The Prophet (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) said:
إِنَّكَ لَنْ تُنْفِقَ نَفَقَةً تَبْتَغِي بِهَا وَجْهَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا أُجِرْتَ عَلَيْهَا، حَتَّى مَا تَجْعَلُ فِي فَمِ امْرَأَتِكَ
“Indeed, you will not spend anything seeking thereby the Face of Allah, except that you will be rewarded for it—even the morsel that you place in the mouth of your wife.” (Al-Bukhārī no. 56.)
The important point here is the fact that one is “seeking thereby the Face of Allah”. So, spending on one’s wife and family with the intention of fulfilling one’s responsibility and seeking Allah’s reward turns this ordinary act into an act of worship that is rewardable.
The Prophet (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) said:
إِذَا أَنْفَقَ الْمُسْلِمُ نَفَقَةً عَلَى أَهْلِهِ وَهُوَ يَحْتَسِبُهَا، كَانَتْ لَهُ صَدَقَةً.
“When a Muslim spends on his family, seeking reward for it from Allah, it is regarded as sadaqah (charity) for him.” (Al-Bukhārī 5351).
The Prophet (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) said:
أَفْضَلُ دِينَارٍ يُنْفِقُهُ الرَّجُلُ دِينَارٌ يُنْفِقُهُ عَلَى عِيَالِهِ
“The best dinar that a man spends is a dinar that he spends on his family…” (Muslim no. 994).
The Prophet ﷺ said:
خَيْرُ الصَّدَقَةِ مَا كَانَ عَنْ ظَهْرِ غِنًى، وَابْدَأْ بِمَنْ تَعُولُ
“The best charity is that which is given when one has sufficient, and begin with those whom you support.” (Al-Bukhārī no. 5356).
Abū Dharr (Allah be pleased with him) reported that some of the Companions of the Prophet (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) said: “O Messenger of Allah, the wealthy have taken all the rewards. They pray as we pray, fast as we fast, and they give charity from their surplus wealth.”
He (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) said: “Has Allah not given you that with which you can give charity? Indeed, every statement of subhānallāh is a charity, every statement of Allahu akbar is a charity, every statement of alhamdulillāh is a charity, every statement of lā ilaha illallāh is a charity; commanding what is good is a charity; forbidding what is wrong is a charity; and in the [halāl] sexual intercourse of one of you there is charity.”
They said: “O Messenger of Allah, does one of us satisfy his sexual desire and receive a reward for it?”
He (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) said: “Tell me, if he were to fulfil it an unlawful manner, would there be a sin upon him? Likewise, if he fulfils it in what is lawful, he will have a reward.” (Muslim no. 1006)
These narrations show that permissible worldly activities can become acts of worship when a person has a righteous intention. So, a husband can be rewarded for feeding his wife, providing her clothing, paying for her necessities, supporting his children, and even fulfilling his marital desires, provided these are done within the Sharīʿah guidelines, and with the intention of seeking Allah’s reward.
Abu Khadeejah.
