Every joint needs charity

Arabic

كُلُّ سُلَامَى مِنَ النَّاسِ عَلَيْهِ صَدَقَةٌ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ تَطْلُعُ فِيهِ الشَّمْسُ: تَعْدِلُ بَيْنَ اثْنَيْنِ صَدَقَةٌ، وَتُعِينُ الرَّجُلَ فِي دَابَّتِهِ فَتَحْمِلُهُ عَلَيْهَا أَوْ تَرْفَعُ لَهُ عَلَيْهَا مَتَاعَهُ صَدَقَةٌ، وَالْكَلِمَةُ الطَّيِّبَةُ صَدَقَةٌ، وَبِكُلِّ خُطْوَةٍ تَمْشِيهَا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ صَدَقَةٌ، وَتُمِيطُ الْأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ صَدَقَةٌ.

Translation

Every joint of a person has a charity due upon it every day the sun rises. Judging justly between two is charity; helping a man with his mount is charity; a good word is charity; every step toward ṣalāh is charity; removing harm from the road is charity.

Narrator

Abū Hurayrah

Source

Bukhārī 2989 · Muslim 1009

Commentary

The body we wake up with is borrowed. This hadith gives a template for a quiet day that still fulfils the body's daily tax — not ostentatious, just present.