Donations at the end of Ramadan

Pay your Fitrana to Karimia Institute to support Islamic learning

Generosity is a fundamental characteristic of a Muslim, we spend on the needy and poor to earn the Lord’s Grace and Pleasure all the time, this is multiplied at the end of Ramadan. Allah says; “You cannot achieve real good until you spend which you love” (Ale-Imran: 92).  We should be giving donations all the time but in Ramadan even more. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, the ‘Mother of believers’, reported that “the Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most generous person but in Ramadan, he became even more generous and gave whatever he had.”

It is an obligation to pay a fixed, minimum amount of money to the needy. This is called Sadaqat-ul Fitr. Its amount is explained in the following Hadith: Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to pay Zakat ul Fitr of either one sa‘ (1.1kg) of Dates or one sa‘ of Barley for every member of our family, old and young alike” (Bukhari). The current value of one sa of date is around £5. The head of the household has to pay this amount for each dependant member of his household even for the child born on that day. It should be paid as early as possible in Ramadan so that the needy can also prepare for their Eid. In our rich country, we take most things for granted, we cannot imagine that many Muslim families in Kashmir and Pakistan will not even have a two-course meal, let alone a new pair of Shalwar Kameez.

In the luxury of our homes, we seldom remember the orphans, the sick, the widows and the ailing elderly. By imposing Zakat ul-Fitr the blessed Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, wants us to share our wealth with those deprived people so they too can celebrate and rejoice too.

This donation also has a spiritual significance, which should not be overlooked and that is a way for making up for our shortcomings and errors in the observation of the fast. So by spending money we seek Allah’s forgiveness for the omissions. Shah Waliallah explains the benefits of this charity in the following words; “Eid is the day of rejoicing and the occasion to display the strength of the Muslims as everyone congregates for the Eid assembly; the Sadaqat ul Fitr promotes this cause as well as perfecting the fast” (Hujjat ul al Baligha).

More about the virtues of spending in Allah’s way

Anas bin Malik tells the moving story of Abu Talhah, may Allah be pleased with them both. Abu Talhah had a large orchard of palm trees in Madina called Bairha. The beloved Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, visited it quite frequently. When the verse “You cannot achieve real good until you spend that which you love” was revealed, Abu Talhah went to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and said:

“O Messenger, Allah has revealed that “You cannot achieve real good until you spend that which you love” and I love my orchard Bairha the most. I want to donate it in order to see Allah’s reward and pleasure. The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, was very pleased and said: “I’ve heard what you’ve said, go and distribute it amongst your close relatives.”  Abu Talhah went away and distributed it amongst his cousins.” (Bukhari)

Spending on one’s family and the needy

Abu Abdullah bin Thauban, may Allah be pleased with him says the beloved Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him said, “The best dinar is the one spent on one’s family and the one spent on one’s means of transport and the one spent on one’s friends in Allah’s path”(Muslim).

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him once asked, “Shall I not tell you who deserves to enter paradise? All those who are weak and needy, if they were to swear by Allah, Allah would grant them their needs” (Bukhari).

Sahl bin Saad, may Allah be pleased with him says the blessed Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “I and the sponsor and guardian of an orphan will be like this in paradise” and he indicated with his index and middle finger (Bukhari).

What will I get for my donations?

Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him says the beloved Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him said, he “The person who sponsors the needy and widows will be like the one who does jihad in the path of Allah.” (Bukhari).

In another hadith Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, reported him as saying, “Seek one among the weak people, it is because of them that you earn victory and sustenance” (Abu Dawud).