Subject: Self-Sacrifice and Charitable Giving
Dear respected teacher,
With reference to the noble Qur’an, I would like to ask about charitable giving and self-sacrifice.
There are many verses concerning charitable giving. I will mention a few examples:
1) Part of verse 219 of Sūrat al-Baqara:
وَ يَسْئَلُونَكَ ما ذا يُنْفِقُونَ قُلِ الْعَفْوَ ....
“They ask you what they should give in charity. Say: ‘What is surplus to your needs.’”
2) Verse 128 of Sūrat al-Baqara:
وَ أَنْفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَ لا تُلْقُوا بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى التَّهْلُكَةِ وَ أَحْسِنُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ.
“Spend in the way of God, and do not, by your own hands, cast yourselves into ruin. Do good; surely God loves those who do good.”
3) Hadith
Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 93, p. 168, hadith 12.
Imam al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever gives away all his wealth in the way of God has not acted rightly.” The term “those who do good” in the verse has been understood to refer to those who are moderate and balanced in their lives.
Verses related to self-sacrifice:
1) Verse 9 of Sūrat al-Ḥashr:
وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّءُوا الدَّارَ وَالْإِيمَانَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِمَّا أُوتُوا وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ ۚ وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
“And those who, before them, had made their home in the abode and in faith, love those who have emigrated to them, and find no desire in their hearts for what they have been given. They give them preference over themselves, even though they too are in need. Whoever is protected from the greed of their own soul—it is they who are truly successful.”
2) Verse 8 of Sūrat al-Insān:
وَيُطۡعِمُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِۦ مِسۡكِينࣰا وَيَتِيمࣰا وَأَسِيرًا
My question:
In the context of charitable giving, emphasis is placed on moderation: one should give what is surplus to one’s needs, and avoid excess.
At the same time, those who put others and their needs before their own—that is, who practise self-sacrifice—are praised and counted among the successful. In a hadith, self-sacrifice is described as the noblest form of goodness (al-īthār ashraf al-iḥsān).
Question 1: If possible, I would be grateful for your explanation. Is there a contradiction here, or not?
Question 2: Where should one practise self-sacrifice? Is it always better to give others preference? Are there limits to it? And in what circumstances and for whom should one give in charity?
Thank you, and please remember us in your prayers.
َّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ