Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘The earth on the Day of Resurrection will be scorching, except for the shadow of a believer, for verily his charity will serve him as shade.
Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘Everyone will only have recourse to the shade provided by charity they had given until their affairs are judged [by Allah].’
Reference:[Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, v. 6, p. 258, no. 17 ]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘Verily Allah, Blessed and most High, says, ‘In My stead, I have entrusted every single thing to the one who grasps it, except for charity, for verily I immediately seize that up in My Hand.
Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘Give charity, and cure your sick ones through the giving of charity, for verily charity repels accidents and illnesses, and is a source of increase in your life spans and your good deeds.
Reference:’[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 96, p. 134, no. 68]
Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘Verily every single Muslim is to give in charity every single day.’ When asked who would be capable of such a thing, he replied, ‘Your removal of an obstacle from the road is a charitable act; your guiding someone the way is a charitable act; your visiting the sick is a charitable act; your enjoinment of good to others is a charitable act; your forbidding others from wrongdoing is a charitable act, and your returning the greeting of peace is a charitable act.’[Ibid. v. 75, p. 50, no. 4]
Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘The best form of charity is charity with one’s tongue through which lives are spared, adversities repelled, and benefits attracted towards one’s Muslim brother.’
Description: The Prophet (S) when asked about the best act of charity, replied, ‘[It is the act of charity] towards a kin against whom one harbours secret enmity.’
رسولُ اللّٰهِ (صَلَّيَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) ـ لَمّا سُئلَ عن أفضَلِ الصَّدَقةِ ـ: علي ذِي الرَّحِمِ الكاشِحِ .
Reference:[Thawab al-A’amal, p. 171, no. 18]
Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘The best form of charity is to shade someone under one’s tent for the sake of Allah.
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘Among the best means by which those who seek nearness to Allah may have recourse to His nearness, Blessed and most High, are: faith in Him and in His messenger …, giving charity secretly for verily it atones for one’s misdeeds, and giving charity openly for verily it protects against an undignified death.
Description: Imam al-Baqir (a.s.) said, describing his father Imam Zayn al-Abidin (a.s.), ‘He used to go out in the dark night carrying a sack on his back and going from door to door, knocking on each and giving to whoever came out to answer it. He used to cover his face when giving to the poor in order that they may not recognise him
الإمامُ الباقرُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في الإمامِ زينِ العابِدِينَ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ: إنّهُ كانَ يَخرُجُ في اللَّيلةِ الظَّلماءِ، فَيَحمِلُ الجِرابَ علي ظَهرِهِ حتّي يَأتِيَ باباً باباً، فَيَقرَعَهُ ثمّ يُناوِلَ مَن كانَ يَخرُجُ إلَيهِ، وكانَ يُغَطِّي وَجهَهُ إذا ناوَلَ فَقيراً لِئلاّ يَعرِفَهُ.
Reference:.’[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 46, p. 89, no. 77]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘Do not give charity openly for people to see and commend you for it, for verily when you do that, you have already received your reward for it [in their commendation]. However, if you give with your right hand such that your left hand does not come to know it, then the One for whose sake you have secretly given charity will surely reward you for it openly.
الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): لا تَتَصَدَّقْ علي أعيُنِ الناسِ لِيُزَكُّوكَ؛ فإنّكَ إن فَعَلتَ ذلكَ فَقَدِ استَوفَيتَ أجرَكَ، ولكنْ إذا أعطَيتَ بِيَمِينِكَ فلا تُطلِعْ علَيها شِمالَكَ؛ فإنَّ الذي تَتَصَدَّقُ لَهُ سِرّاً يَجزِيكَ عَلانِيَةً.
Reference:[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 78, p. 284, no. 1]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘By Allah, charity given secretly is better than charity given openly, just as, by Allah, worship performed secretly is better than worship performed openly.’
الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): الصَّدَقةُ واللّهِ في السِّرِّ أفضَلُ مِنَ الصَّدَقةِ في العَلانِيَةِ، وكذلكَ واللّهِ العِبادَةُ في السِّرِّ أفضَلُ مِنها في العَلانِيَةِ.
Reference:[al-Kafi, v. 4, p. 8, no. 2]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘Verily charity given at night [i.e. secretly in the dark of the night] extinguishes the wrath of the Lord, wipes away grave sins and facilitates one’s account [on the Day of Resurrection]. Charity given during the day [in broad daylight] makes one’s wealth thrive and increases one’s lifespan.’
Description: Imam al-Kazim (a.s.) said, ‘Do not give away of yourself to your brothers so much that the loss incurred by you supercedes the benefit to them.’
الإمامُ الكاظمُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): لا تَبذُلْ لإِخوانِكَ مِن نفسِكَ ما ضَرُّهُ علَيكَ أكثَرُ مِن مَنفَعَتِهِ لَهُم.
Reference:[al-Kafi, v. 4, p. 33, no. 2]
Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘The one who is truly poor does not roam around the streets begging, nor can he be turned away with a date or two, or a bite or two. Rather the one who is truly poor is he who restrains himself from asking people and who does not draw attention to himself – that is the one that should be given charity.
رسولُ اللّٰهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): ليسَ المِسكينُ بالطَّوّافِ، ولا بِالذي تَرُدُّهُ التَّمرَةُ والتَّمرَتانِ، واللُّقمَةُ واللُّقمَتانِ، ولكنَّ المِسكينَ المُتَعَفِّفُ الذي لا يَسألُ الناسَ شيئاً ولا يُفطَنُ لَهُ فَيُتَصَدَّقُ علَيهِ.
Reference:’[Kanz al-’Ummal, no. 16552]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) was once asked whether one should give charity to those who beg at people’s doors, or whether to withhold it from them and give it to one’s poor relatives instead, to which he replied, ‘No, rather one should send it to a [poor] relative, for that holds a greater reward.
الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ لمّا سُـئلَ عنِ الصَّدَقةِ علي مَن يَسألُ علي الأبوابِ، أو يُمسِكُ ذلكَ عَنهُم ويُعطِيهِ ذَوِي قَرابَتِهِ ؟ ـ: لا، بل يَبعَثُ بها إلي مَن بينَهُ وبينَهُ قَرابَةٌ، فهذا أعظَمُ لِلأجرِ.
Reference:’[Thawab al-A’amal, p. 171, no. 20]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said with regards to Allah’s verse in the Qur’an: “…the beggar and the deprived”, ‘The deprived is the disabled one who is deprived of the use of his hands for working in trade.
الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ أيضا ـ: المَحرومُ المُحارَفُ الذي قد حُرِمَ كَدَّ يَدِهِ في الشِّراءِ والبَيعِ .
Reference:’[al-Kafi, v. 3, p. 500, no. 12]
Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘Give in charity without conceitedness, for verily conceitedness does away with your reward [for it].’