Charity (sadaqah) is an honoured act of worship in Islam: standing by people in need and sharing part of one's wealth with the poor is a way to earn God's pleasure. Giving openly and giving in secret both have their place, but in many cases secret giving is described as better. A piece by Ittefaq's digital desk sets out four virtues of secret charity from the Quran and hadith.
The first is sincerity in worship. A deed done for people's praise or social standing loses its true purpose; Islamic terminology calls showing off in worship "riya". Verse 6 of Surah Al-Ma'un condemns those who do their deeds to be seen. When others do not know about a gift, the wish for God's pleasure takes the place of the wish for praise.
The second is the dignity of the person who receives. Many people in hardship do not want to reveal their need out of self-respect. Helping them in secret meets the need and protects their dignity. Verse 271 of Surah Al-Baqarah says that giving openly is good, but giving secretly to the poor is better still.
The third is that charity can be a means of forgiveness for sins. The piece cites a narration in Al-Mu'jam al-Saghir (hadith 1034) that secret charity cools God's anger, and a hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah (4210) in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire. It urges attention to such good deeds alongside sincere repentance and seeking forgiveness.
The fourth is shade under God's Throne on the Day of Judgement. In a hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari (1423), the Prophet said seven kinds of people will be shaded by God on the day when there is no shade but His, among them a person who gives charity so secretly that the left hand does not know what the right hand has given.
The piece's closing point is that the measure of charity should be God's pleasure and people's welfare. A habit of giving in secret, as far as one can afford, protects the dignity of those in need and keeps one's own worship sincere.
Source: Ittefaq
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