Rewarded in All Cases
The Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “A man (from amongst the people before you) said: ‘Indeed! I will give in charity.’ So he took his Sadaqah out and (unknowingly) placed it in the hand of a thief. In the morning people talked (about this incident) and said: ‘Sadaqah was given to a thief last night.’ The man said: Allahumma lakal hamd – ‘O Allah! Praise be to You. I have given Sadaqah to a thief. Indeed, I will give in charity!’ So he took his Sadaqah out and he placed it (unknowingly) in a prostitute’s hand. In the morning people talked (about this incident) and said: ‘Sadaqah was given to a prostitute last night.’ On hearing this, the man said: Allahumma lakal hamd – ‘Praise be to You, O Allah! I gave Sadaqah to a prostitute. Indeed, I will give in charity!’ So he took his Sadaqah out and placed it in a rich man’s hand. In the morning people talked (about this incident) and said: ‘Sadaqah was given to a rich man last night.’ The man said: Allahumma lakal hamd – ‘O Allah! Praise be to You (for helping me) give charity to a thief, a prostitute and a rich man.’ Then he had a dream in which he was told that his Sadaqah to the thief might result in his refraining from his theft, his Sadaqah to the prostitute might help her abstain from her immorality, and his Sadaqah to the rich man might help him pay heed and spend from what Allah had bestowed upon him.”
[Sahih Bukhari]
What we learn from this hadith is that if the intention of the person giving something in charity is good, it will be accepted and rewarded by Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) even though it may have been given to an “undeserving” person. This shows Allah’s generosity towards us and His love for us. However, one should try to have one’s Sadaqah reach deserving, pious people.
- Door Locks in the Quran - February 25, 2022
- A Lesson in Cattle - February 25, 2022
- Why Abigail Converted to Islam – How a Spiritual Journey to Islam Began - January 2, 2022
