Sadaqah and Waqf: Types of Charity in Islam

Zakat is a required payment with a set rate and clear conditions. Sadaqah is voluntary. It can be any amount, for any good cause, at any time of the year.

Sadaqah is not limited to the eight groups that may receive zakat. Quran 3:134 praises those who spend in times of ease and in times of hardship, so even a small gift has value.

• Zakat is a duty and is paid once you meet the conditions.
• Sadaqah is a choice and is open to everyone, rich or poor.

Sadaqah does not replace zakat. It adds to it.

Sadaqah jariyah means ongoing charity. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught that when a person dies, their deeds end except three: ongoing charity, useful knowledge, and a righteous child who prays for them.

Waqf is an endowment. A person gives a property, and the property is kept, while its benefit is used for good purposes. Examples are a well, a school, a mosque or land whose income feeds the poor. Most scholars hold that a waqf cannot be sold, given away or inherited once it is made. Scholars have long counted waqf as one of the clearest examples of ongoing charity.

A waqf is usually managed by a trustee, who must use it only for the purpose that the giver stated. Over many centuries, Muslim communities built schools, hospitals and wells in this way.

A well known example is Umar ibn al-Khattab, who had land at Khaybar. The Prophet ﷺ told him, "If you wish, keep the land itself and give its produce as charity." Umar made it a charity that could not be sold, given away or inherited.

The Prophet ﷺ taught that every good deed is a form of sadaqah. A kind word is charity. A smile at your brother or sister is charity. Removing something harmful from the road is charity.

This means that people with little money can still give. Helping a neighbour or teaching something useful also counts.

The Prophet ﷺ also taught that the one who guides others to a good deed receives a reward like the reward of the one who does it.

Islam teaches care in how we give.

• Give in secret when you can. Quran 2:271 says that giving openly is good, but giving quietly to the poor is better. The Prophet ﷺ named the person who gives so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives among those whom Allah will shade on the Day of Judgement.
• Give to your family first. The Prophet ﷺ taught that charity to a poor person is charity, and charity to a relative is two things: charity and keeping family ties. He also said that the best charity is what is given from surplus, and that you should begin with those whom you support.
• Do not give with waste. Quran 17:26 and 17:27 warn against wasteful spending, so give with balance and wisdom.
• Do not hurt people with reminders of your gift. Quran 2:264 warns that this spoils the reward.

Quran 2:261 gives an example of a grain that grows seven ears, with a hundred grains in each ear. It means that Allah can multiply the reward for money spent in His way many times over.

The verse reminds us that giving does not make a person poorer in the sight of Allah. Give with a sincere heart, and trust His generosity.