Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … Gentle speech is among the most magnificent acts of goodness, as Allah the Exalted has said: {اِدْفَعْ بِالَّتِیْ ھِیَ اَحْسَنُ} “Repel evil with that which is best.” (Surah al-Mu’minun: 96) And this method is sometimes adopted through action and sometimes through speech. Why has gentle speech been called charity (sadaqah)? The reason is that just as the heart of the recipient of charity is gladdened by wealth and his heart is cleansed regarding the giver, in exactly the same way are the results of gentle speech. One meaning of charity (sadaqah) that is prevalent among us is that which pertains to material things. The question arises: why are other general acts of goodness also called charity, as is evident from the ahadith of this chapter? Two answers can be given to this:

The first is that just as charity has reward and recompense, so too do other good deeds, because both are acts of obedience to Allah the Exalted. Therefore, due to this similarity, other good deeds are also called charity.

The second is that a person, through general acts of goodness, gives charity upon his own soul; for this reason, these are called charity.

Another explanation given for calling goodness charity is that charity (sadaqah) is derived from truthfulness (sidq), and every good deed is a sign of the truthfulness of a person’s heart. (Abdullah Rafiq)