6 steps for sadaqah to have a deep impact

Is giving sadaqah enough, or are there rules too?

In the earlier articles of our series we saw that sadaqah is a proven Shar'i means of removing illness and hardship, but it is not a substitute for the doctor or for ruqyah; rather, it is an additional means alongside them. Now a natural question arises: will the same result be obtained if one gives sadaqah in any way, at any time, with any intention? The author of the book «من عجائب العلاج بالصدقة» gives a clear, practical answer to this question. He writes: "If you want to treat your patient with sadaqah and, by the permission of Allah Ta'ala, to reap its fruit... then follow the simple steps below." After that he mentions six steps, attaching to each one proof from the Qur'an or the hadith. In today's article we will look at those six steps one by one: what each one means, what its proof is, and how you can apply it in your own life today.

Step 1 — Give sadaqah from your own pure (halal) wealth

The first step is the most fundamental, yet many people do not give it importance. The author says: "If you want your patient to be healed quickly and completely through sadaqah, then give sadaqah from the pure (halal) portion of the wealth Allah Ta'ala has given you; for Allah Ta'ala is pure, and He accepts only what is pure." As proof for this he brought a verse of Surah Al-Baqarah:

﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْفِقُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّا أَخْرَجْنَا لَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ وَلا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنْفِقُونَ وَلَسْتُمْ بِآخِذِيهِ إِلَّا أَنْ تُغْمِضُوا فِيهِ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيـدٌ﴾
O you who have believed, spend from the good things which you have earned and from that which We have produced for you from the earth. And do not aim toward the defective therefrom, spending [from that] while you would not take it [yourself] except with closed eyes. And know that Allāh is Free of need and Praiseworthy. (Surah Al-Baqara 2:267 — Saheeh International)

Apply it today: Before setting aside money for sadaqah, ask yourself once: is the source of this money clean? Instead of giving sadaqah from doubtful income, interest-mixed portions or bribe money, give from whatever portion is halal. Even if it is little, that is what is acceptable to Allah. Many people think that the more serious the illness, the less important the source of the sadaqah is. In reality the verse says exactly the opposite. Allah Himself is pure, so He does not like sadaqah given from impure or doubtful wealth; rather, there is a greater risk that it will be rejected. So before giving sadaqah, it is essential to do the accounting honestly once: begin with whatever part of your salary, business profit or gifts is definitely halal.

Step 2 — Keep the intention of the patient's healing when giving sadaqah

It is not enough merely to hand over money or food. The author stresses the intention. He says: "When you give this sadaqah, give it with the intention of your patient's healing." As proof he brought the well-known hadith:

( إنما الأعمال بالنيات وإنما لكل امرئ مانوى )<br>«Indeed, all amal (practice) is according to intention, and every person will have only what he intended.» — Narrated by Bukhari.

Apply it today: At the moment you hand over the sadaqah, say in your heart: "O Allah, I give this sadaqah with the intention of my healing / my patient's healing." There is no need to say it aloud; it is enough to keep this intention alive in your heart.

Step 3 — If you are able, be generous in sadaqah

This step applies especially to those who have ample means. The author writes: "If you are wealthy, be generous in sadaqah. The Prophet ﷺ was generous and giving; he would give as if 'he did not fear poverty' — narrated by Muslim." It is worth noting here that this step discourages stinginess. Especially when the illness is serious and the need is great, a person of means should overcome the tendency to calculate closely and give little.

Apply it today: If Allah has granted you comfort, then when deciding the amount of sadaqah for the patient, look honestly at your means. Do not discharge your duty by giving a trifle out of stinginess. Remember, generosity does not mean that you must give what is impossible or by taking on debt; rather, it means choosing the best portion from whatever you can give easily and comfortably. Especially when a loved one is seriously ill, rather than postponing sadaqah by saying "we will see later," coming forward quickly and with an open heart according to your means is in keeping with the example of the Prophet ﷺ.

Step 4 — Make your sadaqah sincere solely for Allah's pleasure

This step gives more weight to the state of the heart than to the outward practice. The author says: "For the more complete the deed is and the more sincere it is for Allah Ta'ala, the more complete and the more noble its reward and result will be." Then he reminds us of the hadith of the seven people whom Allah will shade in the shade of His Throne on the Day of Resurrection, one of whom is the person who gives sadaqah in secret:

( ورجل تصدق بصدقـة فأخفاها حتى لا تعلم يمينـه ما تنفق شماله )<br>«And a man who gives sadaqah so secretly that his right hand does not know what his left hand spends.» — Agreed upon.

Here the author adds: "In this there is great encouragement toward sincerity in deeds." (Note: there is a technical discussion in the science of hadith about the wording of this hadith, which hand comes first and which second, which is beyond the scope of this practical article; here we have presented the original book's own reading unaltered.)

Apply it today: After giving sadaqah, steer yourself away from the urge to announce it on social media or to show it to people. As far as possible, keep the sadaqah given for the patient between yourself and Allah. It is even better if you give it without letting the patient know.

Step 5 — Seek out a needy, honest and God-fearing person for your sadaqah

Whom you give sadaqah to also matters. In the author's words: "So that your sadaqah may have a deep impact by the permission of Allah Ta'ala, try your best to find someone who is needy, honest and God-fearing." As proof he brought:

( لا تُصَاحِب إلا مؤمناً ولا يأكل طعامَك إلا تقي )<br>«Do not keep company with anyone except a believer, and let no one eat your food except a God-fearing person.» — Narrated by Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud; it is a hasan hadith.

Then he adds an important point: "The more afflicted by poverty and in need of sadaqah the poor person is, the greater and nobler the impact of the sadaqah will be!" And finally he reminds us that sadaqah is not limited to people: "There is reward in every living liver (creature)" — agreed upon, as a marfu' narration. So "if you feed even a needy animal with the intention of your patient's healing, then in sha Allah Ta'ala he will be healed."

Apply it today: Before giving sadaqah, take a little time to think: among your acquaintances, among your neighbors, or in your area, who is truly needy yet does not go around asking? Although finding such a person takes a little extra effort, according to the author this is where the impact of sadaqah becomes greatest, because the more intense the real need of a needy person, the greater the barakah of the help given to them. And if you cannot find such a person nearby, then feeding a hungry animal is also a valid and rewarding alternative. Do not think of sadaqah as limited to people. Giving food or water to hungry animals and birds around your home can also be done with the intention of the patient's healing, and it will be counted as sadaqah.

Step 6 — Have good expectations of Allah, the Healer

The last step is the most intimate — it is not an amal (practice) of the hands, but a state of the heart. The author writes: "Have good expectations of your Lord, the Merciful Healer, be firmly certain about Him, and believe that He will heal your patient." He cautions that when giving sadaqah (charity) there should be no doubtful attitude such as "let me test it and see"; rather, "be resolute, certain and trusting." In the author's own words, the guiding principle of this step is: "Allah treats His servant according to the servant's expectation of Him... as long as the servant has good expectations of Him, Allah will never abandon him." In this part the book does not bring in any separate hadith citation — it comes as the author's own explanation and advice, so we too are not adding any extra chain of narration or reference here, but following the book's own statement.

Apply it today: After giving sadaqah, do not become restless about the result, and do not keep doubt in your heart. Remind yourself at least once a day: "Allah is the Healer; He has surely kept something good for my patient," whether it comes quickly or late.

Follow all the steps together

These six steps are not separate optional suggestions; they complement one another. Give sadaqah from halal wealth, keep the intention of the patient's healing, be generous if you are able, give secretly with sincerity, seek out a truly needy person or animal, and finally have firm good expectations of Allah. These six things together, in the author's words, make sadaqah one that has a "deep impact." If one step is missed, the sadaqah does not become unacceptable to Allah, but the more of these six steps one can follow, the more fully the sadaqah will bring its complete barakah, as the author assures. From today, before giving your next sadaqah, remember these six steps once. Even this much awareness will make your sadaqah more meaningful, in sha Allah.

References

Qur'an

Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 267 — ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْفِقُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ...﴾ — the command to spend from halal wealth

Hadith

«إنما الأعمال بالنيات وإنما لكل امرئ مانوى» — «Indeed, all amal (practice) is according to intention...» — Narrated by Bukhari. (Original note mentioned in the book: in the Arabic text of the source, the two words "ما نوى" are printed joined together; this needs to be verified in the original copy — the Arabic text has been kept exactly as it is in the book.)
The generosity of the Prophet ﷺ — "as if he did not fear poverty at all" — narrated by Muslim. (The book does not quote a separate Arabic original for this part, only the narration in translation.)
The hadith of the seven people (the part on secret sadaqah) — «ورجل تصدق بصدقـة فأخفاها حتى لا تعلم يمينـه ما تنفق شماله» — «And a man who gives sadaqah so secretly that his right hand does not know what his left hand spends.» — Agreed upon. (The book's own note: the well-known wording of this hadith is «حتى لا تعلم شماله ما تنفق يمينه», that the left hand does not know what the right hand spends; in the original book right and left are printed reversed. It needs to be checked against the original copy. In this article the book's reading has been kept unaltered, and no final resolution of this debate over the wording in the science of hadith is claimed.)
«لا تُصَاحِب إلا مؤمناً ولا يأكل طعامَك إلا تقي» — «Do not keep company with anyone except a believer, and let no one eat your food except a God-fearing person.» — Narrated by Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud, a hasan hadith.
"There is reward in every living liver (creature)" — agreed upon (Muttafaqun Alayhi), as a marfu' narration. (The book does not quote the Arabic original of this part separately, only the narration in translation.)
Step six (having good expectations of Allah) — the book does not cite any separate hadith for this step; it comes as the author's own explanation and advice, so no additional chain of narration has been added here.

This article has been prepared on the basis of the discussion in the book «من عجائب العلاج بالصدقة». Author of the original book: a group of students of knowledge (compilation).