By Imam Murtadha Gusau
Saturday, Ramadan 01, 1446 AH (01/03/2025)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation. May Allah extol the Messenger in the highest company of Angels and grant him peace; and likewise, his family, his Companions and all those who truly and sincerely follow him until the Day of Resurrection.
Dear brothers and sisters! Allah the Most High says:
“For those who believe in the existence of the unseen, and perform the prayers, and spend out of what We have provided for them.” [Quran, 2:3]
Allah the Almighty created us within a “gradient of wealth” like finances, material elements, health, appearance, intelligence to learn and the ability to master different skills. In this Qur’anic verse, Allah the Most High asks believers to share part of the wealth He provided them with the less fortunate. In this perspective, the Arabic word Zakah means to self-purify our soul. From this definition, this compulsory charity of money (Zakatul-mal) is the intention of every rich person to self-purify his/her soul by helping the poor. The amount of charity is fixed at 2.5% of a Muslim’s total savings and wealth above a minimum amount (Nisab) is donated annually.
Allah the Most High says:
“…And do good as Allah has been good to you…” [Qur’an, 28:77]
In addition to this obligation, we can have the opportunity to self-purify our soul and add good deeds by giving whatever we can. For example, the following Qur’anic verse:
“They ask you (O Muhammad) what they should spend. Say: Whatever you spend of good must be for parents and kindred and orphans and the needy and for wayfarers, and whatever you do of good deeds, Allah knows it well.” [Qur’an, 2:215]
The verse means that the intention to please Allah the Almighty and self-purify our soul is not limited to only helping those in need by giving them money or food to survive, but encompasses acts of charity such as offering assistance and time to relatives, neighbours and friends as well as those who are unwell, to comfort them and perhaps add some joy to their life, or enhance it in some way.
Moreover, being kind and considerate towards relatives, neighbours and coworkers are also good deeds as mentioned in the following Qur’anic verse:
“Worship Allah and join none with Him in worship, and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, the needy, the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbour who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (you meet) and those whom your right hands possess. Verily, Allah does not like such as are proud and boastful.” [Qur’an, 4:36]
As we worship Allah the Almighty with our prayers in Mosques, Muslims are also supposed to worship Him in workplaces by helping people there. For example, the charity of an engineer is to offer expertise to properly solve technical problems. The charity of a doctor is to treat patients adequately and provide them with the proper diagnosis and treatment and the charity of a teacher is to impart knowledge and enable students to learn.
In this topic, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) teaches us that we can help people in many ways as he said:
“Charity is prescribed for each descendant of Adam every day the sun rises.” He was then asked: “From what do we give charity every day?” The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) replied: “The doors of goodness are many: enjoining good, forbidding evil, removing harm from the road, listening to the deaf, leading the blind, guiding one to the object of his need, hurrying with the strength of one’s legs to one in sorrow who is asking for help, and supporting the feeble with the strength of one’s arms. All of these are charity prescribed for you.” He then said: “Even your smile for your brother is a charity.” [Bukhari]
In addition, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ask Muslims to also protect nature and animals. For example, regarding the reward of planting trees, he (Peace be upon him) said:
“If a Muslim plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, it is regarded as a charitable gift (Sadaqah) for him.”
To care and protect animals, he (Peace be upon him) told the following story:
“A man felt very thirsty while he was on the way, there he came across a well. He went down the well, quenched his thirst and came out. Meanwhile he saw a dog panting and licking mud because of excessive thirst. He said to himself, ‘This dog is suffering from thirst as I did.’ So, he went down the well again, filled his shoe with water, held it with his mouth and watered the dog. Allah appreciated him for that deed and forgave him.” The Companions said: “O Messenger of Allah! Is there a reward for us in serving the animals?” He replied: “There is a reward for serving any living being.” [Bukhari]
On a last note, as mentioned in this Qur’anic verse:
“And We have sent you forth [O Muhammad] not but as a mercy for mankind and jinn.” [Qur’an, 21:107]
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was sent as a divine gift of mercy for the whole of mankind until the Day of Judgment. For this mission of love and compassion, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“All creatures of Allah are His family, therefore, amongst His creations, Allah likes the person who treats His creatures in a good manner and takes care of their necessities.”
Respected brothers and sisters! Abdullah Ibn Mu’awiyyah reported: The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“Whoever does three deeds will taste the sweetness of faith (Iman): one who worships Allah alone, who declares there is no God but Allah, and who gives charity from his wealth each year with a cheerful and earnest soul.” [Sunan Abi Dawud, and graded as Sahih (authentic) according to Shaikh Al-Arna’ut]
And the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“A person’s Iman (faith) is perfect; if he gives something to someone he gives it only for Allah’s sake, if he refuses to give something to someone he refuses only for Allah’s sake, if he loves someone he loves them only for Allah’s sake, and if he harbours anger and resentment towards someone he does so only for Allah’s sake.”
Surely, charity is a purifier of sins and wealth. Sometimes our iman (faith) gets low as a result of the number of sins we’re committing. Giving charity is a good way to rid the heart of sins and gain the taqwa of Allah. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“Sadaqah (charity) extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire.” [Tirmidhi]
No doubt, giving charity is substantially tied to our relationship with Allah. It is one of the most rapid ways to ascend towards Him (Allah). This oft-neglected deed is an immediate method to give life to our hearts and awaken our faith (Iman). We’ve said before that to increase our iman (faith), we must reduce the competing loves that take up space in our heart, creating more space for faith (Iman) to grow. Charity shrinks our love for wealth and ego while washing, softening, and widening our heart.
All perfect praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad (Peace be upon him), and upon his family, his Companions and his true followers.
Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of: Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah Mosque; and Late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene Mosque, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com; or +2348038289761.