Is it
correct to say giving ṣadaqah is like “giving a loan to Allah Almighty”?
(The mufti sitting next to the Amir of Ahl
al-Sunnat دَامَتْ بَرَكَاتُهُمُ الْعَالِيَةُ
answered:) It is stated in the Quran:
وَأَقْرِضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا
And lend a good loan to
Allah 1
The explanation of this verse is to
give in the way of Allah Almighty, and this falls under a loan.
(The Ameer of Ahl al-Sunnat دَامَتْ بَرَكَاتُهُمُ الْعَالِيَةُ said
:) It is from the grace of Allah Almighty that He is the one who gives, and
then it is He who promises us reward and Paradise for spending in His way. When
we give something to someone, we have many things in mind. However, look at the
greatness of Allah Almighty; He grants us so much out of His generosity. 2
Can
birds be fed the meat of ṣadaqah?
Some people feed meat liberally to eagles and crows with the intention of ṣadaqah;
this is the way of non-Muslims.3
Reference:
1
[Kanz al-'Irfān (translation of Quran)] (Part 29, Surah al-Muzzammil, verse 20)
2
Malfoozat-e-Ameer-e-Ahle Sunnat, vol. 1, p. 408
3
Malfoozat-e-Ameer-e-Ahle Sunnat, vol. 2, p. 167
What
is qarḍ ḥasanah?
Among the public, it is widespread
that qarḍ ḥasanah is that which is given and then forgotten about. Meaning, if
the debtor wishes to repay, he can, and if he does not want to repay, he does
not have to. This is the definition of laypeople. In reality, qarḍ ḥasanah refers
to every loan which is given to a Muslim with the intention of looking out for
him, and it does not involve any usury.
(At this juncture, the mufti taking
part in the Madani Muzakarah said:) One explanation of qarḍ ḥasanah is that it
refers to ṣadaqah nāfilah, as opposed to ṣadaqah wājibah.1 For example, giving ṣadaqah
nāfilah, spending on your family, and your dependants, etc. According to some
scholars, any money that is given in the way of Allah Almighty is known as qarḍ
ḥasanah.2-3
It is often seen that people take a goat, sacrifice it
for a boy or girl, and then feed some of its meat to eagles and crows, and give
some to the poor too. How correct is this practice?
They should give it to the needy;
there is no purpose in giving it to eagles and crows. They are pests, and
feeding crows is a custom of the Hindus وَاِلّٰهُ
تَعَالٰی أَعْلَمُ. (Al-Fatāwā al-Riḍawiyyah, vol. 20, p.
590)
If one person gives financial assistance to someone
else, and nobody else besides them is aware of this, will this be considered
giving in secret, or will it only be called giving in secret when the recipient
is unaware of the giver, such as giving money to a blind individual?
This is definitely an issue as to
what the definition of secret is, and what is considered secret when donating.
The carnal-self will likely not agree with nobody finding out, so we usually
end up telling someone. For example, a person will say, “I must place the
amount in the hands of Ilyas”, and in this way, I will know he gave two
thousand pounds. We might say to someone, “Do not tell anyone else that I have
given such-and-such amount.”
Let us say that I have been gifted a
thousand pounds, so I give them to a close friend and tell him to give them to
Faizan-e-Madinah without mentioning my name. Even in this case, it will still
not remain hidden from the one I am giving it to. If a person says to someone
“Place this money in the donation box of Faizan-e-Madinah or towards Madani
Qafilahs,” and does not tell him who gave the money, he will assume it to be a
donation collected from someone else. So, it can be given in secret using wisdom
like this. Likewise, one can discreetly put the money in the donation box
themselves.
Reference:
1
Al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr, Juz 2, Surah al-Baqarah, under verse 245, vol. 2, p. 499
2
Kanz al-'Ummāl, vol. 1,2, p. 154, Hadith:4220
3
Malfoozat-e-Ameer-e-Ahle Sunnat, vol. 2, p. 239
(The mufti sitting next to the Ameer of Ahl
al-Sunnat دَامَتْ بَرَكَاتُهُمُ الْعَالِيَةُ commented
:)
Donating secretly has been mentioned
in the Hadith concerning receiving a place in the shade of the ‘Arsh. It is to
the effect that one gives with the right hand in such a way that the left hand
does not know what he has given. The meaning of secretly is normally that no
other person be aware of it. However, if such a need presents itself to
mention, and there is no other option, for example, the money has to be
delivered to such a person that he cannot deliver it to himself, he should give
it to such a person that can hand it over. He should also inform him that the
end recipient should not find out who gave it. It is hoped that this too will
fall within secret charity.
(The Ameer of Ahl al-Sunnat دَامَتْ بَرَكَاتُهُمُ الْعَالِيَةُ stated
:)
إِنَّمَا
الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ
(Actions are based on their intentions.)1 It is obvious that if he stands up
and announces that he is giving a thousand pounds, and his intention is not to
show off, then this is also permissible. Even though it is not considered
secret, there is still hope of receiving reward. If he is making an
announcement because he is an individual by whom others will be motivated to
give in the way of Allah Almighty, and he has no intention of showing off,
there is no sin in this either. In fact, there is hope of reward.2
Reference:
1
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, vol. 1, p. 5, Hadith:1
2
Malfoozat-e-Ameer-e-Ahle Sunnat, vol. 3, p. 246
Just as the states of sincerity vary from person to
person, do these states vary in terms of keeping ṣadaqah hidden? Such as the
donator adopting the stratagem of just handing this amount to a person, taking
it back from him, and then giving it out as ṣadaqah, saying, “Somebody gave me
this money.” Likewise, if, for instance, the person he wishes to give to is
offering prayer, so he places the money by his shoes, by his feet, or leaving
it discreetly at his house, just as our pious predecessor’s رَحْمَهُمُ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰی would do similar things.
Accounts like this regarding the
pious predecessors are mentioned in the books, but if this manner is adopted
today, the owner of the shoes will become concerned. Similarly, if you leave it
in his home and he has guests, he will think that it belongs to the guests and consider
it lost property. That which has been written about the pious predecessors in
terms of them leaving things in homes, then it is possible they would leave a
note there too. Also, ṣadaqah can be given to a person who is unable to see.
If a person wishes to donate in
Faizan-e-Madinah, he can place the money in one of the donation boxes present
here. It is apparent that if he discreetly places a certain amount in the box,
then how anyone will know whether he has put in a small amount or a large
amount. Like this, one can secretly give whatever they want. However, this is
not generally the case; the amount is usually given to someone else, so at
least they are aware that he gave something.
Unfortunately, ostentation and showing off is so
prevalent that until each and every person is aware of it, we do not feel
satisfied. May Allah Almighty grant us sincerity.1
آمِيْن بِجَاهِ خَاتَمِ النَّبِيّٖن صَلَّى
اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهِ وَسَلَّم
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