Sadaqah

What is Sadaqah?

Sadaqah is the act of charity given purely out of compassion, love, friendship, religious duty or generosity. It’s the smile you give to your neighbour, the potential harm you remove from someone’s pathway, the food you feed to the needy or the well you dig to quench someone’s thirst.

The Prophet (saw) said:

“Charity extinguishes sins just as water extinguishes fire.” [Tirmidhi)]

Who can give Sadaqah?

Anyone can give Sadaqah at any time and for any amount. Those who give Sadaqah are promised by Allah (swt) that they have not lost anything; rather, the more you give for the sake of Allah (swt), the more Allah will give to you. He (swt) has promised that he will multiply the reward of giving charity by at least 700 times.

’The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed of grain, which grows seven ears; in each ear is a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies His reward for whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and all-Knowing’. [Al-Quran 2:261]

How much Sadaqah do I have to give?

Unlike Zakat, Sadaqah has no set amount. You can give anything that you are financially capable of. The decision about how much to give is left to the individual. Abu Bakr (ra) used to give everything he had, leaving Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw) to provide for his family, whereas Umar Al Khattab (ra) gave half of what he had.