A Reminder About Giving Charity in Secret

[Reluctant]

Assalaamu aleykum, just good to remember.

If ye disclose (acts of) charity, even so it is well, but if ye conceal them, and make them reach those (really) in need, that is best for you: It will remove from you some of your (stains of) evil. And Allah is well acquainted with what ye do. 2:271

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Allah will give shade, to seven, on the Day when there will be no shade but His. (These seven persons are) a just ruler, a youth who has been brought up in the worship of Allah (i.e. worships Allah sincerely from childhood), a man whose heart is attached to the mosques (i.e. to pray the compulsory prayers in the mosque in congregation), two persons who love each other only for Allah's sake and they meet and part in Allah's cause only, a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for illicit intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah, a man who gives charitable gifts so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity), and a person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes are then flooded with tears." Sahih Bukhari Book #11, Hadith #629

Allah kareem. :inno:

[Superbia]

Thanks for the reminder, although I've always known about it. It just feels wrong to embarrass someone by giving them money in public. :(

[Reluctant]

Or even if you can help someone in any way, just keep it to yourself and be content that you and God know. No need to tell anyone else. Keep your intention pure and know that you helped them and only you and Allah know.

Oh, and it's, "I've always known about it," not knew. :)

[minerva]

i think that giving charity in secret is a good thing, and it's admirable. sometimes charities though, choose to advertise their causes and thank their donors publicly because it encourages others to give more. the intention is still pure. i remember we had a transplant patient at school, aged 6. she needed medical treatment in london and in switzerland. so we got the mum's permission and we advertised it majorly. the next day, we had the head of the police force with a huge check (he got all the cops to donate a little bit each) and we had a business man who had just made a deal coming in with a huge check. till today we don't know who he is. it was fantastic. the girl is still alive today. so i agree on the intention, but sometimes, letting others know what's going on spurs people to be generous.

[Reluctant]

Of course charity in all forms is good, I just chose to focus on this specific message--sometimes if you help someone and don't tell anyone else it can be very rewarding. The Qur'an supports all kinds of charity and doing good to others. In surah al-Baqara, the first surah after al-Fatihah, the start of the Qur'an, it says:

This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah. Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them; 2:2-3

Those who (in charity) spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. 2:247

Those who patiently persevere, seeking the countenance of their Lord; Establish regular prayers; spend, out of (the gifts) We have bestowed for their sustenance, secretly and openly; and turn off Evil with good: for such there is the final attainment of the (eternal) home,- 13:22

Speak to my servants who have believed, that they may establish regular prayers, and spend (in charity) out of the sustenance we have given them, secretly and openly, before the coming of a Day in which there will be neither mutual bargaining nor befriending. 14:31

Allah sets forth the Parable (of two men: one) a slave under the dominion of another; He has no power of any sort; and (the other) a man on whom We have bestowed goodly favours from Ourselves, and he spends thereof (freely), privately and publicly: are the two equal? (By no means; ) praise be to Allah. But most of them understand not. 16:75

Those who rehearse the Book of Allah, establish regular Prayer, and spend (in Charity) out of what We have provided for them, secretly and openly, hope for a commerce that will never fail: 35:29

[Pucca]

I remember reading this many years back
I remember crying ..its such a beautiful 7adeeeth.

Thanx Baa7ith.

[Amjad]

I think Muslims in North America seriously need this reminder, especially those in charge of the Islamic Centers.

This is something I blogged about before because it bothered me every time I went to ANY Masjid here in the US. Every Friday after Jum'aa prayers we have some people coming from other cities and other states for fund-raising for the Islamic Centers they want to build in their cities and states. Fine, no issue. They can let us know and then whoever wants to donate can go to them and donate. Well, that's not how they organize it. They literally stand up and ask someone to donate $10,000 or above. They keep nagging until someone stands up and says I will donate $10,000. After that, they go down to $5,000 or so. They keep nagging and asking for $5,000 until someone stands up and says I will donate $5,000. Then they go down to $2,000 or $1,000 and keep doing the same until they reach, lets say, $500. After they collect the "big" donations, they distribute envelopes to everyone for their "small" donations.

It gets very irritating, especially when it's done BEFORE performing the prayer. We go to the Masjid to pray, not for fund-raising!

This issue really bothers me a lot and I have e-mailed one of the big Islamic Centers here in Texas and told them that this is wrong. Kindly, they replied back to my e-mail and told me that you do have a point, but this is done in order to encourage other people to donate. While I appreciate their response, I definitely disagreed with it.

This keeps going on literally every Friday. Just today, I know three people who donated $5,000 for an Islamic Center & School to be built in Dallas. Their donation was done in public in front of everyone. That's just WRONG.

[Reluctant]

Amjad did you happen to be at a khutbah in Texas today? :os Wallahi the entire khutbah was about getting the congregation to finance the building of a new mosque. It mixed in some hadiths about charity, but it was only for the ends of this new mosque. At the end it was like an auction! The imam was calling into the microphone, "If anyone can give $10,000 raise their hands and come up...okay now the $5,000 brothers...come on I know you all have the money." :os Seriously the exact same thing you are saying. During the khutbah he was basically saying that if you have the means to give money and donate then it's the sunnah to do so. :-/ Someone had to ask him during this is there any place we can give it in secret so people don't see us? It was the strangest khutbah I've ever been to, and during Ramadan too. :( I really hoped that this Friday prayer would focus on spiritual matters, especially with the last 10 days of Ramadan and lailatul qadr coming. :( It's too bad...I didn't know this was widespread.

[Amjad]

Amjad did you happen to be at a khutbah in Texas today? :os Wallahi the entire khutbah was about getting the congregation to finance the building of a new mosque. It mixed in some hadiths about charity, but it was only for the ends of this new mosque. At the end it was like an auction! The imam was calling into the microphone, "If anyone can give $10,000 raise their hands and come up...okay now the $5,000 brothers...come on I know you all have the money." :os Seriously the exact same thing you are saying. During the khutbah he was basically saying that if you have the means to give money and donate then it's the sunnah to do so. :-/ Someone had to ask him during this is there any place we can give it in secret so people don't see us? It was the strangest khutbah I've ever been to, and during Ramadan too. :( I really hoped that this Friday prayer would focus on spiritual matters, especially with the last 10 days of Ramadan and lailatul qadr coming. :( It's too bad...I didn't know this was widespread.
Every single Friday this scenario keeps repeating itself in the Masjid I go to, and some other Masjids I visit when I go to Dallas.

I literally got sick of it.

[Reluctant]

But, that's not why I posted this topic. Actually, it's weird, I wasn't even thinking about this when I posted this. You reminded me. :P