Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
In the terminology of the Arabs, "manihah" refers to a milch she-camel or any such animal that is given to someone else as a gift for the purpose of drinking its milk.

There is a difference between manihah and charity (sadaqah).
Manihah pertains to the category of good dealings and maintaining ties of kinship, whereas the concept of charity is much broader.
Even every kind word has been called charity, as well as every appropriate and good manner of conduct.
In this respect, there is an absolute general-specific distinction between manihah and charity.
Every manihah is also a charity, but not every charity is a manihah.
So understand this.

The great hadith scholar, Hazrat Mawlana Abdur Rahman Mubarakpuri rahimahullah, states:
He said in al-Qamus: "Manaha" is like "mana‘a" and "daraba"—it means "he gave," and the noun is "minhah" with a kasrah. "He gave him the she-camel" means he gave him its wool, its milk, and its offspring, and this is the "minhah" and the "manihah." End quote.
Al-Hafiz said in al-Fath: "Al-manihah" with a nun and a neglected letter, on the pattern of "azimah," is originally a gift.
Abu Ubaydah said: "Al-manihah" among the Arabs is of two types: one is that a man gives his companion something as a tie of kinship, so it becomes his; the other is that he gives him a she-camel or a sheep so that he may benefit from its milking and its wool for a period, then returns it.
Al-Qazzaz said: It is said that "manihah" is only used for a she-camel or a sheep, but the first meaning is more well-known. End quote. (Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, vol. 3, p. 133)

In summary, the word "minhah" and "manihah" is originally used for a gift or donation.
Abu Ubaydah said that "manihah" among the Arabs is of two types:
➊ First, that someone gives his companion something as a tie of kinship, and it becomes his.
➋ Second, that someone gives another a she-camel or a goat on the condition that he may benefit from its milk and so on, and after a period, returns it.
Al-Qazzaz said that the word "manihah" is only used for the gift of a she-camel or a goat.
However, the first meaning is more famous and well-known.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
Maniha refers to a milk-giving animal that is lent to another person solely for the purpose of obtaining its milk. In the early period of Islam, one solution to economic difficulties was that a milk-producing animal would be lent to someone in need. The animal would remain the property of its original owner.
(2)
The prescribed (masnun) method is that once benefit has been derived from the borrowed animal, it should be returned to its original owner. In any case, this is also a form of gift (atiyyah), in which the benefit of something, rather than the thing itself, is granted to another. Accordingly, in another narration, such a gift has been referred to as charity (sadaqah), which indicates the virtue of this act.

Hadith Authentication:
[وأخرجه البخاري 2629، من حديث مالك به نحو المعنيٰ]

Jurisprudential Points:
➊ Giving something good and beloved in charity is a deed of great reward, just as Sayyiduna Abu Talhah radi Allahu anhu gave his favorite garden in the way of Allah. See: Al-Muwatta, Hadith: 116
➋ Giving gifts to one another according to one’s ability is a good deed and increases love.
➌ The word “charity” (sadaqah) has been used figuratively for giving gifts to one another. The meaning is that this act also brings reward, and it is permissible for every person to accept it.
➍ The milk of a she-camel and a goat is beneficial nourishment.

Benefit:
From this hadith, it is established that giving milch animals in charity is the most virtuous form of charity, so that people may benefit from their milk. When giving charity, one should always remember to give that which is more beneficial.