The Prophet s.a.w.s said (translation):
Every morning there is [due] on the bones and joints of any of you a sadaqa. [Muslim]
In another hadith, the Prophet mentioned that there are three hundred and sixty joints in the body. So there is a total of 360 charities due on us every morning.
Many of us find it difficult to give money in charity, especially those who are still students. The Prophet made it easy on us by expanding the definition of charity to include many other deeds apart from paying money. Some of the poorer Companions came to the Prophet and said, “O Messenger of Allah, the affluent have made off with the rewards; they pray as we pray, they fast as we fast, and they give [much] in charity by virtue of their wealth.”
The Prophet replied, Has not Allah made things for you to give in charity? Truly every tasbeehah is a charity, and every takbeerah is a charity, and every tahmeedah is a charity, and every tahleelah is a charity. And commanding the good is a charity, and forbidding an evil is a charity, and in the bud`i [sexual act] of each one of you there is a charity . . . [Muslim]
From this and other similar hadiths, I have extracted these deeds which were specifically defined by the Prophet as charity, things we can do every day in order to reach the count of 360 easily, in sha Allah.
- Help someone get into the bus or train and help put their bags in.
- Make peace between two people: Bringing justice [see hadith below] implies making peace and conciliation between two people, and judging justly between their disputes. According to some scholars, it is even considered a communal obligation (fard kifayah). So this is indeed a very rewarding act of charity.
- Say a good word: Speaking good about others, telling others to do good things, spreading the ayat of the Quran and the hadiths of the Prophet, pleasing others [in a permissible way] are examples of good words.
- Walk to the congregational prayers.
Every joint of a person must perform a charity each day that the sun rises: to judge justly between two people is a charity. To help a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings onto it, is a charity. And the good word is a charity. And every step that you take towards the prayer is a charity, and removing a harmful object from the road is a charity. [Bukhari and Muslim]
- Pray two rakahs of Duha: Making time in the morning for just these two rakahs of prayer is equivalent to 360 acts of charity, according to al Shawkani r.h..
To fulfill that act of charity [for every bone and joint], it is sufficient to pray two rakats of Duha. [Muslim]
- Say: subhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, laa ilaha illallah, Allahu Akbar. The Prophet in fact said that these four are the best of words. [ibn Majah]
- Have intimate relations with your spouse.
- Stop someone from doing bad.
[Points 6, 7 and 8 are from the first hadith quoted above.]
- Help someone in need.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘Giving in charity is an obligation upon every Muslim’. It was said (to him): ‘What about one who does not find (the means) to do so?’ He said, ‘Let him work with his hands, thus doing benefit to himself and give in charity.’ It was said to him: ‘What if he does not have (the means) to do so?’ He said, ‘Then let him assist the needy, the aggrieved.’ [Bukhari and Muslim]
- Remove empty trash cans, harmful objects, etc. from roads: In Zarabozo’s commentary on this hadith, he quotes: ‘If the Muslims today were to abide by this teaching of the Prophet, the roads of the Muslims would be the cleanest roads in the world.’
- Smile!
- Show directions to a person searching an address.
- Help a person with bad eyesight.
Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, commanding good and forbidding evil is charity, your giving directions to a man lost in the land is charity for you. Your seeing for a man with bad sight is a charity for you, your removal of a rock, a thorn or a bone from the road is charity for you. Your pouring what remains from your bucket into the bucket of your brother is charity for you. [Tirmidhi]
- Refrain from harming other people.
Keep your evil away from the people and that will be a charitable act from yourself upon yourself. [Muslim]
- Plant.
If any Muslim plants any plant and a human being or an animal eats of it, he will be rewarded as if he had given that much in charity. [Bukhari]
- Feed your spouse!
You will be rewarded for whatever you spend for Allah’s sake even if it were a morsel which you put in your wife’s mouth. [Bukhari]
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Tabassum Mosleh
