Apr 2, 2014

5 Ways to Give Sadaqah [Part 1]

By Amal S

Read Part 2 here

Bismillah 

Imagine a day. It is excruciatingly hot and the heat is suffocating. People are sweating, panic-filled, anxious, frantic.

People will be willing to give anything to ransom themselves on that day – a mountain of gold, an entire earth filled with gold! They would give anything and everything away without hesitation to save themselves.

But it will be too late then. Once the Day of Judgment arrives, there is no going back to dunya – no matter how much pleading, begging, crying, and regret. There is no second chance. This is the Reality which we have been warned about.

“We must realise how desperate we are in need of forgiveness for our wrong actions and our dire need for good deeds to help weigh up our scales.”[1] –I think most of people know this, so maybe you shouldn't quote Abu Eesa, but re-write with own words. We need to consider the following advice for that Day which will come to pass:

“O you who believe! Spend of that with which We have provided for you, before a Day comes when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession. And it is the disbelievers who are the wrongdoers.” (Surah Al-Baqara 2: 254) 

The Prophet sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, 
"There is no one of you except that Allah will speak to him, without any interpreters. 
He (the person) will look to his left and right surrounded by the Fire and realise that he might only be saved by the good deeds he did before, then he will look forward 
and the fire will be directly in front of his face, so (O Muslims) save yourself from the Hellfire even if it is by half a date!" (Ahmad) 

Many of us know the virtues of giving charity (sadaqah), but reminders can help transfer information into knowledge, knowledge into beautiful action.


Some of the Many Virtues:

Blessings in Dunya: 

“Every day two angels come down from Heaven and one of them says, 
‘O Allah! Compensate every person who spends in Your cause’, and the other (angel) says, 
‘O Allah! Destroy every miser.’” (Bukhari) 

"Say, 'Indeed, my Lord extends provision for whom He wills of His servants 
and restricts (it) for him. But whatever thing you spend (in His cause) – He will compensate it; and He is the best of Providers." (Surah Saba 34:39) 

"Wealth is never diminished by giving sadaqah." (Bukhari) 


Path to Righteousness: 

"Never will you attain righteousness until you spend from that which you love. And whatever you spend, indeed Allâh is Knowing of it." (Surah Al-Imran 3:92) 


Unimaginable Reward: 

“The likeness of those who spend for Allah’s sake is as the likeness of a grain of corn, 
it grows seven ears every single ear has a hundred grains, and Allah multiplies (increases the reward of) for whom He wills, and Allah is sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower).” (Surah Al-Baqara 2:261) 

“Whoever gives charity equal to a date from good (halal) earnings – for Allah does not accept anything but that which is good – Allah will take it in His right hand and tend it for the one who gave it as any one of you tends his foal, until it becomes like a mountain.” 
(Bukhari and Muslim) 

The huge reward of giving charity is not just the remit of the very rich.

The Prophet (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said what means, 
"One dirham has become greater than a hundred thousand dirhams." 
The companions asked, "How can that be O Messenger of Allah?" 
He (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) replied, 
"A rich man takes a hundred thousand dirhams from his wealth and gives it away as sadaqah. Another man has nothing except two dirhams, and so he takes one dirham and gives it away in charity." (Nasaa’i and Ibn Hibban) 


Forgiveness for Sins:
“Sadaqah extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)


Protection on the Day of Judgment:
“The believer’s shade on the Day of Resurrection will be his sadaqah.” (Ahmad) 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References
[1] Abu Eesa Niamatullah, http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=1200&category=12
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

See Part 2 for some creative sadaqah ideas, and types of sadaqah whose benefit will outlive you!
Do leave your comments in the comments section below :) 

1 comments:

Assalamu alaikum, Please Check your email.

Post a Comment