Saturday, August 1, 2026

Understanding Ṣadaqah: Acceptance, Halal Income, and Common Practices

Some people take some meat or a live rooster, move it over themselves and then throw it in the jungle. Then they say, "Do not turn to look back." Is this valid?

There are many forms of ṣadaqah: fard ṣadaqah, such as zakat; ṣadaqah wājibah, such as ṣadaqat al-fiṭr; nafl ṣadaqah, like giving money to a poor person with the intention of gaining reward, which is known as khayrāt in Urdu. Besides this, there are other forms of ṣadaqah, such as giving ṣadaqah for a life. If one is to give ṣadaqah for a life, it is mentioned in al-Fatāwā al-Riḍawiyyah that in exchange for a life, ṣadaqah for a life should be given such that a halal animal is sacrificed and given in charity.1

Therefore, when giving ṣadaqah for a life, it is best to give a goat or a hen, after sacrificing it, and there is no harm in giving it alive too. Similarly, money, clothes, grains, and other items can be given as ṣadaqah. The forms of ṣadaqah that have been mentioned in the question are innovations of false spiritual practitioners; one should avoid them. To throw away a live rooster, or to bury the head or trotters of a goat at the intersection of a graveyard is to waste one's money, and ṣadaqah which involves the wastage of money is haraam. 2

Thus, remains the matter of not looking back. It appears to me that fake spiritual practitioners say such things to leave an impression on people: "Throw the chicken and do not look back!" It is also possible that the person tells them to release the rooster or goat in a place where his own people are already waiting, so they can take it as soon as it is left.

Reference:

1 Al-Fatāwā al-Riḍawiyyah, vol. 24, p. 186, derived from.

2 Al-Fatāwā al-Riḍawiyyah, vol. 20, p. 455, derived from.

Therefore, it is possible he says this out of fear that the one throwing the animal will see something that will expose him. Hence, he scares the one carrying out the ṣadaqah, saying, "Do not look back, and if something happens to you when you look back, then do not blame me."

In some cases, the words "do not look back" are used as an idiom, just like when it is said "give in the way of Allah Almighty and do not look back". The meaning of this is that after giving in the way of Allah Almighty, do not desire that it is returned to you or wish to take it back. Anyhow, I am not familiar with the wisdom of these pseudo-spiritual practitioners who say such things. The things I have mentioned regarding this are simply amusement. 1

Can we use ṣadaqah money that is in the home?

If one had money in the home with the intention of giving it as ṣadaqah nāfilah by spending in the way of Allah Almighty or for the niyāz of the Crown of the Saints, Shaykh 'Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْهِ, then he is the owner of that money, and it is better for him to use that money for the righteous purpose that he has allocated it for. However, if he utilises that money for personal use, there is no harm.

Reference:

1 Malfoozat-e-Ameer-e-Ahle Sunnat, vol. 1, p. 249

 (At this point, Mufti Hassan mentioned :) Regarding the donation boxes that are placed in homes today, if it contains only a person's own money, then whether it is ṣadaqah nāfilah or ṣadaqah wājibah, as long as the ṣadaqah has not been given yet, there is no harm in using that money.

If halal and haraam earnings are mixed and then given as ṣadaqah, will it be accepted?

Answer: Halal is halal, and haraam is haraam. "Allah Almighty is pure, and He only accepts that which is pure." Haraam income will either be stolen from someone or a bribe, so it must be returned to the person from whom it was taken. If the person from whom it was taken has died, it is necessary to give it to his inheritors. If none of his inheritors can be found, or if the person it was taken from has gone missing, or one does not know who they took it from, it is necessary to give it away as ṣadaqah.

Reference:

1 Malfoozat-e-Ameer-e-Ahle Sunnat, vol. 10, p. 62

2 Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَنْهُ narrates that the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهِ وَسَلَّم said, "Whosoever gives ṣadaqah equal to a date from halal earnings – or nothing ascends to Allah except the pure – Allah Almighty accepts it with His 'right' [i.e. with His pleasure]. Then He nurtures it for the one who gives ṣadaqah in the manner that one of you nurtures his foal, until that ṣadaqah becomes like a mountain." (Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān, vol. 5, p. 134, Hadith: 3308)

Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَنْهُ also reports that the noble Prophet صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهِ وَسَلَّم said, "The one who gathers haraam wealth and then gives ṣadaqah from it, he will have no reward for it, and its misfortune is upon him."(Al-Sunan al-Kubrā li al-Bayhaqī, vol. 4, p. 141, Hadith: 7240)

Likewise, if one took interest from a person, he should give it to a person deemed poor by the Sharia, as interest is definitively haraam. However, in this case it is not necessary to return it to the person it was taken from, rather it is preferred.

When giving ṣadaqah from haraam earnings, one cannot make an intention for reward

Remember, when giving ṣadaqah from haraam earnings, one cannot make an intention to receive reward. Nevertheless, the one who acted upon the ruling of the Sharia, i.e. the Sharia commanded that the haraam money be returned or given to a poor person, there is hope of being rewarded due to acting upon this command. However, he cannot make an intention of being rewarded for the money that he gives.

Some people spend usurious income on making a washroom without making an intention of reward; this is also impermissible.

Reference:

1 Al-Fatāwā al-Riḍawiyyah, vol. 23, pp. 551, 552, summarised.

2 Al-Fatāwā al-Riḍawiyyah, vol. 19, p. 658

3 The Reviver of Islam, the Imām of Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Aḥmad Razā Khān رَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْهِ was once asked about haraam earnings and interest-based money being used for the masjid. In response, he said: It is unlawful to take money which is totally haraam for these purposes (i.e. constructing and expanding a masjid). When it is not

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