Do charity through Zakah or Sadaqah

 
Charity is not just recommended by Islam, it is required of every financially stable Muslim. Giving charity to those who deserve it is part of Muslim character and one of the Five Pillars of Islamic practice.
Zakat is viewed as "compulsory charity"; it is an obligation for those who have received their wealth from God to respond to those members of the community in need. Devoid of sentiments of universal love, some people know only to hoard wealth and to add to it by lending it out on interest. 
Islam's teachings are the very antithesis of this attitude. Islam encourages the sharing of wealth with others and helps people to stand on their own and become productive members of the society.
Zakat which literally means "purification", because zakat is considered to purify one's heart of greed. Love of wealth is natural and it takes firm belief in God for a person to part with some of his wealth. 
Zakat must be paid on different categories of property - gold, silver, money; livestock; agricultural produce; and business commodities - and is payable each year after one year's possession. It requires an annual contribution of 2.5 per cent of an individual's wealth and assets.
Like prayer, which is both an individual and communal responsibility, zakat expresses a Muslim's worship of and thanksgiving to God by supporting those in need. In Islam, the true owner of things is not the man, but God. Acquisition of wealth for its own sake, or so that it may increase a man's worth, is condemned. Mere acquisition of wealth counts for nothing in the sight of God. It does not give the man any merit in this life or in the hereafter.
Islam teaches that people should acquire wealth with the intention of spending it on their own needs and the needs of others. The spirit of kindness and well wishing is the essence of charity. The giver is not to expect any reward from the beneficiary as there awaits for him an abundant reward from God -material, moral and spiritual - what God deems it best to confer on His servant. 
Charity should be lawfully earned or acquired by the giver. It should include such things as are of use and value to others.
"Charity is for those in need." This is a general principle which enjoins us to help people in need, be they good or bad, on the right path or not, Muslims or non-Muslims. No one should judge in these matters. The foremost ends in charity should be God's pleasure and our own spiritual good. The concept of charity in Islam is thus linked with justice. It is not limited to the redressal of grievances. It implies apart from the removal of handicaps, the recognition of the right that every human being has to attain the fullness of life.
There are two forms of charity in Islam - obligatory and voluntary, called Zakah and Sadaqah respectively.
The concept of charity appears in most of the world's religions. The Islamic tradition has rigid laws associated with it. Thus the definition of charity in Islamic tradition differs somewhat from its interpretation in other contexts.
The Qur'an states: 'And be steadfast in your prayer and pay charity; whatever good you send forth for your future, you shall find it with Allah, for Allah is well aware of what you do' (2:110). Charity is central to a Muslim's life.
The best charity is to satisfy a hungry person, said Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He also said "No wealth (of a servant of Allah) is decreased because of charity." (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2247). 
Zakah in spirit is an act of worship while in its external form it is the carrying out of social service. It is thus not just the payment of a tax as it is generally understood but is rather an act of religious significance.
Sadaqah is also a means of moral learning. Sadaqah (Charity) is an Ibadah (worship). According to Hadith, Sadaqah is prescribed for every person every day the sun rises. Hadith is much more explicit. To remove from the road anything, which may cause hurt is called Sadaqah or a charitable deed.
Sadaqah is a very wide term and is used in the Quran to cover all kinds of charity. Examples of other charitable deeds are; "your salutation to people," "your enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong", "refraining from doing evil to any one", "of a smile or a glass of water to a thirsty person".
The Qur'an lays stress on the believers to care for the needy, the orphans, the destitute and the unfortunate members of the society. There is no limit on Sadaqah. Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said, 'your smile for your brother is Sadaqah. Your removal of stones, thorns or bones from the paths of people is Sadaqah. Your guidance of a person who is lost is Sadaqah' (related by Bukhari from Ibn Hibban's Sahih).
(The writer is a former KT staffer.)