Sadaqah is any charity given freely, for the sake of Allah (﷾): money, food, time, help or a kind word. There is no minimum, no set date and no calculation. The word shares its root with sidq (truthfulness), and scholars explain that giving shows the truth of a person’s faith.
“The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn: it groweth seven ears, and each ear Hath a hundred grains. Allah giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth: And Allah careth for all and He knoweth all things.”
And the Prophet (ﷺ) promised that charity never decreases wealth.
Any amount, at any time
No gift is too small. The Prophet (ﷺ) told his companions to protect themselves from the Fire even with half a date given in charity. And he said that when someone gives even a date’s worth from honest earnings, Allah (﷾) accepts it and makes it grow, as a person raises a young horse, until it is as big as a mountain.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1417Sahih al-Bukhari 1410
A little given regularly is a good habit to build: a coin in the mosque box each Friday, a small monthly gift to a trusted charity, or a meal for someone who needs one.
Every good deed is charity
You do not need money to give sadaqah. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that every act of kindness is charity, and he named everyday deeds that count:
A good word
Helping someone onto their ride, or lifting their luggage for them
Judging fairly between two people
Every step you take on your way to prayer
Moving something harmful out of the road
Planting a tree or sowing a seed that a person, bird or animal eats from
Providing for your own family, done for the sake of Allah (﷾)
Sahih al-Bukhari 6021Sahih al-Bukhari 2989Sahih al-Bukhari 2320Sahih al-Bukhari 55
Sadaqah jariyah (ongoing charity)
Some charity keeps on giving long after you have gone. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that when a person dies their deeds come to an end, except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge that others benefit from, and a righteous child who prays for them.
Ongoing charity is anything that goes on helping people: a well, a mosque, a school, copies of the Qur’an, a tree that gives shade and fruit, or teaching someone something good that they pass on.
You can also give on behalf of someone who has died. When the mother of Sa’d ibn ’Ubadah passed away, he asked the Prophet (ﷺ) whether charity given for her would benefit her. The Prophet (ﷺ) said yes, and Sa’d gave his garden in charity on her behalf.
Giving well
Ikhlassincerity
Give for the sake of Allah (﷾), hoping for His reward, not for praise. With that intention even what you spend on your own family becomes charity.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that when a man spends on his family hoping for Allah's (﷾) reward, it counts as charity for him. Sahih al-Bukhari 55
Sirrin secret
Giving openly is good, especially when it encourages others. Giving quietly, so that only Allah (﷾) knows, is better still.
“If ye disclose (acts of) charity, even so it is well, but if ye conceal them, and make them reach those (really) in need, that is best for you” Qur’an 2:271
Among the seven whom Allah (﷾) will shade on the Day when there is no shade but His is a person who gives charity so quietly that their left hand does not know what their right hand gave. Sahih al-Bukhari 1423
Al-ahlfamily first
Begin with the people you look after, then your relatives, orphans, the needy and travellers. Of all the money you spend for good, the Prophet (ﷺ) said the greatest reward is for what you spend on your family (Sahih Muslim 995).
“Whatever ye spend that is good, is for parents and kindred and orphans and those in want and for wayfarers” Qur’an 2:215
The Prophet (ﷺ) said the best charity is given from what is spare, and to begin with those you look after. Sahih al-Bukhari 1426
Min at-tayyibfrom what is good
Give from money earned honestly, and give of things you value, not only what you no longer want.
“By no means shall ye attain righteousness unless ye give (freely) of that which ye love” Qur’an 3:92
Kalam ma'rufkind words
Give warmly, then let it go. Never remind anyone of what you gave them or make them feel small. When you cannot give money, a kind word is a gift in itself.
“Kind words and the covering of faults are better than charity followed by injury.” Qur’an 2:263
Sadaqah and zakat
Zakat (almsgiving) is a pillar of Islam: a fixed 2.5 per cent of savings, gold, silver, investments and trade goods, paid once a year by those whose wealth reaches the nisab, to the eight groups the Qur’an names.
Sadaqah is everything beyond that: voluntary, in any amount, at any time, to anyone in need, Muslim or not.
Zakat al-fitr, the small payment at the end of Ramadan, is explained on the Ramadan page.