Life and Teachings of the Prophet Muhammad
10. The Concept of Social Welfare in Islam
~ 129 ~
also be additional almsgiving on a voluntary basis. This is referred
to in Islamic literature as
sadaqat
-
al
-
tatawwu
(the alms of
spontaneity). The only difference between
sadaqah
and
zakah
is
that the former is voluntary, while the latter is obligatory, and
collected by the government as a compulsory levy. The rate and
exemption limit (
Nisab
) for
zakah
are fixed, while the amount of
other
sadaqah
is entirely dependent upon the will of the giver. The
term
sadaqah
, as applied to alms, is an indication of the sincerity
(
sidk
) of the almsgiver’s religious belief.
The term
sadaqah
is also in certain cases used in a very broad
sense to cover all kinds of charity, and should be interpreted
according to the context. From the root
sadaqah
, “to speak the
truth, to be true”, it literally means righteousness. Ibn Arabi
explains it as a “voluntary act of worship, a choice made by one’s
own free will. If this is not the case, then it is not voluntary
sadaqah
. For man makes it obligatory upon himself as God makes
mercy obligatory upon Himself towards those who repent.”
The scope of charity as defined in the Qur’an is so vast that even
a poor person who has nothing tangible to give can offer
sadaqah
in
the shape of a smile, or by offering a glass of water to a thirsty
person, or by uttering a kindly word. Good conduct is frequently
referred to in the hadith as
sadaqah
. Even planting something from
which a human being, a bird or an animal may later eat also counts
as
sadaqah
. In this extended sense, acts of loving kindness and even
greeting one another with a cheerful expression are regarded as
sadaqah
. In short, every good deed is
sadaqah
.
