a small gift; your household's modest offering counts.
Sit with this Is embarrassment stopping you from offering something small?
Khadijah bint Khuwaylidخديجة بنت خويلد
Valuing kinship, charity and hospitality
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Build a home where family ties, the poor and the guest are always on the agenda.
Sit with this Are kin, the poor and the guest on your household's agenda?
Khalid ibn al-Walidخالد بن الوليد
Dedicating wealth and weapons to Allah's cause
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Treat part of your wealth as already given for Allah's cause, and be generous without drawing attention.
Sit with this What part of your wealth could you treat as already given for Allah?
Khawlah bint Tha'labahخولة بنت ثعلبة
Standing by her husband in setting it right
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Support the person you love in making amends.
Sit with this How could you help someone you love make amends?
Maymunah bint al-Harithميمونة بنت الحارث
Freeing a slave
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If you give, give with an eye to relatives who need it most.
Sit with this Which relative in need should come first in your giving?
Maymunah bint al-Harithميمونة بنت الحارث
Giving sadaqah
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Give sadaqah to the household help or the poor around you and teach them how to use it well.
Sit with this Who around you could you give to, and help to use it well?
Night prayer and voluntary fasting
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Add one small voluntary deed to the obligatory: a fast day, a charity, or two rak'ahs at night.
Sit with this Which voluntary deed could you add to your obligatory ones this week?
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqasسعد بن أبي وقاص
Giving thoughtfully, with the family in mind
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Give generously but sustainably, and count providing for family as charity.
Sit with this Is your giving generous and sustainable, with your family in mind?
Charity on behalf of a deceased parent
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Give sadaqah on behalf of your parents who have passed away, and make it substantial.
Sit with this What lasting charity could you give on behalf of a parent?
Choosing water as lasting charity
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Support a well or water project as ongoing charity for your loved ones.
Sit with this Could you fund water for someone in the name of a loved one?
Honest in handling zakat
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Take only what is due, and refer to your authority when in doubt.
Sit with this When you handle what is owed, do you take only what is due?
Umar ibn al-Khattabعمر بن الخطاب
Giving away what you love most as lasting charity
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Set up one ongoing charity, however small, so the reward keeps running after you.
Sit with this What lasting charity could you set up so its reward keeps running?
Umar ibn al-Khattabعمر بن الخطاب
Racing others in generosity
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Compete in good deeds, and be glad when someone else beats you to them.
Sit with this Whom do you race in good deeds, and can you be glad when they win?
Umm Atiyyah al-Ansariyyahأم عطية الأنصارية
Sharing charity received
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Share your gifts with others; do not hoard them.
Sit with this What gift you received could you share onward?
Umm Haram bint Milhanأم حرام بنت ملحان
Hospitality: feeding the Prophet
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Open your table; a simple meal for a guest is a lasting good.
Sit with this Whom could you feed at your table this week?
Spending on orphans as your own
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Spend on a child in your care and intend it as worship; there is reward for every portion.
Sit with this Do you intend what you spend on your family as worship?
Umm Sulaym bint Milhanأم سليم بنت ملحان
Hospitality in need
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Give what you have to the Prophet's cause, and trust Allah to make it enough.
Sit with this Could you give the little you have, trusting Allah to make it enough?
Umm Waraqah bint Abdullahأم ورقة بنت عبد الله
Planning for freedom of those who served her
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Plan acts of generosity and justice into your will.
Sit with this What generosity or justice could you plan into your will?
Giving for the public good
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Fund something lasting, such as water, a mosque or a school, not only one-off gifts.
Sit with this What lasting good could you fund rather than only one-off gifts?
Working with her hands to give in charity
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Set aside part of what you earn by your own effort for others, before you need to be asked.
Sit with this What part of what you earn could you set aside for others before being asked?
Zaynab bint Muhammadزينب بنت محمد
Standing by her husband and helping him in need
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Support the people you are bound to in hard times, with your own resources if need be.
Sit with this Whom are you bound to who needs your support in a hard time?
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