Abu Mas'ud Radhiallaho anho says, "Whenever Rasulullah Sallallaho alaihe wasallam advised us to give Sadaqah, and some of us possessed nothing, they used to go to the market, work as porters and get a 'Mudd' (a measure of grain) of dates and then give it away as Sadaqah". (Bukhari)
During the time of the Prophet (SAW)*, the Sahabah Radhiallahu anhum would go out of their way to fulfill the commandments of Allah and His Rasool (SAW). They had no money or food to feed themselves, yet they worked and gave all their earnings in the path of Allah (SWT)*. Not only would they act upon what the Prophet (SAW) advised, but they would do it with great passion and zeal, having complete faith in what Allah (SWT) has promised them. But nowadays, we look at Zakat as a tax and it is something we grudgingly give. And we see Sadaqah as something that decreases our wealth. We do exact calculations, making sure that we don’t accidently over-give and charity is the last thing on our checklist. This is all because we are not able to see what it really is: Zakat and giving Sadaqah is just wealth that we have deposited in the Treasury of Allah! Allah (SWT) says, "O man, let your treasured wealth flow unto me; for then it will be safe against fire, nor will it be stolen, nor swept away by the water, and I shall return it to you at a time when you will be extremely needy." (Targheeb) We are quick to store our money in banks with trust that it will be there when we really need it. But why do we question the bank of Allah? Will He not return everything we’ve spent for His sake, in tenfold? Let us all strive to be like the Sahabah Radhiallahu anhum, who knew with firm belief that if they gave something away, it would return to them in abundance through the blessings of Allah.
*(SAW) Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam *(SWT) Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
