Have You Taken Advantage of the Best Time to Give Charity?
1. Charity is a daily duty
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “When you get up in the morning, charity is due from every one of your joints. There is charity in every ascription of glory to Allah; there is charity in every declaration of His Greatness; there is charity in every utterance of praise of Him; there is charity in every declaration that He is the only true God (worthy of worship); there is charity in enjoining good; there is charity in forbidding evil. Two Rak’ah of Duha (Forenoon prayer) is equal to all this (in reward)” [Muslim].
Part of charity is to make it a daily habit to be in the constant glorification of Allah, and focusing on Him. This shows that charity is not limited to financial contributions only, but it is part of the daily mindset of the Muslim.
2. Have a Spirit of Sacrifice
Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah , the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous (2:177).
Part of having righteous character is to instill a sense of sacrifice and helping those in need. It is not just to give what is leftover, but to sacrifice from what you love and prefer others over yourself.
3. Allah Multiplies The Reward of Charity
The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed [of grain] which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies [His reward] for whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing (2:261).
This is a bounty from the mercy of Allah. The more that a person sacrifices and gives, the more that He showers them with blessings. This can be blessings in the sense of good deeds, and it can even mean in actual return of material wealth.
4. The Time is Now
“Which charity is best?” He (pbuh) said: “Charity in Ramadan” (Tirmidhi).
