Mukhtasar Muslim

Sayyiduna Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The best dinar (gold coin) that a man spends is the one he spends on his family (because some of them are such that their maintenance is obligatory, like young children), and likewise the dinar which he spends on his animal in the way of Allah (i.e., in jihad), and the dinar which he spends on his companions in the way of Allah. Abu Qilabah said: (The Prophet) started with the family. Then Abu Qilabah said: Whose reward can be greater than the one who spends on his small children, or Allah, because of him, saves them from having to beg from others, or benefits them and makes them self-sufficient?

Sayyiduna Abu Mas’ud al-Badri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: When a Muslim spends on his family seeking reward for it, then it is charity for him.