What Quality Should the Things We Give in Charity Be?
ما هو مستوى الأشياء التي نعطيها للفقراء؟
What ought to be the standard of things we give away on charity?
The answer recommends giving from one's best wealth and states that it is not permissible to give a defective thing one would not accept oneself; one gives from the middle. Al-Baqarah 2:267 warns against deliberately selecting bad things that the giver would accept only by overlooking their defects. Clean, usable used items can provide sound gifts.
Islamic etiquette regarding charity emphasizes dignity, ensuring that the poor receive items that are genuinely beneficial and respectful.
The Quality of Charity
1. Acceptable and Good Quality
It is recommended to give from one's best wealth, and it is not permissible to give a defective thing that one would not accept if it were given to him. One gives from the middle.
2. The Middle Course in Giving
The Prophet ﷺ said to Muadh: "Beware of taking the best of their wealth" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1496), that is, the best of their wealth; one gives from the middle.
3. The Quranic Command
(O believers! Donate from the good things you have earned and of what We have produced for you from the earth. Do not deliberately choose bad things to give, which you yourselves would accept only by overlooking their defects.) Al-Baqara 2: 267.
ما هو مستوى الأشياء التي نعطيها للفقراء؟
يستحب الجواب الإنفاق من أجود المال، ويقرر أنه لا يجوز إعطاء الشيء الرديء الذي لا يقبله المعطي لو أعطي إليه، وأنه ينفق من الوسط. وينهى الله تعالى عن تعمد الخبيث الذي لا يقبله الإنسان إلا مع التغاضي عن نقصه (البقرة 2:267). وقد تكون الأشياء المستعملة النظيفة الصالحة للاستعمال عطاء نافعا سليما.
تؤكد الآداب الإسلامية المتعلقة بالصدقة على الكرامة، وتضمن حصول الفقراء على أشياء نافعة حقاً وتليق بهم.
جودة الصدقة
1. الجودة المقبولة والممتازة
يستحب للإنسان الإنفاق من أجود المال ولا يجوز له أن ينفق من الشيء الرديء الذي لو أعطي إليه لم يقبله. وهو ينفق من الوسط.
2. الوسطية في العطاء
وقد قال صلى الله عليه وسلم لمعاذ: "إياك وكرائم أموالهم" (صحيح البخاري 1496) أي أفضل أموالهم إنما ينفق من الوسط.
3. الأمر القرآني
(يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْفِقُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّا أَخْرَجْنَا لَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ ۖ وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنْفِقُونَ وَلَسْتُمْ بِآخِذِيهِ إِلَّا أَنْ تُغْمِضُوا فِيهِ) البقرة 2: 267.
1. Acceptable and Good Quality
Al-Baqarah 2:267 commands giving from good earnings and forbids deliberately aiming at what is bad. Ibn Kathir explains the defective gift as something the owner would accept only by overlooking its deficiency. The verse requires attention to lawful acquisition and the quality of what is offered. A used garment can still be clean, usable, and valuable to its recipient; such an item is not the defective thing described in the verse. The answer recommends the best wealth and forbids the defective thing one would not accept oneself.
وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنْفِقُونَ وَلَسْتُمْ بِآخِذِيهِ إِلَّا أَنْ تُغْمِضُوا فِيهِ (سورة البقرة: 267)
أمر الله تعالى في سورة البقرة 2:267 بالإنفاق من طيبات الكسب ونهى عن تعمد الخبيث. وفسر ابن كثير ذلك بما لا يقبله الإنسان إلا مع التغاضي عن نقصه. فينظر إلى حل الكسب وجودة المعطى، وقد يكون الثوب المستعمل نظيفا صالحا نافعا، فليس هو الرديء الموصوف في الآية. ويستحب الجواب أجود المال ويمنع الرديء الذي لا يقبله المعطي لنفسه.
2. The Rights of Donors in Zakat Collection | حقوق أصحاب المال في جمع الزكاة
When sending Muadh to Yemen, the Prophet explained zakat as taking from the rich and giving to the poor, then warned him against taking the prized assets of the owners and against the supplication of an oppressed person (Sahih al-Bukhari 1496). The warning protects owners from unjust collection; it is addressed to the collector, not a command forbidding someone to volunteer their best property. Al-Nawawi's commentary on Muslim explains that the collector must not take the finest, while the owner must not deliberately discharge zakat with the worst. Voluntary generosity can exceed the quality that a collector may compel.
فَإِيَّاكَ وَكَرَائِمَ أَمْوَالِهِمْ (صحيح البخاري 1496)
بين النبي ﷺ لمعاذ حين بعثه إلى اليمن أن الصدقة تؤخذ من أغنيائهم فترد على فقرائهم، ثم حذره من كرائم أموالهم ومن دعوة المظلوم (صحيح البخاري 1496). فالنهي يحمي أصحاب المال من ظلم الجباية، ولا يمنع صاحب المال من التطوع بأفضل ما عنده. وفسر النووي في شرح مسلم أن الساعي لا يأخذ كرائم المال، وأن صاحبه لا يخرج شره في الزكاة. وقد تزيد جودة العطاء التطوعي على القدر الذي يلزم به الساعي.
3. The Quranic Command
The Prophet said that Allah is good and accepts only what is good, then described a traveler whose food, drink, clothing, and nourishment were unlawful and whose prayer therefore faced an obstacle (Sahih Muslim 1015). The report concerns lawful provision; physical quality alone cannot turn stolen or unlawful money into acceptable charity. In another narration, a date given from good earnings is nurtured by Allah until its reward is great (Sahih Muslim 1014). A donor should therefore combine lawful earnings, useful gifts, and sincere intention. A small sound gift can meet these conditions without being the donor's most expensive possession.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْفِقُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّا أَخْرَجْنَا لَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ (سورة البقرة: 267)
قال النبي ﷺ إن الله طيب لا يقبل إلا طيبا، ثم ذكر مسافرا مطعمه ومشربه وملبسه وغذاؤه حرام وسأل كيف يستجاب له (صحيح مسلم 1015). فالخبر يتعلق بحل الكسب، ولا تكفي جودة الشيء لتحويل المال المسروق أو الحرام إلى صدقة مقبولة. وفي مسلم 1014 أن التمرة من كسب طيب يربيها الله حتى تعظم. فيجمع المتصدق الكسب الحلال والعطاء النافع والإخلاص؛ وقد يحقق الشيء القليل الصالح ذلك دون أن يكون أغلى ما يملك.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Can I give away old clothes that are torn and unusable as charity?
No. Clothing described as unusable cannot serve the intended purpose of clothing someone. Give clean, serviceable items suited to the recipient's needs; used clothes can be useful, and a modest gift is not forbidden merely because it is inexpensive. Al-Baqarah 2:267 warns against deliberately selecting bad items.
Does Islam require me to give away my absolute best and most expensive possessions?
No. Giving the finest wealth is recommended, while the Prophet warned Muadh against taking the owners' prized assets when collecting zakat (Sahih al-Bukhari 1496). A donor may voluntarily give better than the quality a collector is entitled to demand, and should choose useful gifts from lawful earnings.
What does the Quran mean by "which you yourselves would only accept with closed eyes"?
It means accepting a deficient item only by overlooking its defects or tolerating a shortfall. Ibn Kathir explains Al-Baqarah 2:267 through the example of receiving less than a debt owed to you: you would seek the difference unless you chose to overlook it. The verse cautions the giver against deliberately selecting such gifts.
What is the broader significance of this ruling in Islamic finance?
Quality, lawful earnings, and fairness all matter. Muslim 1015 teaches that Allah accepts what is good, while Bukhari 1496 protects owners from unjust zakat collection. A giver should choose useful gifts with respect for the recipient and fulfill zakat without deliberately substituting the worst wealth.