Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … When the repentance of Sayyiduna Ka‘b ibn Malik radi Allahu anhu was accepted, he too expressed the intention to give all his wealth in charity, but the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam encouraged him to reduce the amount. Then, it was settled that he would give one third of his wealth in charity. (See: Bukhari: 4418, Muslim: 2769, Abu Dawud: 3321) In one’s lifetime, it is permissible to give half, two-thirds, or even all of one’s wealth in charity; what is necessary is that the ruler or his responsible official who receives the charity should be wise, prudent, and farsighted. He should understand what kind of temperament this person has, why he has become willing to give such a large amount in charity, what apparent outcome this will have for him, how his expenses will be met afterwards, how many and which people he is responsible for supporting. Taking these matters into consideration, the ruler himself can decide on an appropriate amount.

The one spending wealth should take his heirs into consideration. The Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “It is better for you to leave your heirs wealthy than to leave them in such a state that they are destitute and poor, and they stretch out their hands before people.” (Bukhari: 2742, Muslim: 1628)

He also said: “The best charity is that after which a person still has wealth remaining.” (Bukhari: 1426)

The one receiving the charity should also give good advice to the one spending wealth, keeping his circumstances in view, as the esteemed brother, the author of the benefits, has written further on. Some deduce from the incident of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu (Tirmidhi: 3675) the permissibility of spending all one’s wealth, but in that case, he presented all the wealth present in his house, not all his property including the house itself. Therefore, there is no evidence for spending all one’s wealth, and one should avoid this. (Abdullah Rafiq)