Is My Charity Valid If I Donate Simply Because I Feel I Should?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

If someone donates to the poor simply because they feel they should, without consciously intending to seek Allah’s pleasure, is their charity still valid and rewardable in Islam?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

When it comes to intention, one must dig deep and find the ultimate reason why one has done that action. Many times, what is expressed as the intention is merely a result of something even deeper.

In this situation, one must ask, “Why do I feel I should give charity to the poor?”

If the ultimate reason is not for Allah Most High, then this deed, although a good deed, is not rewarded as a deed sincerely for Allah’s sake is rewarded.

This is where the issue of intention (niyya) and the issue of sincerity (ikhlas) overlap. Sincerity is singularity of purpose for Allah alone. [Haddad, Book of Assistance; Ghazali, Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din]

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Indeed, Allah is pure and only accepts that which is pure(ly for His sake…)” [Muslim]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies at Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.

There, he completed the memorization of the Quran and his study of Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study, he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, Shaykh ‘Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.

Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.