- The Islamic Shari’a encourages the act of Sadaqah “Voluntary Charity” and urges spending money in all ways of charity and aspects of goodness. Allah Almighty says: “O you who believe, expend of what We have provided you” [Q. 2:254], “and whatever thing you may expend, He will replace it” [Q. 34:39]. Sadaqah can be a sum of money or any other form of charity and goodness, as Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said: “Every good deed is charity” [Narrated by: al-Bukhari]
- There are two types of financial Sadaqah (charity): non-ongoing Sadaqah and ongoing Sadaqah (Jariyah).
- Non-ongoing Sadaqah: it is the money given to the poor to benefit from it; yet, that amount of money is not preserved in an asset. This kind of Sadaqah could include money, clothes, or a sum of money to spend in the manner whatever the benefiter likes.
- Ongoing Sadaqah (Jariyah): it means that an amount of money is preserved in a single asset, from which its profits are provided to those in need. Such Sadaqah could be in the form of building mosques, hospitals, and educational entities and spending on their students, turning crops into endowments, or directing the profits of any commercial activity to serve a certain charitable body.
- Ongoing Sadaqah (Jariyah) is of greater reward since that reward is renewed every time people benefit from that Sadaqah; Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said: “When a man dies, his deeds come to an end, except for three: A continuous charity, knowledge by which people derive benefit, a pious son who prays for him” [Narrated by: Muslim]
