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Meditations on Virtues of Voluntary Charity (Sadaqa)
Author : Dr. Nidal Sultan
Date Added : 30-04-2014

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions and upon whoever followed his guidance until the Day of Resurrection:

Allah, The Almighty, has made supererogatory acts of worship a means of gaining his love and support. The most rewarding of these acts is voluntary charity, and following are some meditations on its virtues, which I wanted to share with my Muslim brethren. I beseech Allah to make us among those who listen and follow the most righteous of what is said.

Meditation No. (1): None of Man`s Wealth Remains Except That Which He/She Has Given in Charity.

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said: "Man says: "My wealth! My wealth!" The Prophet (PBUH) responds: "None of your wealth remains except that which you had given in charity."  [Moslim].

The meaning intended by the Prophet (PBUH) in this Hadith is that whatever man eats perishes whatever he puts on wears out, and whatever he gives in charity remains.

Moreover, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that when the Prophet`s companions slaughtered a goat, he said: "What is left of it?" she said: "its shoulder." He said: "All of it is left except its shoulder." [Al-Tirmizi].

Accordingly, there is no way that a person could reap the fruits of his wealth after death except through charity that he had given. 

Meditation No. (2): Charity is Like Seeds of Good Deeds, Preserved and

Grown by Allah for their Owner.

Allah, The Almighty, doesn`t only preserve the charity for its giver, but also multiplies and grows it for him/her out of His grace and mercy until it becomes as big as a mountain. He Says in the Holy Quran (What means): "The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of God is that of a grain of corn: it groweth seven ears, and each ear Hath a hundred grains. God giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth: And God careth for all and He knoweth all things." [Al-Baqarah/261]. He also Says (What means): "Who is he that will loan to God a beautiful loan, which God will double unto his credit and multiply many times? It is God that giveth (you) Want or plenty, and to Him shall be your return." [Al-Baqarah/245].

Moreover, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) says: "If one give in charity what equals one date-fruit from the honestly-earned money and Allah accepts only the honestly earned money --Allah takes it in His right (hand), then enlarges its reward for that person (who has given it), as anyone of you brings up his baby horse, so much as that it becomes as big as a mountain." [Bukhari].

Meditation No. (3): The Charity Giver Benefits From it More Than the Poor Recipient Does.

Following are some fruits of charity, which are reaped by its giver:

-It extinguishes sin as the Prophet (PBUH) says: "Charity extinguishes sin as water does fire." [Al-Tirmizi].

-It is a shade for its giver on the Day of Judgment as the Prophet (PBUH) says: “Everyone is protected by the shade of their charity until people are being separated “{Ahmad}.

-It heals the sick as the Prophet (PBUH) says: “Treat the sick with giving charity." [Baihaqi&Tabarani].

-It cleanses wealth from wrongdoings as the Prophet (PBUH) said to the merchants: "Oh! Merchants! Your dealings involve a lot of swearing, so cleanse them with charity." [Abu Dawood].

Whoever closely examines the fruits of charity realizes that the reward of its giver is greater and larger than the benefit received by the poor recipient.

Meditation No. (4): Allah and His Messenger Pledged to Replace Charity.

Allah, To Him belongs Might and Majesty, Says (What means): "Say: "Verily my Lord enlarges and restricts the Sustenance to such of his servants as He pleases: and nothing do ye spend in the least (in His cause) but He replaces it: for He is the Best of those who grant Sustenance." [Saba/34].

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said: "I swear on three: Wealth doesn`t decrease by giving charity, an injustice which a person endures, Allah grants him more honor, and a person who asks to be given charity while not in need becomes poorer." [Al-Tirmizi].

A true believer must realize the truthfulness of Allah`s and His Messenger`s promise.

Meditation No. (5):  The Fruits of Charity are Only Annulled by its Giver.

Despite the virtues and fruits of charity, its giver could annul them in two ways:

1. Showing off

2. Reproach and injury

Therefore, Allah has warned us against that in the following verse (What means): "O you, who believe, annul not your voluntary almsgivings with reproach and injury, as one who expends of his substance to show off to men and believes not in God and the Last Day. The likeness of him is as the likeness of a smooth rock on which is soil, and a torrent smites it, and leaves it barren. They have no power over anything that they have earned. God guides not the disbelieving folk." [Al-Baqarah/264].

 

And All Perfect Praise Be To Allah, The Lord of The Worlds

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible for a menstruating woman to recite the Quran from the computer without actually touching the Quran?

It is not permissible for a woman in her menstrual period, or in postpartum to recite the Quran, even by heart, or without actually touching the Quran itself. Recitation itself is what is prohibited on her regardless of how it is done. However, it is permissible for her to surf through the Quran by her eyes, or to recall it in her head without uttering the words. There is no harm for her to look at the Quranic verses on the computer without touching it, or to utter the words as this is called looking not reciting or reading.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on eating or drinking during the circumambulation?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is disliked (makrūh) to eat or drink during the circumambulation (ṭawāf).
Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī states in al-Majmūʿ: "It is disliked to eat or drink during ṭawāf, and the dislikedness of drinking is lighter. Neither of them, nor both together, invalidates the ṭawāf. Al-Shāfiʿī said: 'There is no objection to drinking water during ṭawāf, and I do not consider it sinful; however, I prefer that it be avoided, as refraining from it is more befitting in terms of proper conduct.' Among those who explicitly stated the dislikedness of eating and drinking, and that drinking is the lesser of the two, is the author of al-Ḥāwī."
If, however, a person is in genuine need of drinking, then there is no dislikedness in doing so. In any case, the ṭawāf itself remains valid. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on waiving a debt owed by a debtor and counting it toward zakāh?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Waiving a debt owed by a debtor, with the intention of counting it toward zakāh, does not fulfill the zakāh obligation. Rather, it constitutes an ordinary act of charity, for which Allah rewards the giver generously — since one of the conditions for the validity of zakāh is that the person paying it must form the intention of zakāh at the actual moment the wealth is paid out. In this case, the debt has already been established as a standing obligation upon the borrower, so it is not valid to simply redirect the intention toward zakāh after the fact.
It is preferable, instead, for the creditor to first collect the debt from the debtor, and then return to him the amount of money he is required to pay as zakāh — or a portion of it — if the debtor happens to fall under one of the eight categories that Allah, the Exalted, has commanded be given from zakāh.
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik, from the books of the Shāfi‘ī school: "If someone gives [money] to a poor person, stipulating that the recipient return it to him in payment of a debt owed to him, or says, 'I am making what you owe me into zakāh, so take it [as such]' — this is not valid. But if he gives it to him with the [unstated] intention that the recipient will use it to repay him, or says, 'Repay what you owe me, so that I may [then separately] give it to you as zakāh,' or the debtor himself says, 'Give it to me, so that I may [then] repay you with it' — this is valid, and there is no binding obligation for the recipient to actually fulfill this [informal understanding]." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

When does the time for the 'aqīqah lapse and pass?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
If the guardian was financially capable (mūsir) during the majority of the postnatal period (nifās) — which is sixty days — then the obligation of the 'aqīqah remains upon him until the child reaches the age of maturity (bulūgh). Once the child reaches maturity, the demand falls away from the father and those like him. At that point, it becomes Sunnah for the child himself to perform the 'aqīqah on his own behalf.
However, if the guardian was financially incapable (mu'sir) during the postnatal period, and then became financially capable after its expiry — that is, after sixty days — the 'aqīqah is no longer required of him. And Allah Almighty knows best.

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