“Sadaqah”, the Islamic term for “charity” (this is different from “zakaat”, the “poor-due” which is mandatory), is derived from the root “sidq”, which means “truthfulness”. This is interesting, because it sheds light on the fact that human beings are inherently materialistic and the act of giving is a test of one’s veracity, one’s sincerity to God. I don’t know if this has happened to a lot of you out there, but I was going over some of the things I have given away and was surprised to see a sort of pattern emerge. It turns out that if I gave away “small” things, things that barely required time, effort, money, energy, or resources, things were fine. But the few times I have given away major things (either by way of money or time) to help other people or causes, those were the times when I was actually faced with some tests related to them. Mostly they had to do with bad reception, ingratitude, or ill-treatment by the very people who were the recipients (either for themselves or on behalf of other causes/organizations etc.). Not to say that bad behavior on their part is justified (”Whoever does not thank the people do not thank Allah”), but it dawned on me that what had started with a good intention (to help others or a cause for the sake of Allah) had ended up being a question mark. It was as if after the fact, Allah asked, “Did you really do that for My Sake? Let’s see!” And sad to say, I didn’t always feel or act the way I should have - I did get hurt or shocked etc. when in reality, none of that should have ever mattered.

Actually, Suratul Baqarah has entire passages devoted to this phenomenon and the following is just a PORTION of the whole section on the topic. However, I wanted to focus on a particularly beautiful analogy Allah gives:

“The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the Way of God is as the likeness of a grain of corn; it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Thus God gives manifold increase to whom He pleases. And Allah is Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower.”

So first of all, a person who spends for the Sake of Allah actually only gives something very small - a grain or a seed. It is Allah who blesses it and brings from it good.

“Those who spend their wealth in the Cause of God, and do not follow up their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with injury, their reward is with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”

Notice how Allah mentions the trap right here - that we might feel proud of what we gave or feel others owe us. So He qualifies the statement, saying the ones who receive bliss are only those who do not have any reservations about what they gave. And if you think about it, if you have experienced this feeling or seen it in others (lol things always look worse on others, don’t they) then you know that situation is anything but tranquil - rather the person who gives with reminders and injury feels uneasy or even regretful at the outcome.

“Kind words and forgiving of faults are better than charity followed by injury. And Allah is Free of Want and He is Most-Forbearing.”

So Allah reminds you of that which is better - that even a few kind words or overlooking the faults of others is better than that “great” act of charity you did which did not lead to contentment in your heart. You may as well have saved your money or time! And lastly, see how Allah points out that He is “Ghaniyy” - “Rich” is a common translation, but “Free of Want” is closer to the absolute independence Allah has from anything you might give “for” or “to” Him. In reality, if you help Allah’s Cause, you are helping yourself.

“O you who believe! Do not render in vain your charity by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men, and he does not believe in God, nor in the Last Day. His likeness is the likeness of a smooth rock on which is a little dust; on it falls heavy rain which leaves it bare. They are not able to do anything with what they have earned. And God does not guide the disbelieving people.”

In this Verse Allah warns you not to cancel out what you give and debases the low character of those who only give to gain fame or good repute. The likeness (and if you haven’t noticed all the analogies to giving tied to planting seeds, growth, multiplying, etc.) of one who does so is like a rock - the foundation of it is not equipped to bear fruit. The heavy rain is like the attention and praise of the people which fell on it, yet it resulted in nothing in the long term (and of course, in the Hereafter). So after all that rain, there was still nothing produced. (Subhaanallaah! I am amazed at the beautiful analogies Allah puts forth in the Quran - they are so perfect!) And finally he mentions “disbelieving” people. It is interesting to note that the word “kufr”, which means “disbelief” or more accurately “rejection of the Truth”, is in fact related to ingratitude! And here, the gratitude comes again from the realization that it is Allah who blesses something and the act we put forth is hardly anything.

“And the likeness of those who spend their wealth seeking God’s Pleasure while they in their ownselves are sure and certain that God will reward them, is the likeness of a garden on a height; heavy rain falls on it and it doubles its yield of harvest. And if it does not receive heavy rain, light rain suffices it. And God is All-Seer of what you do.”

And now the opposite analogy - those who spend with the right intention (Allah alone), having certainty He will reward them. Why? Because as we all know, our actions are actually based on our intentions. We might want to do a great act, but physical realities may prevent it from coming true - yet we still get rewarded for the intention behind it. So a person who gives for a good cause, the minute they intend to do it (and intention is not the lazy, wishful, delusional belief that we are all great people, but the actual effort to do it), they have already accomplished their part. After that, is up to Allah if it comes to fruition or not.

So their likeness is as a garden, an already fertile setting (the heart that is purely intentioned, which bears all good) set upon a height. The height only adds to its fertility, for it can easily receive sunlight and rain. “Heavy rain” falls on it, and again this is like the praise or love of the people. If you understood from all this that all acts of charity go unnoticed by others, that is not true. Sometimes it is recommended to give publicly (for example at a fundraiser to incite others to give as well) but generally it is not something that is actively sought, for again it can cloud the original intention. So IF heavy rain falls on such a pure heart, “it doubles its yield”, which means not only did the person have the blessing of having their charity accepted, they gave and received in return. And YET, it does not receive the “heavy rain”, the notice of the people, it suffices. So what a beautiful situation for the pure of heart! And Allah finishes by reminding you that He sees you, whether anyone else does or not.

“Would any of you wish to have a garden with date-palms and vines, with rivers flowing underneath, and all kinds of fruits for him therein, while he is striken with old age, and his children are weak, and it is struck with a fiery whirlwind, so that it is burnt? Thus does God make clear His Verses to you that you may give thought.”

And finally, Allah makes an analogy of basically what I began this paper with - the tests and trials that can strip you of your acts of charity. He asks us how we would like it if we had a lush garden, and then after a while, everything sort of deteriorates and we can’t hold onto it any more, the final result being destruction. This is a particularly powerful analogy since it serves a sort of dual purpose. Not only does it warn of the “after-effects” of charity, you know, when you are happy with what you did and think everything’s good - and then it starts becoming shady and going in a direction you didn’t anticipate. But it also serves as an analogy for life in general. How many of us have “great” lives, everything beautiful and shiny, but is spiritually devoid and only ends in the Hellfire?

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that “sadaqah” is indeed a test of truthfulness. I am not really a “materialistic” person, and never was, so I felt this would be an “easy” area. But that’s exactly when Allah tests your sincerity and asks, “Did you really do that for Me?” So I have to say it was a learning experience for me - as I did not expect it lol. If you ever experience this, here are some things that may help you salvage your acts of devotion:

- Before you give, remind yourself you are only giving for Allah, no matter what the outcome (try even to imagine the worst thing happens to you as a result - would you still give?)

- When you give, it is better to do it secretly (although allowed to do it openly) - recall the hadeeth of one of the “7″ who receive shade on the Day of Judgment, one who gave so secretly his left hand did not know what the right gave

- After you give, remember it is now with Allah and if you feel bad intentions coming in, then combat them - seek refuge from the whispers of Shaitaan, who is trying to void your deeds, keep affirming to Allah your sincerity, and if you are tested with the results of what you gave, then take active steps to come to peace with it (for example, forgive those who slight or wrong you, pray for them, etc.) but mostly keep asking for forgiveness for this weakness and repent to Allah, asking for strength to be a better person, one who is above such pettiness

I pray Allah helps us all in becoming “truthful”. In closing, I will quote one of my favorite Verses of the Quran, which reminds us that if things were easy, they wouldn’t be worth much!

Never shall you attain piety until you spend of that which you love. And whatsoever you spend, then indeed God Knows it.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 18th, 2008 at 3:38 pm and is filed under Islam. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.