The Best Charity in Islam

Hazrat Abu Hurairah رضی اللہ عنہ says: A man called upon the Holy Prophet (Sallallhu alihi wassalm) and asked: Which item of charity is the best in reward? He said: That charity is the best which you give when you are in good health and at a time when there is love in your heart for wealth, you are afraid of poverty and are thinking about becoming rich and that wealth is not something to be squandered in this way, you are also feeling pain in spending money and that after giving money in charity you may become poor and face uncertain situations later on. The money spent in such a situation will be of great value and reward. Thereafter he said that if an urge arises for charity, it should be fulfilled at once.

There is a religious ruling (Injunction) that if a man draws up a will during his illness regarding the distribution of his wealth and dies in that illness, his Will, will be valid only to the one-third of the amount willed, the rest two-thirds will be shared by the legal heirs. It should be noted that the rights of the heirs become due for execution before death during the illness.

If a man plans that he will invest towards, the end of his life his money in some charitable work of perennial reward and recompense, he should know that such charity is charity under compulsion. Charity carrying perennial reward is that which is given during the period of good health when the giver himself needs the money, has love for it and is trying to save it for his own needs.

Set aside a portion of your income for charity.

I have already mentioned a tried method of doing this. If it is followed, man is enabled to practice charity, or else we have become used to postponing charitable work. Decide to set aside a convenient portion of your periodical income to be spent on charity in the name of Allah. When the income accrues to you, deduct and keep aside that portion in a separate envelope from period to period. That envelope will remind you to spend in charity the amount thus saved. Spend the amount on some right cause. This attracts blessings for this work otherwise man is always hesitating whether to spend - it or not on charity. The presence of the envelope with the savings in it will be a reminder and man will not fall victim to hesitation and neglect.