INFAQ & SADAQAH
The definition of infaq comes from the word anfaqa - yunfiqu, which means spending or financing related to efforts to get closer to or obey the commandments of Allah SWT.
Allah SWT commands us to spend some of the sustenance given to us by Allah in a way that is pleasing to Him, such as providing for the family, sadaqah, zakat, and other social deeds.
Allah SWT says: "The example of those who spend in the way of Allah is like a seed that grows seven stalks, each stalk containing a hundred seeds. And Allah is All-Wide (His bounty) and All-Knowing." (QS. Al-Baqarah verse 261).
Sadaqah and Infaq have conditions set by Allah SWT, including :
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Sadaqah and Infaq we give have no side effects, meaning that they are not accompanied by attitudes, words, or treatments that hurt the recipient. Avoid hardship or crowded queues. It may increase the value of sadaqah or worship. If the alms are given to many people, it can be done through a trustworthy institution so that the distribution can be well organized and right on target, not scrambling and jostling which causes collisions and jostling.
Honoring the recipient of sadaqah or infaq is of higher value than sadaqah or infaq which is accompanied by actions that hurt the recipient (see; QS Al-Baqarah verses 262-263).
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The value of sadaqah is lost and invalidated if it is accompanied by riya (hoping for praise).
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Issuing good infaq, not defective/rotten (QS. Al-Baqarah verse 267).
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Sadaqah may be given in secret, with the right hand giving and the left hand not knowing (QS. Al-Baqarah verse 271). Sadaqah may also be given in public as long as it is polite, organized, safe, and respectful.
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Giving alms is prioritized to the oppressed poor (the Mustadhafin). Allah SWT says: (Give alms) for the poor who are bound in the way of Allah, they cannot strive on earth (looking for a living). People who do not know them think they are rich because they choose to beg. You can recognize them by their appearance. They do not ask people repeatedly or beg. Whatever you give in charity is certainly well known to Allah." (QS. Al Baqarah verse 273).
Remember the fate of those crying in the hospital with no money, the hungry with nothing to eat, those scavenging through the garbage, the starving babies, the crawling elderly, and many others who need our help.
With infaq/sadaqah, Insha Allah, we will alleviate poverty. Give them a hook, this is more appropriate than giving them fish. Give alms sincerely, so that you may reap the harvest of your alms in the hereafter. Because the world is only a place to plant charity, while the hereafter is a place to reap without planting.
"Love those who creep on the earth, you will be loved by those who rule in the heavens"