Benefits of Charity

The Grain That Grows Sevenfold

Many Muslims believe Allah expects nothing more of them than to go through the daily, weekly, and yearly rituals, without stretching themselves for their communities and others in distress. Some even become so outwardly pious that their main pleasure is debating minor theological details, as if their concern for tiny technicalities makes up for a lack of involvement with the real, pressing problems of the day — formal Muslims, more concerned with the form than the substance of Islam.

مَّثَلُ الَّذِینَ یُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِیلِ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنبُلَةٍ مِّئَةُ حَبَّةٍ وَاللَّهُ یُضَاعِفُ لِمَن یَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِیمٌ الَّذِینَ یُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِیلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ لَا یُتْبِعُونَ مَا أَنفَقُوا مَنًّا وَلَا أَذًى لَّهُمْ أَجْرُ هُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَیْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ یَحْزَنُونَ

“The example of those who spend in the way of Allah is just like a grain that produced seven ears, each ear having a hundred grains, and Allah multiplies the reward for whom He wills. Those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah, then do not follow their spending with boasting about favour or with causing hurt — they have their reward with their Lord and there is no fear for them nor shall they grieve.”

Al-Baqara 2:261-262

What Righteousness Really Means

In one sweeping, inspiring verse we are told precisely what righteousness really means. The truly righteous Muslim is not one who simply faces east or west in ritual prayer — it is one whose whole life has been dedicated to the service of Allah and all His creatures, whose heart is full of fear, reverence, and respect for his Lord. These are the qualities of Al-Muttaqee, one whose heart is full of taqwa.

لَّیْسَ الْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِ قِ وَالْمَغْرِ بِ وَلَـكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَالْیَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَالْمَلَآئِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِیِّینَ وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْیَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِینَ وَابْنَ السَّبِیلِ وَالسَّآئِلِینَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَالْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَاهَدُواْ وَالصَّابِرِ ینَ فِي الْبَأْسَاء والضَّرَّاء وَحِینَ الْبَأْسِ أُولَـئِكَ الَّذِینَ صَدَقُوا وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ

“It is not righteousness that you turn your faces toward East or West. But it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the Book and the Messengers. To spend of your substance out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer and to practice regular charity. To fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient in pain and adversity and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing.”

Al-Baqara 2:177

Belief Translated into Action

We must believe sincerely in all that Allah teaches through His Books and Messengers, and then — just as important — carry out those beliefs. Without action, our beliefs have no meaning. Doing our duties to Allah cannot be separated from doing our duties to fellow human beings. For this reason, the Qur'an uses the expression "establish the prayer, and practice regular charity" in no less than 18 places — one duty owed to Allah, the other to our fellow human beings, complementing each other. Prayer without active charity is an empty ritual, and charity not done in the name of Allah has the wrong motive and is therefore unworthy.

We must spend out of our substance out of love for Him alone — not to massage our vanity, nor to impress others. Spending on Zakat, Fitra, and Sadaqa should be motivated purely by gratitude and love for Allah. No matter how learned, wealthy, or successful we become, we entered this world with nothing and will leave it with nothing except a record of our deeds. By spending in the way of Allah, we simply follow the natural order of things, just as fruit trees spend their fragrance and fruits freely on us for no other reason than to glorify Allah and serve His creatures — it is the same with man.

The Warning Against Selfishness

Clearly, Allah does not love those who are selfish. Selfishness betrays a lack of trust in Allah's mercy — selfish people justify themselves as merely protecting against hardship, but their selfishness harms their own souls, and until they learn to trust Allah they cannot build strong faith, imaan.

"The Evil One threatens you with poverty and bids you to conduct unseemly. Allah promises you His forgiveness and bounties and Allah cares for all and He knows all things" (Al-Baqara 2:268). As Kahlil Gibran wrote: "Is not the fear of thirst, when your own well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?"

هَاأَنتُمْ هَؤُلاء تُدْعَوْنَ لِتُنفِقُوا فِي سَبِیلِ اللّهِ فَمِنكُم مَّن یَبْخَلُ وَمَن یَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا یَبْخَلُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ وَاللّهُ الْغَنِيُّ وَأَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاء وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْاْ یَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَیْرَ كُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ یَكُونُواْ أَمْثَالَكُم

“Behold you are those invited to spend of your substance in the way of Allah, but among you are some that are niggardly. Any who are niggardly are so at the expense of their own souls. Allah is free of all wants and it is you that are needy. If you turn back from the Path He will substitute in your stead another people; then they would not be like you!”

Muhammad 47:38

Do Not Let Fear of Poverty Hold You Back

لَن تَنَالُواْ الْبِرَّ حَتَّىَ تُنفِقُواْ مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ وَمَا تُنفِقُواْ مِن شَيْءٍ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ بِهِ عَلِیمٌ

“By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give (freely) of that which you love; and whatever you give, truly, Allah knows it well.”

Al-Imran 3:92

• Al-Baqara 2:245 — Who is he that will loan to Allah a beautiful loan which Allah will double unto his credit and multiply many times? It is Allah that gives you poverty or plenty and to Him shall be your return. (This metaphor is repeated no less than six times in the Holy Qur'an.)
• Al-Baqara 2:277 — Those who spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.

Mathematics of the Heart

In the world of mathematics, you can add, subtract, divide, and multiply in precise quantities — you cannot increase what you have by giving it away. But in the spiritual world, things work differently: the more you give of what you value, the richer and more prosperous you become. Whether you give of your wealth, time, love, care, or wisdom, you can never impoverish yourself by giving generously. Let us take care not to mix the rules of mathematics with the rules of Imaan.

When a young couple has their first child, they may wonder how they could possibly have enough love for a second, yet find their capacity for love doubles — and if given ten children, their capacity would increase tenfold. The same applies to spending in the way of Allah: when we give generously, we increase our true wealth, our stock of good deeds, we don't decrease it. 'Fee Sabeelillaah,' spending in the way of Allah, belongs to the world of the heart and the spirit, not the world of mathematics.

Let us pray that Allah removes from our hearts the fear of poverty and the selfishness that prevents us from giving freely of the bounties entrusted to us. May Allah strengthen our hearts so that we not only pay the minimum for Zakat, fitra, and sadaqa, but really want to spend as much as we can on good causes — even seeking out opportunities to spend our money, time, education, and experience for the benefit of others less fortunate. O Allah, help us to cleanse our hearts of every unworthy motive, and please accept all our efforts to purify ourselves, our families, and our possessions.

The Light of Allah Will Prevail

یُرِ یدُونَ لِیُطْفِؤُوا نُورَ اللّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِ هِ وَلَوْ كَرِ هَ الْكَافِرُ ونَ هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِینِ الْحَقِّ لِیُظْهِرَ هُ عَلَى الدِّینِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِ هَ الْمُشْرِ كُونَ

“They wish to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah is to perfect His light, even though the disbelievers dislike it. He is the One who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, so that He makes it prevail over all religions, even though the mushriks dislike it.”

As-Saff 61:8-9