Mufti Menk – Boost – Should I Give Money as Charity
AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses the benefits of giving charity in the context of the current crisis, including a greater reward for the poor and a better chance for the poor. They also mention the limitations of giving voluntary donations in the context of the crisis and encourage people to give voluntary donations in order to benefit themselves and others. The speaker emphasizes the importance of providing necessary information and making a pillar of Islam to open doors for aid.
AI: Summary ©
My brothers and sisters, in Ramadan,
many people give out their charities.
The reason why they do it is because
coinciding it with Ramadan where the reward of
good deeds is multiplied
would actually mean that they're getting a greater
reward for the charity in Ramadan. So
it's a good thing. Now the zakat that
is calculated, many people have a cutoff date,
and then they calculate
what they have and 2 a half percent
of it. And it's it's a beautiful way
of calculating.
Should you give the cash or should you
give it in hampers or should you give
it in kind? What should you do? The
reality is whatever is known as
whatever is more beneficial for the poor person
is what you should try to give out.
There is permissibility to give it out in
cash. There is permissibility
to give it out in kind.
But if you want to know which is
better,
you need to look at what's better for
the poor person.
So if it is better, for example, to
give them the cash, then so be it.
But if it's better to give them the
hampers or the food that they want and
so on, then you'd rather do that. When
it comes to sadaqah fitr, it is best
to give the food item itself, that is
the sunnah of the prophet
There are some scholars who say that you
may give the money as well.
However, some people say it's prohibited to give
money. You must give it in kind. And
some say it's prohibited to give the,
you know, in kind, you must give the
cash. Both of those are actually not accurate.
The reason is you've got to do whatever
is beneficial for the poor person. Imagine
10 people giving someone zakat, and they give
them 10 big bags of rice.
What will this poor person do with 10
big bags of rice? He's going to sell
them. Perhaps he has other needs.
He might need clothing. He might need medication.
He might need something you don't know about.
He might have to pay a bill. He
might have something outstanding. So that's the reason
why we say, you've gotta look into whatever
is beneficial for the poor person. Thereafter, you
need to know that sometimes,
Ramadan.
And you can then deduct it from what
you have given in Ramadan
or your zakat amount. You are allowed to
give in advance,
and then you say, look. This is part
of my zakat because there is a need.
There is an urgent desperately need right now.
And that is why at times people say,
look, I know there is a need, but
I'm waiting for Ramadan because I want a
greater reward.
When there is a desperate need, Allah will
reward you even greater than you can imagine.
Because
to assist someone in desperate need is so
rewarding
beyond your imagination.
Allah will assist you at the time of
your need in this world
and in the hereafter.
So I thought I'd mention 1 or 2
of these points in order to encourage
the giving.
Also, remember when the zakat is given, it's
a small percentage that is Allah's. It is
the ownership of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But
over and above that, you must always give
that which is voluntary
over and above zakat. You give money from
your own. People call it, you know, for
the sake of Allah. I'm giving. You may
give anyone and everyone because zakat, you're only
allowed to give certain categories.
But when it comes to the charities that
are voluntary, you can give anyone. Anyone who
benefits from your wealth or the goodness that
Allah has given you.
That is something amazing. Imagine Allah has kept
a pillar of Islam
reaching out to those who are in need.
Imagine the benefit there must be in this.
There is actually, but I mean, for those
who want to look at it that way.
If there was no benefit in it, there
would never have been a pillar of Islam
giving, giving those who don't have.
So imagine if you were voluntarily
helping those who don't have, whatever it is
they don't have, think of
how good
your connection with Allah will become. He wants
you to care for people. So he's made
a pillar of Islam,
caring for others. May Allah Almighty grant us
goodness and open our doors, and may Allah
Almighty grant us the best of this world
and the next.