As You Give, so You Shall Get

لَن تَنَالُوا۟ ٱلْبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُوا۟ مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا۟ مِن شَىْءٍ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ بِهِۦ عَلِيمٌ

You will never attain complete piety until you spend from that which you love, and whatever you spend, Allah Ta‘ala is fully aware of it.

Allah Ta‘ala will reward a person for whatever he spends for the sake of Deen in His path. However, the reward that is given varies depending on the sincerity and heart with which it is given, and also on the giver’s attachment to the item and love for it. In the abovementioned verse of the Quraan Majeed, Allah Ta‘ala informs us that in order for us to attain complete piety and earn the greatest reward, we will have to spend that which is most beloved to us in the path of Allah Ta‘ala.

When this verse of the Quraan Majeed was revealed, the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) immediately desired to attain the high ranks of piety and the great reward promised by Allah Ta‘ala. Hence, they identified the item that was most beloved to them and thereafter spent it in the path of Allah Ta‘ala.

Abu Talhah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) owned an orchard in Madeenah Munawwarah which was situated in close proximity to Musjid-e-Nabawi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). This orchard also contained a well named ‘Beer Haa’ which would give forth sweet water. As this was his most beloved possession, Abu Talhah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) promptly spent it in the path of Allah Ta‘ala. Similarly, Zaid bin Haarithah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) gave his horse, which was very dear to him, in the path of Allah Ta‘ala. (Ma‘aariful Quraan vol. 2, pg. 107-108)

From this verse, we understand that if we want our sadaqah to fetch value in the sight of Allah Ta‘ala, then together with us having sincerity, the item given should be of some worth and value. Hence, we should not reduce sadaqah to merely being a means of disposing of our unwanted items. Rather, if we wish our charity to fetch true value, we should give those things in sadaqah to which we feel attachment. In fact, the greater the attachment and fondness we feel for the item, the greater the reward we will receive.

Source: Uswatul Muslima