6 Conditions for a Charity to Be Accepted

Charity (Sedekah) is a major act of worship. Many verses in the Qur'an and sayings of the Prophet (Hadith) explain its virtue. Although it is a major act and holds great value in the sight of Allah, charity is not just a form of monetary worship that is simply performed. A large amount of charity is not necessarily of value in the sight of Allah. In fact, that charity could even lead the doer to the Fire. It would be excellent to know the things that make charity accepted by Allah, so that our charity is valid (sah), accepted, and valuable in the sight of Allah. Not just valid. Because an act of worship that is outwardly valid is not necessarily accepted by Allah Ta’ala.

1. Sincerity

What is meant by sincerity here is giving charity purely out of fear of Allah, hoping for His forgiveness, and desiring recompense from Him. It is not based on compulsion, shame before people, for worldly interests, or hoping for praise and reputation. Allah says regarding the statement of some inhabitants of Paradise:

“Indeed, we feed you only for the sake of Allah’s Countenance. We desire no reward from you nor thanks. Indeed, we fear from our Lord a Day (of faces) that is a grim, distressful one.” (QS. Al-Insan: 9-10)

The Prophet said about the group of people who will be judged first on the Day of Resurrection:

“... and a man whom Allah had made abundantly rich and granted every kind of wealth. He will be brought, and Allah will make him recount His blessings until he acknowledges them. Allah will ask: “What did you do with them (the wealth)?” He will say: “I did not leave any aspect of good that You wished I should spend on, but I spent on it for You.” Allah will say: “You have lied! Rather, you did that (spent) so that it might be said, ‘He is generous,’ and it was said (when you were alive).” Then, orders will be passed against him and he will be dragged on his face and cast into the Fire.” (HR. Muslim: 1905 from Abu Hurairah).

Allah will not only reject charity given without sincerity, but He will also be wrathful and cast the doer into the Fire, even if he has spent his wealth on charity and provided benefit to other people. This is because the charity we gave was not for Him, and He does not need it at all. Rather, that charity is actually for ourselves. It is only that He does not want to be associated with anyone in the worship directed to Him.

2. Not Derived from Unlawful Wealth

Because charity is valuable in the sight of Allah, Allah would not accept an act of worship that originates from something bad in His view and which He hates.

“O people, indeed Allah is Good (Pure) and does not accept anything except that which is good (pure).” (HR. Muslim: 1015 from Abu Hurairah).

Specifically, the Messenger of Allah said:

“Prayer is not accepted without purification, nor is charity (accepted) that comes from ghulul.” (HR. Muslim: 224 from Abdullah bin Umar)

Ghulul is treachery (betrayal), and its origin is taking (stealing) from the spoils of war (ghanimah) before they are distributed [1]. Abu Al-‘Abbas Al-Qurthubi said: “Ghulul here means treachery in an absolute sense (in all its forms) and unlawful wealth.” [2] If the result of taking ghanimah (spoils of war) before they are distributed—even though the wealth is rightfully taken after distribution—is not accepted by Allah if given in charity, then how about charity that comes from the proceeds of corruption, fraud, extortion, theft, and so forth?! Included in this is wealth from the sale of forbidden goods such as wine (khamr), pork, narcotics, as well as various goods and actions forbidden by the Sharia. The Companion Abu Mas’ud Al-Anshari said:

“Indeed, the Messenger of Allah forbade the price of a dog, the payment for a prostitute, and the fee of a fortune-teller.” (HR. Muslim: 1657)

In another narration, the Messenger of Allah said:

“The price of a dog is not lawful, nor is the fee of a fortune-teller, nor the payment for a prostitute.” (HR. An-Nasai: 4293 and Abu Dawud: 3484 from Abu Hurairah).

Not only goods, but also unlawful professions are included. Such as fortune-telling, prostitution, usury (loan sharking), and so forth.

3. Not a Forbidden Item

While the previous discussion was about the source of wealth, this section discusses the item itself. This is because charity does not always have to be in the form of currency (like money), but sometimes it is in the form of items such as food, clothing, vehicles, housing, and so forth. Thus, charity given with forbidden items is not only rejected but is also invalid from a fiqh (jurisprudence) perspective. Examples include giving as charity: statues, paintings of living beings, alcoholic drinks, food containing pork or pig derivatives, food sacrificed to idols, symbols of other religions (like the cross), and so on.

“May Allah curse the Jews. The fat of animals was forbidden to them, so they melted it and then sold it.” (HR. Al-Bukhari: 2223 and Muslim from Abdullah bin Abbas)

Allah forbade the Children of Israel from eating animal fat, but they circumvented this by interpreting that "only eating it is forbidden, not selling it," so they melted it until it became liquid and sold it. As for the Muslim community, animal fat has been made lawful for them, so there is no issue if it is sold. This is different from items that are inherently forbidden in Islamic law. Of course, what is meant here are items that the Sharia has commanded to be destroyed and are absolutely forbidden, not just items or things that are forbidden to be eaten. This is because there are some items that are forbidden to be eaten but may be sold and given as charity, such as domesticated donkeys, hides of dead animals, silk and gold jewelry which are forbidden for men to wear, and so on. As a principle, anything whose inherent nature is forbidden from consumption in any form or which the Sharia has commanded to be eliminated is unlawful to sell. If seeking commercial profit through trade is forbidden, then using it for an act of worship like charity is certainly even more forbidden.

4. Something Appropriate (of Good Quality)

Giving charity should not only consider sincerity and lawfulness. It must also consider the quality of the material being given as charity. Many materials are originally lawful, but are only given as charity when they are no longer suitable. Besides being rejected, this will also lead to contempt and uncivilized behavior towards the beneficiaries of the charity. Examples include giving away torn and shabby clothing, rotten fruits and vegetables, stale food, damaged vehicles, and so forth. Allah says:

“O you who have believed, spend from the good things which you have earned and from that which We have produced for you from the earth. And do not aim for what is bad and spend [from it], while you would not take it yourselves except with eyes closed to it...” (QS. Al-Baqarah: 267).

Conversely, we are actually asked by Allah to give in charity the wealth that we also love. In other words, giving charity should not be out of fear that the item will go to waste because it is damaged, rotten, or stale. Rather, giving charity should be purely out of a desire for recompense from Allah and an effort to give the best. Allah says:

“But righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives (in need), orphans, the needy, the traveler, and those who ask....” (QS. Al-Baqarah: 177)

Ibn Mas’ud interpreted Allah’s statement, “...and gives wealth, in spite of love for it...”, as:

“When a man gives while he is healthy, holding tightly [to his wealth], hoping to live long and fearing poverty.”(AR. Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak 3078) [3]

5. Not Hurting the Feelings of the Recipient Through the Charity

Even though charity is intended to help those in need, it does not mean that charity can be used as a tool to insult and demean. Allah does not want worship directed to Him to be contaminated with injustice and vile actions toward His creation. Not giving charity at all is far better than giving charity accompanied by injustice and humiliation. Allah says:

“Kind speech and forgiveness are better than charity followed by injury. And Allah is Self-Sufficient, Most Forbearing. O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders of your favor or injury, like one who spends his wealth [only] to be seen by the people and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day....” (QS. Al-Baqarah: 263-264).

This verse clearly states that charity can become worthless in the sight of Allah if it is accompanied by bad behavior or bad words that hurt the feelings of the recipient, just as worthless as the charity of one who gives charity without sincerity due to riya (seeking people's view).

6. Not Reminding of the Charity Given

Similarly, reminding someone of the charity given can cause the charity to be rejected and worthless in the sight of Allah, as indicated in the verse above. This is further emphasized by Allah's statement:

“(They are) those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah and then do not follow up what they have spent with reminders of their favor or injury, their reward is with their Lord. And there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.” (QS. Al-Baqarah: 262)

Furthermore, there is a severe warning from the Prophet specifically for those who are fond of reminding others of their gifts. The Messenger of Allah said:

“Three (types of) people Allah will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He look at them, nor will He purify them, and for them is a painful torment.” Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari said, “The Messenger of Allah repeated it three times.” - Then Abu Dharr asked, “They have failed and lost! Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?” The Messenger of Allah replied, “Al-Musbil (The one who trails his garment below the ankles), the one who reminds others of his gifts, and the one who sells his merchandise by means of false oaths.” (HR. Muslim: 106 from Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari).

The Messenger of Allah also said:

“Three (types of) people will not enter Paradise: the one who disobeys his parents, the habitual drunkard of khamr(wine/intoxicants), and the one who reminds others of what he gave.” (HR. An-Nasai: 2562 from Abdullah bin Umar)

These are the 6 conditions for charity to be accepted. Sometimes, charity is outwardly valid, but not accepted by Allah Ta’ala. Any charity that is not outwardly valid will certainly not be accepted by Allah Ta’ala. Therefore, besides giving charity, we should also strive for our charity to be accepted by Allah.

Wallahu a’lam (And Allah knows best).