Is It Permissible to Give Away All One's Wealth in Charity?
هل يجوز للإنسان التصدق بكامل ماله؟
Is it right for a rich man to give away all his wealth?
The answer gives three cases: giving all one's wealth is not permissible if it harms dependents whose maintenance is obligatory and no sufficient earnings remain; it is permissible when those dependents consent and prefer the poor over themselves; and it is permissible when sufficient ongoing earnings provide for them. It also requires trust in Allah, patience with poverty, and refraining from begging. In Al-Majmu, al-Nawawi gives as the soundest view that giving away everything left after one's debt, one's own needs, and the maintenance and other expenses of one's dependents is recommended for one who can patiently bear hardship, and not for others.
Islamic law carefully balances the highly rewarded act of voluntary charity with the absolute obligation of providing for one's family.
Can I donate all my savings if I have a family to feed?
If those savings are the only means to support your family and you do not have a steady job or alternative income, it is not permissible. Providing for your family is an obligation, and voluntary charity cannot override an obligation.
What if my family explicitly agrees to donate all our money?
If the dependents you are obligated to support willingly give their permission and prefer the poor over themselves, it is permissible to give the wealth away, reflecting the high Islamic virtue of altruism (Ithar).
What personal qualities must I have before giving away all my wealth?
The answer requires trust in Allah, patience with poverty, and refraining from begging. Al-Nawawi in Al-Majmu recommends giving away everything left after debt, personal needs, and dependents' maintenance only for one who can patiently bear hardship. Obligatory rights are preserved before voluntary giving.
Conditions for Giving Away All Wealth
1. The Obligation Towards Dependents
The first condition: if he has dependents whom he is obliged to support such as children, a wife, and parents, and he does not have a job where he can earn his money to spend on them, then he is not allowed to give away all his money in charity. He is not even allowed to give away money in charity in a way that causes harm to his dependents. Because spending on your children is an obligation, whereas charity is a desirable act. The Messenger of Allah pbuh said: "It is enough for a person to be considered sinful, that he neglects those whom he is responsible to sustain." [Sunan Abi Dawud 1692, graded hasan by al-Albani]. And he pbuh said: "If you leave your heirs independent of means that is better than if you leave them poor, holding out their hands." [Sahih al-Bukhari 2742].
2. The Consent and Altruism of Dependents
The second case: The ones whom he is supporting give their permission to the provider to give all his money away to charity. So they give preference to the poor over themselves, and in that case, it is permissible that one gives away all his wealth to charity. Allah Almighty says: (They give preference over themselves even though they may be in need) Al-Hashr 59:9.
3. Possessing a Steady Income
Third case: if someone has an income such as an employee who gets a monthly salary, or a craftsman who sells what he makes, he is allowed to give all his current money to charity because he will earn more to support his children.
4. The Inner State of the Donor
And although it is permissible for someone to give all his money to charity, there are conditions to do so. Those include that the donor believes in depending on Allah, he is able to be patient towards poverty, and he does not ask people to support him. If those are not possible to achieve then it is not permissible to give all the money.
Scholarly Insight: Umar brought half his wealth when the Prophet called for charity, and Abu Bakr brought all he had. When asked what he had left for his family, Abu Bakr said, "I left them Allah and His Messenger." Umar then said he would never compete with him in anything (Sunan Abi Dawud 1678, graded hasan by al-Albani). Al-Nawawi in Al-Majmu cites this report for one who can patiently bear hardship, after debt, personal needs, and dependents' maintenance are covered. The report encourages generosity alongside the obligations that each donor must fulfill.
هل يجوز للإنسان التصدق بكامل ماله؟
يذكر الجواب ثلاث حالات: لا يجوز التصدق بكل المال إذا أضر بمن تجب نفقتهم ولم يبق كسب كاف؛ ويجوز إذا أذنوا وآثروا الفقراء على أنفسهم؛ ويجوز إذا كان للمتصدق كسب مستمر يكفي نفقتهم. ويشترط حسن التوكل على الله والصبر على الفقر والتعفف عن المسألة. وصحح النووي في المجموع استحباب التصدق بجميع الفاضل عن الدين ونفقة النفس والعيال وسائر مؤنهم لمن يصبر على الإضاقة، دون من لا يصبر.
توازن الشريعة الإسلامية بعناية بين فعل الصدقة التطوعية عظيم الأجر وبين الواجب المطلق المتمثل في إعالة الأسرة.
شروط التصدق بجميع المال
1. وجوب النفقة على المعالين
الحالة الأولى: أن يكون هناك من يلزم المنفق الإنفاق عليهم، كالأولاد والزوجة والوالدين، وليس للإنسان عمل يكسب منه ما يكفي لنفقتهم، فلا يجوز له التصدق بكل ماله، بل لا يجوز له التصدق على وجه يضر بمن تجب عليه نفقتهم؛ لأن النفقة على الأولاد واجبة، والصدقة مستحبة قال رسول الله ﷺ: "كَفَى بِالْمَرْءِ أَنْ يُضَيِّعَ مَنْ يَقُوتُ" رواه أبو داود 1692، وحسنه الألباني. وقال ﷺ: "إِنَّكَ أَنْ تَدَعَ وَرَثَتَكَ أَغْنِيَاءَ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ تَدَعَهُمْ عَالَةً يَتَكَفَّفُونَ النَّاسَ" رواه البخاري 2742.
2. إذن المعالين وإيثارهم
الحالة الثانية: أن يأذن من تلزمه نفقتهم للمتصدق بالصدقة بكل ماله، ويؤثر أهل المتصدق الفقراءَ على أنفسِهِم، فحين ذلك يجوز له أن يتصدق بماله كله، لقوله تعالى: "وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ" الحشر 59: 9.
3. وجود دخل ثابت
الحالة الثالثة: أن يكون له كسب، كأن يكون موظفًا يكسب راتبًا شهريًّا، أو يكون صانعًا يبيع ما يصنع فإن هذا يجوز له أن يتصدق بكل ماله، لأنه سيكسب ما ينفق به على عياله.
4. الحالة الباطنة للمتصدق
وحين يقال إن التصدق بكل المال جائز فإن ذلك مشروط بأن يكون المتصدق ممن يحسن التوكل على الله، والصبر على الفقر والتعفف عن المسألة، فإن كان ذلك غير ممكن بالنسبة لذلك المتصدق فليس له أن يتصدق بكل ماله.
1. The General Rule: Retaining Wealth for Dependents | الأصل الشرعي: استبقاء المال لكفاية النفس والعيال
Islamic law balances charity with social duty. When Ka'b ibn Malik wanted to donate all his wealth, the Prophet instructed him: "Keep some of your wealth for yourself, for that is better for you" (Sahih al-Bukhari 2757). Protecting dependents from poverty and begging is a mandatory religious obligation that takes precedence over voluntary charity.
وَلَا تَجْعَلْ يَدَكَ مَغْلُولَةً إِلَىٰ عُنُقِكَ وَلَا تَبْسُطْهَا كُلَّ الْبَسْطِ فَتَقْعُدَ مَلُومًا مَحْسُورًا (سورة الإسراء: 29)
قررت الشريعة أن كفاية النفس ونفقة الأهل فريضة لازمة مقدمة على نوافل الصدقات؛ ولما أراد كعب بن مالك التصدق بجميع ماله رده النبي ﷺ ناصحا: "أمسك عليك بعض مالك فهو خير لك" (صحيح البخاري 2757)؛ لئلا يتحول المنفق من معطٍ إلى محتاج يسأل الناس أو يضيع من يعول.
2. Abu Bakr's Gift and the Donor's Circumstances | عطاء أبي بكر ومراعاة حال المتصدق
Umar reports that when the Prophet called for charity, he brought half his wealth and Abu Bakr brought all he had. Asked what he had left for his family, Abu Bakr answered, "I left for them Allah and His Messenger" (Sunan Abi Dawud 1678, graded hasan by al-Albani). Umar then said that he would never compete with Abu Bakr in anything again. Jurists discuss the donor's capacity to endure need and fulfill duties when considering such generosity. Al-Nawawi recommends giving away the surplus beyond essential needs for one who can bear the hardship, and not for one who cannot.
وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ (سورة الحشر: 9)
روى عمر أن النبي ﷺ أمر بالصدقة، فجاء عمر بنصف ماله وجاء أبو بكر بكل ما عنده. وسئل أبو بكر عما أبقى لأهله فقال: "أبقيت لهم الله ورسوله" (سنن أبي داود 1678، حسنه الألباني). وقال عمر إنه لا يسابقه إلى شيء أبدا. ويبحث الفقهاء قدرة المتصدق على الصبر وأداء الواجبات عند الكلام على هذا العطاء. وصحح النووي في باب صدقة التطوع استحباب التصدق بما زاد على الحاجة لمن يصبر على الإضاقة دون من لا يصبر؛ فتراعى حال المتصدق وحقوق من يعولهم.
3. Conditions for Donating Large Portions of Wealth | شروط جواز التصدق بجل المال أو جميعه
Voluntary charity comes after the obligations that are due from the same resources. A person must not give away the means required to maintain those whose support is obligatory or evade a debt that has fallen due. Al-Nawawi discusses whether the donor can patiently endure reduced means, and whether dependents' essential needs remain met. A regular income may supply maintenance after a large donation, but its adequacy must be considered in the donor's actual circumstances. The Prophet condemned neglecting those a person sustains (Sunan Abi Dawud 1692, graded hasan by al-Albani).
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنْفِقُونَ قُلِ الْعَفْوَ (سورة البقرة: 219)
تأتي الصدقة التطوعية بعد أداء الواجبات التي تتعلق بالمال نفسه؛ فلا يضيع الإنسان نفقة من تجب عليه نفقتهم، ولا يتخلص من دين حال بالصدقة. وبحث النووي قدرة المتصدق على الصبر مع حفظ الحاجات الأساسية لمن يعولهم. وقد يكفي الدخل المنتظم لنفقة العيال بعد التصدق، فتعتبر كفايته في حال صاحبه. وحذر النبي ﷺ من تضييع من يقوتهم الإنسان (سنن أبي داود 1692، حسنه الألباني).
4. Leaving Heirs Financially Independent | ترك الورثة أغنياء خير من تركهم عالة
During his illness, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas asked about giving away his wealth and was permitted a third, which the Prophet described as much. The Prophet then told him that leaving heirs well provided for is better than leaving them needy and begging, and that expenditure made seeking Allah's pleasure is rewarded, even food placed in his wife's mouth (Sahih al-Bukhari 2742). The narration connects concern for heirs with reward for family spending. Its deathbed limit concerns the disposition being discussed in that illness; healthy lifetime gifts and charitable bequests are distinct questions. The narration encourages protecting the heirs from need and spending on one's household with the intention of pleasing Allah.
وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ ۖ وَلَا تَنْسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا (سورة القصص: 77)
سأل سعد بن أبي وقاص في مرضه عن التصدق بماله، فأذن له النبي ﷺ في الثلث وقال إن الثلث كثير. وأخبره أن ترك الورثة أغنياء خير من تركهم عالة يتكففون الناس، وأن النفقة ابتغاء وجه الله يؤجر عليها حتى اللقمة في فم زوجته (صحيح البخاري 2742). فيجمع الخبر رعاية الورثة وثواب النفقة على الأهل. وحكم المال في مرض الموت ليس هو كل أحكام الهبات في الصحة، ويحث الحديث على رعاية الورثة والإنفاق على الأسرة ابتغاء وجه الله.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Is a wealthy man allowed to give away all his wealth in charity in Islam?
It may be permissible when obligatory maintenance and other due rights are preserved and the donor can patiently bear need without begging. Circumstances differ: the Prophet told Ka'b ibn Malik to keep some wealth (Sahih al-Bukhari 2757), while Abu Bakr brought all he had (Sunan Abi Dawud 1678, graded hasan by al-Albani).
Why did the Prophet accept Abu Bakr giving all his wealth but told Ka'b ibn Malik to keep some?
The two reports show that the donor's circumstances matter. Abu Bakr brought all he had and said he had left Allah and His Messenger for his family (Sunan Abi Dawud 1678, graded hasan by al-Albani); Ka'b was told to retain some wealth (Sahih al-Bukhari 2757). Jurists consider patience, self-reliance, and fulfillment of obligations when applying these examples.
What did the Prophet tell Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas regarding his inheritance?
He told Sa'd that leaving his heirs wealthy is better than leaving them poor and begging from people (Sahih al-Bukhari 2742). This was advice about a bequest during Sa'd's illness, alongside the rule that one third was already much.
Can a person donate all their wealth if they have outstanding debts to people?
A debt that is due and cannot be paid from other resources must be paid before voluntary charity. A deferred debt or one covered by other sufficient assets requires consideration of its terms and the creditor's rights. The presence of any outstanding debt does not itself establish that every small donation is forbidden.