Inspired by the verses of the Quran and the traditions and practices of the Prophet and his companions, the giving of Sadaqa to individuals or institutions remaines widespread among Muslims everywhere.
---------------------------------------------------- Sadaqa in the form of wakf is known as sadaqa-e- jaria, i.e. permanent alms.
Sadaqa in the form of 'wakf' is known as sadaqa-e- jaria, i.e. permanent alms. Helping someone to establish himself in business, giving someone a proper education; helping someone recover from some disease by monetary assistance to looking after the orphans and the destitute; giving scholarships to students, all such charitable works come under sadaka jaria—that is why so many centres of social welfare have continued to function in the Muslim community.
There are such traditions that stress the importance of giving sadaqa in the holy month of Ramadan. Therefore, in this month of fasting, almost all those who can afford it help the poor people in one way or another. The reward for giving voluntary alms in secret is seventy times that of giving it publicly (Al-Baydawi, Anwar al-Tanazil, 2/211).
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There are two forms of charity in Islam—obligatory and voluntary, called
Zakat and sadaqa respectively
There are two
forms of charity in Islam—obligatory and voluntary,……………..…………………………………………………………….called Zakatand Sadaqa
<P>
Zakat, from the verb zaka, which means “to thrive,” “to be
wholesome,” “to be pure” means purification. Giving up of a portion of the
wealth one may possess in excess of what is needed for sustenance, is to
“purify” or legalize it so that the remainder may lawfully be used by the alms
giver.
Zakat is given on the basis of a fixed percentage of the donor’s
wealth, (nisab) so that the amount given will vary not according to the
needs of a particular receiver, but according to the earnings of the donor.
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Zakat (in spirit) is an act of worship while in its
external form it is the carrying out of a social service. It is thus not just
the payment of a tax as it is generally understood but is rather an act of
religious significance. Its importance is underscored by the fact that the Qur`an treats it at par with salat (prayer).The Qur`an frequently
enjoins the believers ‘to perform the worship and pay the Zakat.’ It goes to
the extent of saying that one cannot attain righteousness unless one spends out
of one’s wealth for the love of God: “By no means shall you attain
righteousness, unless you give of that which you love.” (3:92)
<P>
So
the test of charity lies not in giving away something we would have discarded anyway,
but the things that we value greatly, something that we love. It may be in any
form, not just money, —one’s personal efforts, talents, skill, learning,
property or possessions.
<P>
Sadaqa
(Meaning
literally ‘righteousness’ from the root sadaqa, to speak the truth, to be true)
— According to Ibn Arabi (Akham al-Quran,
2/946-7), alms-giving is called sadaqat to indicate the sincerity (sidk)
of the giver’s religious belief. He goes on to say that sadaqat is a voluntary
act of worship, a choice made of one’s own free-will. If the act is other
than voluntary, it has no religious merit. Thedifference between Sadaqat and Zakat
is that while both kinds of alms-giving are necessarily voluntary (that
being the reason for the word sadaqat covering both forms of
contribution) Sadaqa is the result of an inspiration on the part
of the donor.
---------------------------------------------------- Inspired by the verses of the Quran
and the traditions and practices of the Prophet and his companions, the giving of Sadaqa to individuals or institutions remained widespread among the Muslims. The Prophet was the most generous of men. He used to give with his own hand. When asked for anything, he never refused. If he had nothing to give, he would borrow from one of his companions and pay him later.
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