What Is Sadaqah (Voluntary Charity)?

Sadaqah (Arabic: صدقة; also spelled sadaqa) is pronounced SA-da-qah.

Meaning

Sadaqah comes from the same root as sidq, meaning truthfulness: giving charity shows the truth of a person’s faith. It is any voluntary gift made for the sake of God — to the poor, to a neighbour, to a good cause — in addition to zakat, the obligatory yearly charity.

Sadaqah has no minimum amount and no fixed time. Muslims are encouraged to give it quietly, without making the receiver feel humiliated. And it is not limited to money. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ widened its meaning to every good deed:

Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, Enjoining, all that is good is a Sadaqa

How Muslims use it

Muslims give sadaqah in countless ways: a coin to someone in need, a meal for a neighbour, sponsoring an orphan, planting a tree, teaching a skill. Many give extra sadaqah in Ramadan, when someone is ill, or when they want to thank God for a blessing. A gift that keeps benefiting people after the giver’s death — such as a well, a school or useful knowledge — is called sadaqah jariyah, an ongoing charity.

Example

“She sends a small sadaqah to the food bank every Friday, and she says a smile at the checkout counts too.”

Learn more in Zakat and Wealth and Money in Islam.