Sadaqah vs Lillah
Question
What is the difference between Sadaqah and Lillah?
Answer
The term Sadaqah is an Arabic term which means “charity”. In terms of the Shariat there are three categories of Sadaqah:
1) Fardh Sadaqah such as Zakaat.
2) Waajib Sadaqah such as Sadaqatul Fitr.
3) Nafl Sadaqah which encompasses all voluntary charity.
When the word Sadaqah is used without specifying the type of Sadaqah it refers to Nafl Sadaqah as is the case in your query.
Literally the term “Lillah” is an Arabic phrase which would translate as “For (the sake of) Allah”. When used to describe a charity, it alludes to the purpose of doing the deed, which is to please Allah. Hence any charity done for the pleasure of Allah could be referred to as Lillah.
However, in our society Lillah is used as a synonym for Nafl Sadaqah and it is used interchangeably with the word Sadaqah. Thus, there is no real difference between the two, except for the wording that is used, depending on the user’s preference
- Approved by
- Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B.
Fatawa SA is an independent, read-only index of fatawa already published by Darul Ifta, Darul Uloom Azaadville. It is not a fatwa service. For your own situation, ask the issuing Darul Ifta directly.