Illness and Charity: Healing through Giving in Islam

The Spiritual Remedy of Charity During Illness in Islam

Illness is from the Creator who created the entire universe, life, and death. He has made humans with a perfect structure, distinguished from all other creatures with intellect and understanding. In His hand are our breaths, bodies, souls, and every action and movement. When He wills, He makes someone ill, and when He wills, He grants healing. Therefore, a believer’s faith should be that only He is the giver of illness and the healer, and that no one else in the world has any power over life, death, illness, or healing. Illness can come as a trial or as a consequence of sins. How fortunate we are that both in happiness and sorrow, there are benefits for us, provided we show gratitude in happiness and patience in sorrow. The Prophet ﷺ said:

عَجَبًا لأَمْرِ المُؤْمِنِ، إنَّ أمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ خَيْرٌ، وليسَ ذاكَ لأَحَدٍ إلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ، إنْ أصابَتْهُ سَارَّاءُ شَكَرَ، فَكانَ خَيْرًا له، وإنْ أصابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ، صَبَرَ فَكانَ خَيْرًا له(صحيح مسلم:2999)

Translation: “The matter of a believer is amazing, for all of his affairs are good. This is not the case for anyone except a believer. If something good happens to him, he gives thanks, and that is better for him; and if something harmful befalls him, he is patient, and that is better for him.” (Sahih Muslim: 2999)

A great joy for the righteous from Allah is that even when they cannot perform the good deeds they would normally do due to illness, they are still rewarded as if they had performed them in good health. The Prophet ﷺ said:

إذا مرضَ العبدُ ، أو سافرَكُتِبَ له مثلُ ما كان يعملُ مُقيمًا صحيحًا (صحيح البخاري:2996)

Translation: “When a servant falls ill or travels, he is written down the same reward as when he was residing in good health.” (Sahih Bukhari: 2996)

When one of us falls ill, we should not despair. We must place complete trust in our Creator and Sustainer. We should seek treatment from doctors, pray to Allah for healing, and repent from our sins. Sometimes, people exhaust all efforts in treatment, spending large sums of money, and still do not find relief. In such cases, some people become deeply frustrated, and some even turn away from Allah and begin seeking help from others besides Him. Remember, seeking help from others besides Allah in times of illness and distress is major shirk, a sin that leads a person out of Islam, and if one dies in this state, they will be condemned to Hell forever.

A believer’s way during illness should be to place complete trust in Allah, hope only in His healing, and pray with repentance and seeking forgiveness. Even if the illness prolongs, they should not panic, rather they should exercise patience and restraint, believing that our Lord knows what is best for us and makes decisions full of wisdom and purpose.

In this article, I want to emphasize that just as Allah grants spiritual healing through prayers, supplications, and prescribed invocations, charity is also a spiritual remedy that can help in alleviating illness. Although there are various spiritual experiences shared by scholars, we can find many authentic sayings of the Prophet ﷺ that support the idea that giving charity during illness brings healing from Allah. To explain this, consider the example of someone suffering from blood cancer. Despite undergoing numerous treatments, the illness does not subside. In such a case, the person should first practice patience, for facing hardship with patience brings goodness. They should sincerely turn to Allah, and with this intention, give charity to the poor, the needy, and orphans, hoping that Allah will grant healing in exchange for this act of goodness. A well-known hadith that supports this is:

دَاوُوا مَرضاكُمْ بِالصَّدقةِ(صحيح الجامع:3358)

Translation: “Treat your sick ones with charity.” (Sahih Al-Jami: 3358)

Hardness of the heart is also an illness, and the spiritual remedy for this is to feed the poor and to show kindness to orphans. The Prophet ﷺ said:

إنْ أردتَ أنْ يَلينَ قلبُكَ ، فأطعِمْ المسكينَ ، وامسحْ رأسَ اليتيمِ(صحيح الجامع:1410)

Translation: “If you want your heart to soften, feed the poor and stroke the head of the orphan.” (Sahih Al-Jami: 1410)

If illness comes due to Allah’s displeasure or as a consequence of sins, charity can cool Allah’s anger and erase sins, potentially bringing an end to the illness. The Prophet ﷺ said:

إن صَدَقَةَ السِّرِّ تُطْفِئُ غَضَبَ الرَّبِّ تباركَ و تعالى(صحيح الترغيب:888)

Translation: “Indeed, secret charity extinguishes the anger of the Lord.” (Sahih Al-Targhib: 888)

Another hadith says:

والصَّدقةُ تطفئُ الخطيئةَ كما يطفئُ النَّارَ الماءُ(صحيح ابن ماجه:3224)

Translation: “Charity extinguishes sins just as water extinguishes fire.” (Sahih Ibn Majah: 3224)

Charity can also rescue someone from oppression, as seen in this narration:

وآمرُكم بالصَّدقةِ؛ فإنَّ مثَلَ ذلك كمثَلِ رجلٍ أسَره العدوُّ، فأوثَقوا يدَه إلى عنُقِه، وقدَّموه لِيَضرِبوا عُنقَه، فقال: أنا أَفْديه منكم بالقليلِ والكثيرِ، ففدَى نفسَه منهم(صحيح الترمذي:2863)

Translation: “I command you to give charity; its example is like that of a man captured by the enemy, his hands bound to his neck, and they are about to strike his neck. The man says, ‘I will ransom myself from you with whatever I have,’ and with that ransom, he frees himself.” (Sahih Al-Tirmidhi: 2863)

It is also important to remember that the best time to give charity is before illness strikes, as death has no set time. After death, a person’s wealth is passed on to their heirs. As one companion asked the Prophet ﷺ about the best and most superior charity, he replied:

أَنْ تَصَدَّقَ وَأَنْتَ صَحِيحٌ شَحِيحٌ، تَخْشَى الفَقْرَ، وَتَأْمُلُ البَقَاءَ، وَلَا تُمْهِلَ حتَّى إذَا بَلَغَتِ الحُلْقُومَ، قُلْتَ: لِفُلَانٍ كَذَا، وَلِفُلَانٍ كَذَا، وَقَدْ كانَ لِفُلَانٍ(صحيح مسلم:1032)

Translation: “Give charity while you are healthy, greedy, fearful of poverty, and hoping for longevity. Do not delay it until the moment when your soul reaches your throat and you say, ‘This is for so-and-so, and this is for so-and-so,’ but by then your wealth has already passed to your heirs.” (Sahih Muslim: 1032)

In this context, it is useful to share a true story narrated by Al-Dhahabi, who mentioned that Ibn Shuqayq reported hearing from Ibn Al-Mubarak about a man who had been suffering from knee pain for seven years. He sought various treatments and consulted many doctors, but nothing worked. Ibn Al-Mubarak advised him to dig a well in a place where people were in need of water, with the hope that Allah would make water flow from the well, and the bleeding from his knee would stop. The man did so, and by Allah’s will, he was healed. (Siyar A’lam al-Nubala 8/408)

When giving charity, there are a few points to remember:

First point: Give charity from good wealth, something that you would like for yourself. Allah’s command is: لَن تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِن شَيْءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ(آل عمران:92)
Translation: You will not attain righteousness until you spend from what you love, and whatever you spend, indeed Allah is All-Knowing about it.

Second point: Give charity in secret, not announcing it, even to your family and friends. Those who give charity in secret will find a place under the shade of Allah’s Throne on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet ﷺ said: ورَجُلٌ تَصَدَّقَ بصَدَقَةٍ فأخْفاها حتَّى لا تَعْلَمَ يَمِينُهُ ما تُنْفِقُ شِمالُهُ(صحيح مسلم:1031)
Translation: And a man who gives charity in such a way that his right hand does not know what his left hand has spent.

Third point: Give charity to a righteous person. The Prophet ﷺ said: لا تصاحبْ إلا مؤمنًا ، ولا يأكلْ طعامَك إلا تقيٌّ.(صحيح أبي داود:4832)
Translation: Do not associate with anyone except a believer, and let none but the pious eat your food.

In another narration, the Prophet ﷺ said: نِعْمَ المالُ الصَّالحُ للمَرءِ الصَّالحِ(صحيح الأدب المفرد:229)
Translation: How excellent is good wealth for a righteous person.

Fourth point: Do not remind others of your charity after giving it. Allah’s command is: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُبْطِلُوا صَدَقَاتِكُم بِالْمَنِّ وَالْأَذَىٰ كَالَّذِي يُنفِقُ مَالَهُ رِئَاءَ النَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۖ(البقرة:264)
Translation: O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders or injury, like the one who spends his wealth to show off to the people and does not believe in Allah or the Last Day.

Warnings about False Beliefs:

1. Some people believe that illness is due to jinn or an evil shadow in the house, and thus slaughter animals and spill their blood, thinking that this will remove the jinn or harmful things and cure the illness. This belief is false.
2. Similarly, some people keep animals or slaughter them as a preventive measure to protect themselves from jinn or harmful entities. This belief is also false and rejected.
3. There are also some people who, when moving into a new house, slaughter an animal or do so to protect the house and its inhabitants from the harm of jinn. All such practices are un-Islamic and constitute shirk (polytheism). However, if someone invites people to a feast or slaughters an animal out of joy for the blessings of their new home, there is no harm in this.

May Allah not test us with a trial in which we cannot succeed, and may He not give us any illness that becomes a source of trial for us.