Sadaqat al-Tatawwu fi al-Islam
- Author died
- 1440 AH
- Editions
- Safir Press
Sadaqat al-Tatawwu' fi al-Islam (Voluntary Charity in Islam: Concept, Virtues, Etiquettes, and Types in the Light of the Qur'an and Sunnah) is a legal and devotional treatise by Saeed bin Wahf al-Qahtani (d. 1440 AH / 2018 CE) outlining the spiritual merits, categories, and rulings of non-obligatory charitable giving .
Composition and Sources
The book was completed in Riyadh shortly before sunset on Thursday, 25 Rabi' al-Thani 1426 AH, and constitutes the fiftieth treatise in al-Qahtani's series of published treatises . In compiling the legal evaluations and preferences, the author drew heavily upon the rulings of his teacher Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, while relying on the hadith verifications (takhrij) of Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani for the evaluation of prophetic traditions .
Scope and Contents
The treatise provides a systematic examination of voluntary almsgiving based on textual proofs from the Qur'an and the Sunnah, organized around the following key subjects:
- Definitions and Concepts: The linguistic and technical definitions of sadaqat al-tatawwu', distinguishing voluntary charitable acts from obligatory alms (zakat), alongside related concepts such as gifts (hadiyyah), grants ('atiyyah), and donations (hibah), which can serve as charity depending on the giver's intention .
- Virtues of Voluntary Charity: Its role in compensating for deficiencies in obligatory zakat, expiating sins, offering protection from the Hellfire, securing shade on the Day of Judgment, and serving as a means for divine provision and victory .
- Conditions and Etiquettes: The necessity of sincerity (ikhlas) for acceptance, the prescribed etiquettes of spending, and actions or attitudes that invalidate charity (mubtilat al-sadaqat) .
- Forms and Types of Charity: Specific avenues of giving, including feeding the hungry, showing kindness to animals, providing benevolent interest-free loans (qard hasan), continuous charity (sadaqah jariyah) and religious endowments (waqf), testamentary bequests (wasiyyah), and the manumission of Muslim slaves .
- Associated Ethical and Legal Topics: The conveyance of charitable reward to deceased Muslims, the virtues of contentment (qana'ah) and self-restraint ('iffah), rulings governing permissible and prohibited forms of begging (al-mas'alah), and the integration of asceticism (zuhd) and scrupulous piety (wara') into personal spending .
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