Written by: Engr. Nazir Malik, Former Operations Engineer, KANUP, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission✦ Charity Does Not Decrease Wealth
Indeed, giving charity does not decrease wealth; rather, Allah ﷻ blesses it with barakah (increase), mercy, and growth. This may manifest either in quantity or quality, such as an increase in income or the opening of new means of provision.
Charity is not restricted to obligatory alms like Zakāh; even a smile is a form of charity, and a continuous charity (Ṣadaqah Jāriyah) — such as digging a well — continues to benefit a person even after death.
✦ Blessings of Charity
✔ Barakah in Wealth: Charity never diminishes wealth; Allah ﷻ places barakah in it.
✔ Forgiveness of Sins: Charity erases sins just as water extinguishes fire.
✔ Relief from Hardships: Charity serves as a shield from calamities and difficulties.
✔ Attaining the Pleasure of Allah: Charity is a means of earning Allah’s pleasure.
✔ Increase in Wealth: Charity leads to increase, either in provision or in barakah.
✦ Types of Charity
❀ Obligatory Charity: Such as Zakāh, which is obligatory upon every sāḥib al-niṣāb.
❀ Voluntary Charity: Acts such as helping someone, smiling, etc.
❀ Ongoing Charity (Ṣadaqah Jāriyah): Acts that continue to benefit even after death — like building a school, mosque, or digging a well.
✿ 40 Acts of Charity That Cost Nothing
These actions earn immense rewards, even without additional financial expenditure:
① Refraining from harming others is charity.
Reference: Bukhārī: 2518
② Guiding a blind person is charity.
Reference: Ibn Ḥibbān: 3368
③ Speaking louder for a hearing-impaired person is charity.
Reference: Ibn Ḥibbān: 3368
④ Communicating effectively with a mute person is charity.
Reference: Ibn Ḥibbān: 3377
⑤ Helping a weak individual is charity.
Reference: Ibn Ḥibbān: 3377
⑥ Removing a stone, thorn, or bone from the path is charity.
Reference: Muslim: 1007
⑦ Rushing to help someone in distress is charity.
Reference: Ibn Ḥibbān: 3377
⑧ Giving water to your brother from your bucket is charity.
Reference: Tirmidhī: 1956
⑨ Guiding a lost person is charity.
Reference: Tirmidhī: 1956
⑩ Saying “Lā ilāha illallāh” is charity.
Reference: Muslim: 1007
⑪ Saying “Subḥānallāh” is charity.
Reference: Muslim: 1007
⑫ Saying “Alḥamdulillāh” is charity.
Reference: Muslim: 1007
⑬ Saying “Allāhu Akbar” is charity.
Reference: Muslim: 1007
⑭ Saying “Astaghfirullāh” is charity.
Reference: Muslim: 1007
⑮ Enjoining good is charity.
Reference: Muslim: 1007
⑯ Forbidding evil is charity.
Reference: Muslim: 1007
⑰ Spending on one’s family with the intention of reward is charity.
Reference: Bukhārī: 55
⑱ Reconciling between two people is charity.
Reference: Bukhārī: 2518
⑲ Helping someone mount his ride or lifting his belongings onto it is charity.
Reference: Bukhārī: 2518
⑳ Speaking a good word is charity.
Reference: Bukhārī: 2589
㉑ Every step towards prayer is charity.
Reference: Bukhārī: 2518
㉒ Removing harmful objects from the road is charity.
Reference: Bukhārī: 2518
㉓ Feeding oneself is charity.
Reference: Al-Nasā’ī al-Kubrā: 9185
㉔ Feeding one’s son is charity.
Reference: Al-Nasā’ī al-Kubrā: 9185
㉕ Feeding one’s wife is charity.
Reference: Al-Nasā’ī al-Kubrā: 9185
㉖ Feeding one’s servant is charity.
Reference: Al-Nasā’ī al-Kubrā: 9185
㉗ Helping a needy or distressed person is charity.
Reference: Al-Nasā’ī: 253
㉘ Meeting your brother with a smile is charity.
Reference: Tirmidhī: 1963
㉙ Giving a sip of water is charity.
Reference: Abū Yaʿlā: 2434
㉚ Helping your brother in his task is charity.
Reference: Abū Yaʿlā: 2434
㉛ Greeting someone with Salām is charity.
Reference: Abū Dāwūd: 5243
㉜ Reconciling between people is charity.
Reference: Bukhārī – Tārīkh: 3/259
㉝ Anything eaten from your tree or field is charity.
Reference: Muslim: 1553
㉞ Feeding a hungry person is charity.
Reference: Bayhaqī – Shuʿab al-Īmān: 3367
㉟ Providing water is charity.
Reference: Bayhaqī – Shuʿab al-Īmān: 3368
㊱ Giving a loan twice is equivalent to one act of charity.
Reference: Ibn Mājah: 3430
㊲ Allowing someone to ride with you is charity.
Reference: Muslim: 1009
㊳ Guiding someone in a land of misguidance is charity.
Reference: Tirmidhī: 1963
㊴ Helping someone in need is charity.
Reference: Ibn Ḥibbān: 3368
㊵ Teaching a fellow Muslim what you have learned is charity.
Reference: Ibn Mājah: 243
