As you avail yourself in a small town of Bokeksa, Worebabo Woreda in the eastern part of the Amhara state, you will have a chance to witness a classless dinning where everybody is invited to free dishes regardless of age, sex, and religion, among other factors.
The historical region of Wollo in the Amhara state is one of part and parcel of the history of both Islam and Christianity. The Muslims and Christians of Wollo traveled miles ahead in terms of morality and peaceful coexistence. The followers of Islam in Wollo are well known for their practice of donations for the needy, which is called Sedeqah.
This practice is about a daily ritual aiming to feed the poor and inspired this writer to investigate documents about the virtues of Islam.
Such practice of providing the needy with affordable material is called sadaqah. Apart from its religious significance, sedeqah promotes a sense of togetherness among people from different social strata.
‘Sadaqa’ literally means ‘righteousness’ and refers to the voluntary giving of alms or charity. But in Islamic terminology; Sadaqah has been defined as an act of “Giving something to somebody without seeking a substitute in return and with the intention of pleasing Allah.” According to Ar-Rageeb al-Asfahaani “Sadaqa is what the person gives from what he possesses, like Zakat, hoping to get closer to Allah.”
The term ‘Sadaqah’ stems from the Arabic root word ‘sidq’ which means sincerity and it is considered as a sign of sincere faith. The three-letter root of this word, S-D-Q, also means, “to speak the truth,” “to be sincere,” and “to fulfill one’s promise.” All of these aspects of honorable behavior indicate the links between generosity and a healthy society.
Some modern researchers also try to etymologically link the word sadaqah to the Hebrew (almsgiving). Some experts hence conclude that sadaqah is a loanword.
The word zakah occurs thirty times in the Quran, out of which, twenty-seven times it is linked with prayer. There are three places where it has not been linked … (Suratul Fussilat, 41: 7). The zakah mentioned in these thirty places is in reference to the obligatory zakah. However, Sadaqah (non-obligatory charity) and its plural (sadaqat) occurs thirteen times in the Qur’an; five times as Sadaqah, eight times as its plural.
Sadaqat is very wide term and used in the Quran to cover all kinds of charity. Sadaqat means to give alms and also legal alms for which the word zakat is used in the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad. Zakat has been called sadaqat because it is also a kind of compulsory charity. It is an obligatory sadaqa while ordinary sadaqa are voluntary. Thus, zakat has to be collected by the muhtasib (collector) or the government — the Islamic state as a Compulsory levy.
According to Quran, Sadaqa leads into the purification of the benefactor. Quran says that sadaqa should not be necessarily be in a material form and can be a “voluntary effort”, or a kind word.
This is in agreement with a narration attributed to Muhammad which says “every good deed is a form of sadaq.”Kind words and “compassion” is better than sadaqa accompanied by “insult”, from the viewpoint of Quran, and it is better for the donations to be offered “discreetly” to those in need rather than doing it in public in order to be acknowledged by them.
The Quran also criticizes donating aimed at appearing generous or compromising the value of sadaqa by “ostentatious public behavior” done just to “render a normally charitable act purely self-serving.” Quran suggests that sadaqa is not meant only to support the poor, but also can be donated to others who “were not visibly in need” and also who either needed assistance to enhance their life or required to be directed towards new jobs and “economic opportunities”.
In Islam, there are many forms of ongoing charity, including Zakat and Sadaqah. While both types of charity are encouraged, there are important differences.
Zakat is an obligatory act of charity that forms one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Sadaqah, on the other hand, is entirely voluntary and brings a range of benefits to both the recipient and the donor.
Sadaqah describes a voluntary charitable act towards another being, whether through generosity, love, compassion or faith. These acts are not always physical or monetary; simple things like a good deed, a helping hand, a smile, guiding others towards the right path and preventing evil are all seen as acts of Sadaqah.
Sadaqah jariya describes charitable acts that are both voluntary and ongoing, to benefits others for today and for the future, too. These acts hold more benefit for the recipients, and, as such, can benefit the donor, too.
In Islam, there are many sadaqah jariyah ahadith that describe the benefits of these acts. It is believed by many that the reward for these acts is so great that is can continue long after an individual has passed, so long as the benefits of the act continue to be felt by others.
In fact, many choose to perform acts of sadaqah jariyah on behalf of their deceased loved ones in order for the ongoing rewards to benefit the deceased in their Hereafter.
The Ethiopian Herald February 13/2020
BY LAKACHEW ATINAFU
