Ḥadīth Lesson: Spending on Family Is Sadaqah

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum wa RaḥmatuLlāhi wa Barakātuh. A‘ūdhu BiLlāhi Minash-shayṭāni r-rajīm. BismiLlāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm. Wa ṣ-Salātu wa s-Salāmu ‘alá Rasūlinā Muḥammadin Sayyidi l-Awwalīna wa l-Akhirīn. Madad yā RasūlAllāh, Madad yā Sādāti Aṣḥābi RasūliLlāh, Madad yā Mashāyikhinā, Dastūr Mawlana Sheikh Abdullāh al-Fā’iz ad-Dāghistāni, Sheikh Muḥammad Nāẓim al-Ḥaqqānī. Madad.

1Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “Spend first on yourself giving yourself sadaqa: if anything is left over give it to your family;” To your own family. First and foremost, to yourself. And then, so that no one will be in need, to your family. “If anything is left over when they have received something, give it to your relatives; and if anything is left over when they have received something, do thus and thus.” So you start with those close to you, you start with yourself. Then the closest: your family, your relative, then your neighbor. If you have friends or relatives, you should give them so that they do not need anyone else.

2Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “Start giving first to your dependents.” So you are responsible for taking care of your family. You do not look after them, you look after people for whom you are not responsible at all. No, that’s wrong. You must see to the needs of your family first. After that you can look after others.

3Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “When Allāh ﷻ prospers any of you he should spend first on himself and his family.” When Allāh ﷻ gives you a blessing, to be thankful for it because it comes from Allāh ﷻ, you should give to yourself first, make shukr, then give your family, then your relatives, and so on.

4Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “When a Muslim spends on his family seeking reward for it from Allāh ﷻ, it counts for him as sadaqa.” If you give them even though you are responsible for them, it is also considered sadaqah. Since you give for the sake of Allāh ﷻ, your reward is from Allāh ﷻ.

5Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ says, “If any of you is poor, he should begin from himself;” So, this matter of Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam is very important. So that you won’t be dependent on anyone; when you have money, you should take care of your own needs first. You shouldn’t ask for anything from others. Asking (begging) is not good. Therefore, he ﷺ says, “When Allāh ﷻ gives you, start by taking care of your own needs.” One must start with himself. “If anything is left over, give it to your family;” you must look after your family. “If anything is left over, give it to your relatives; if anything is left over (when they received something), then here and here.” So you can give it to this and that then.

6Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “The reward of sadaqah given to relatives doubles.” So it is twice your normal sadaqah. If you take care of your relatives and family, you will attain double the reward.

7Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “The first thing that will be put on the scale of a servant,” The first thing that will be put on the scales on the day of judgment is “what one has spent upon his family.” The person will receive the reward of what he spent in good deeds first on the Day of Judgment in the hereafter.

8Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “The most excellent dinar,” dinar is gold of money. The money of old times was called dinar. There was dinar and dirham. Dinar was the highest in value at that time - “a man spends is one he spends on his family,” So, the most valuable and virtuous in the sight of Allāh ﷻ is the money spent on one’s family. “One which he spends on his animal in Allah’s ﷻ path,” The expense paid on taking care of an animal that was used for jihad or travel on the way of Allah ﷻ is great. “And one he spends on his companions in Allah’s ﷻ path.” So this is the best money spent, says our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam.

9Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “Every expenditure you make for your family with the intention of pleasing Allāh ﷻ is sadaqah.” Don’t say, “It goes in vain. I am obligated to provide for my family.” You are obligated, but Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla rewards you twofold for it.

As we said, don’t forget to give for the sake of Allāh ﷻ. When giving, you should do it with the intention being: for the pleasure of Allāh ﷻ; this is my family’s rizq that Allāh ﷻ has given, and that is halal rizq and it will be a means for goodness.

10-Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “What you feed your wife is sadaqah is for you.” This means that if the meal is eaten at home, and your wife eats, it is considered a sadaqah. “What you feed your child is sadaqah is for you.” Feeding your child is also a sadaqah. “What you feed your servant is sadaqah for you. And what you feed yourself is sadaqah for you.” This means that even feeding yourself from your own food is considered a sadaqah for you.

Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla’s generosity is boundless. He ﷻ gives everything, provides food and drink. And on top of that, a person earns reward. This is the goodness of a believer, the goodness of īmān. Someone without īmān: the animal earns more than him. It at least thanks Allāh ﷻ for what it eats.

11-Qala RasuluLlah salla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ (peace be upon him ﷺ) says:

Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying, “Of a dinar you spend as a contribution in Allāh’s ﷻ path,” again, as we said, dinar is the most valuable currency. Dinar’s normally gold. You gave a dinar in the way of Allāh ﷻ for the pleasure of Allāh ﷻ, “Or to set free a slave,” So if you gave dinars to free a Muslim slave from slavery and freed him, this also has a great reward. Those who have been freed from slavery and have gained their freedom for the sake of Allāh ﷻ: this also has a great reward. “Or as sadaqa given to a poor man,” If you gave a poor man him money and dinars, and took care of his family and took care of him for a long time. “Or in support of your family,” so, a dinar spent on your family. Which is the most virtuous and most rewarded, says our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam: “The one spent in support of your family produces the greatest reward.” So, the greatest of these four things, that is - you gave to the way of Allāh ﷻ, you saved one from slavery, you gave to the poor - the most virtuous is the money, the dinar you spend on your family, says our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam.

Sadaqa RasuluLlah fi ma qal, aw kama qal. The Messenger of Allāh ﷻ says the truth in what he ﷺ said or as he ﷺ said.

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Ihda’ – Dedication: Ziyadatan ila sharafi’ ‘n-Nabi, sallaLlahu `alayhi wa sallam wa Alihi wa Asahabihi l-kiram, wa ila arwahi jamee’i al Anbiya’i wa l-Mursalin wa Khudama’i sharai’ihim wa ila arwahi al ‘Aimmati al arba’a, wa ila arwahi Mashayyikhina fi t-Tariqati n-Naqshbandiyyati l-Aliyyah, khassatan Imamu t-Tariqah wa Ghawthu l-Khaliqah Khwaja Bahauddin Muhammad al-Uwaisiyi l-Bukhari, Sayyidina Abdul Khaliq al Ghujduwani, Mawlana Shaykh Sharafuddin al Daghestani, Mawlana Shaykh Abdullah al Faiz al Daghestani, Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al Haqqani, wa sai’ri Sadatina wa s-Siddiqiyun, wa man nahnu fi hadratihim wa jiwarihim. To the souls of all our ancestors. For the souls of all shahīds. For goodness to come and evil to be warded off. Li-Llahi Ta’ala, Al-Fatiha.

[(Translation) To the honor of the Prophet, Prayers and Peace be upon Him, and his family, and his companions, and the souls of all the prophets as well as of His messengers and of those who served their Sharia, and to the souls of the four Imams. And to the souls of our Mashayikh of the Most Distinguished Naqshbandi Tariqa, in particular to the soul of the Imam of the Tariqa Ghawth al-Khaliqa (the Help of Creation), Khwaja Bahauddin Muhammad al-Uwaisiyi l-Bukhari, Sayyidina Abdul Khaliq al Ghujduwani, Mawlana Shaykh Sharafuddin al Daghestani, Mawlana Shaykh Abdullah al Faiz al Daghestani, Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al Haqqani, and the rest of our masters and Siddiqiyun, and to whom we are in their presence and near them. To the souls of all our ancestors. For the souls of all shahīds. For goodness to come and evil to be warded off. To Allah Almighty. Al Fatiha.]

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 30 June 2026/ 15 Muharram 1448 Beylerbeyi Dergah, Istanbul