You have probably heard of people becoming content or attaining spiritual satisfaction when making a charitable act, but have you ever heard that you should be thankful while doing it? In Surah Al-Munafiq (The hypocrites), Allah SWT informs us that sadaqah is among the most valued acts of worship a Muslim can fulfill. He says “And donate from what We have provided for you before death comes to one of you, and you cry, “My Lord! If only You delayed me for a short while, I would give in charity and be one of the righteous.`[63:10].
Why did the disbeliever ask to go back to perform Sadaqah? Why not prayer, or pilgrimage, or recital of the Qur’an? Sadaqah, my dear brothers and sisters, is among the very best things we can do in this life, it relieves us of our mistakes and grants us blessings in this life and the next. Now, what if we were able to aid someone in need not only of sustenance of the stomach but of the ability to fulfill one of the five pillars; fasting the month of Ramadan.
We would essentially be involved in the completion of their deen, let me rephrase that; we would be providing (through Allah SWT) someone with the ability to fulfill his duty as a Muslim. When we make this contribution, we receive the very same reward, take a look at this hadith narrated by [Timridhi]; “Whoever gives futur to he who is in need, it is as if he achieved the exact reward of he who fasted”.
Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings be upon him) told his ummah to “give in charity without delay for it stands in the way of calamity” [Timridhi] therefore, we give to people what we can, and we make it habitual in our routines and most importantly we are thankful to those that do take it because they will contribute to our salvation in this life and the next, isn’t that beautiful? Islam teaches us something truly astounding when making an act of charity, and it is that it should in no way be viewed as a favor to the recipient, rather a blessed opportunity for the benefactor.
