Importance of Sadaqah (Voluntary Charity)

- "Indeed the men who give Sadaqah (voluntary charity) and the women who give Sadaqah (all of them) are lending a goodly loan to Allah; the return for them will be increased; and for them shall be an exquisite reward." (Surah al-Hadeed- 57:18)

Sadaqah is a very wide term and is used in the Qur'an to cover all kinds of charity. Ahadith literature provides us following Talim in this regard:

· "Your smile for your brother is Sadaqah"

· "Enjoining what is right & forbidding what is wrong is Sadaqah"

· Giving a smile or a glass of water to a thirsty person or even a word of kindness and so on.

· Planting something from which a person, bird or animal afterwards takes benefit also counts Sadaqah

· Your removal of stones, thorns or bones from the paths of people is Sadaqah .

· Guiding a person who is lost is also Sadaqah."

· Helping someone to establish himself in professional life, assisting someone acquire good learning; monetary assistance for the treatment of the sick; looking after the orphans and the destitute; giving scholarships to students, all such charitable works, come under Sadaqah-Jariyah- -that is why so many traditions are available which explain the reward of this practice and attracts the community to promote it. "The reward for giving Sadaqah in secret is seventy times superior to that of giving it publicly"

Plus, when something untoward happens and one survives it and comes out unharmed, then giving Sadaqah is one of the best means to be grateful to God :)