Obligatory charity

This article is about Obligatory charity. For learning about the concept of charity, see Sadaqa (alms).

Obligatory charity (Arabic: الصَّدَقَة الواجِبة) refers to financial obligations in Islam, such as zakat of wealth, zakat al-fitra, and kaffaras. In Islamic jurisprudence, obligatory charity is not independently discussed, and each example is discussed separately. From the viewpoint of some jurists, a general ruling about obligatory charity is that it is better to pay it publicly, in contrast to the recommended charity.

Definition of Obligatory Charity

Sadaqa (charity) means to give our property to others for God. There are two types of charity: recommended and obligatory. Hiba (gift) or giving property to another, if done with the intention of closeness to God, is a recommended charity. Obligatory charity also includes items such as zakat of wealth, zakat al-fitra, and kaffaras, which are obligatory to be paid.

Rulings

In the jurisprudential books, each obligatory charity has its rulings, and their rulings are examined separately. For example, "zakat" of wealth, "zakat al-fitra", and "kaffaras" each have an independent discussion in jurisprudence and are discussed in separate chapters. However, in some jurisprudential writings, obligatory charity has been discussed in general; for example, Muhammad Hasan al-Najafi (d. 1266/1850) mentioned a ruling about obligatory charity in a part of his book Jawahir al-kalam with the title of "waqf and sadaqa". He has mentioned that some jurists, citing some hadiths, have said that it is better to pay obligatory charity openly, contrary to the recommended charity, which is better to be given secretly. But, some have also said that it is better to pay any charity, whether obligatory or recommended, in secret. Muhammad Salih Mazandarani, one of the jurists of the 11th/17th century, stated that the reason for the second view is that paying charity secretly keeps us away from hypocrisy.