http://www.radioislam.org.za/a/index.php/resources/library/172-zakaah/11761-sadaqah-virtues-of-spending.htm
excerpts taken from fazail e sadqat......
Allah says in the Quran....
(O Muslims!) You will not attain unto piety until you spend of that which you love. (Ale-Imran-92)
which means.....
Anas Radhiallaho anho has said that among the Ansaars Abu Talhah Radhiallaho anho possessed the largest number of date palms. He had a garden called Beerhaa which he liked most. It was situated just in front of Masjid Nabavi and Rasulullah Sallallaho alaihe wasallam used to visit it often and drink from the sweet water it contained. When the above mentioned Ayat was revealed, Abu Talhah Radhiallaho anho came to Rasulullah Sallallaho alaihe wasallam and said, "Allah Jalla Shanohu has said:
"You will never attain piety unless you spend of that which you love". Among all my possessions I love the Beerhaa garden most; so I give it in Sadaqah for Allah’s sake, hoping to receive rewards and blessings from Allah; O Rasulullah, "You can spend it as you desire". Rasulullah Sallallaho alaihe wasallam said, "Well done! It is a very profitable property. I deem it appropriate that you should distribute it amongst your relatives".
Abu Talhah Radhiallaho anho agreed and gave the garden away to his cousins and other relatives. Another Hadith says that Abu Talhah submitted, "O Rasulullah, my garden which is most valuable has been given away in charity and, if I could I would not let anyone know my Sadaqah, but secrecy is not possible in giving away a garden". Ibne Umar Radhiallaho anho says that, when he learnt about this Ayat, he considered all his possessions which Allah Ta’ala had given him, to decide which one was the dearest to him. He saw that his slave-girl Marjanah was the dearest to him.
So he set her free. He further said that if he wanted to benefit the second time from her, he could have taken her as his wife after her freedom, which was permissible and there would have been no reduction in the reward for the Sadaqah. But, in that case it would have looked like getting back what had been given away as Sadaqah, so he gave her in marriage to his slave, Nafay. In another Hadith it is said that Ibne Umar Radhiallaho anho while praying happened to recite the above Ayat and, while he was in the Salaat, set free one of his slave-girls by a gesture.
The noble Sahabah Radhiallaho anhum had a perfect understanding of the importance of the sacred commands of Haq Ta’ala Shanohu and His revered Rasul Sallallaho alaihe wasallam and took an exemplary initiative in obedience to the orders given. They, in this regard, deserve to be followed. Indeed, they were the type who really deserved to be the companions (Sahabah) of Muhammad Sallallaho alaihe wasallam and his befitting servants and followers.
Umar Radhiallaho anho wrote to Abu Moosa Ash’ari Radhiallaho anho to purchase for him a slave-girl from among those who came from Jaloola. The latter purchased one of the best and sent her to Umar Radhiallaho anho, who beckoned her and recited the above Ayat and set her free. Muhammad Ibne Munkadir Radhiallaho anho has said that when this glorious Ayat was revealed, Zaid Ibne Harithah Radhiallaho anho had a horse which was the dearest thing to him. He took the horse to Muhammad Sallallaho alaihe wasallam, and submitted that it was for charity.
Rasulullah Sallallaho alaihe wasallam accepted the horse and gave it away to Zaid’s own son Usamah Radhiallaho anho. Zaid Radhiallaho anho was somewhat uneasy over the decision, thinking that the horse thus came back to the family, but Rasulullah Sallallaho alaihe wasallam explained and said, "Your Sadaqah has been accepted by Allah Jalla Shanohu, which means that it has been well paid. Having received the horse for charity, it then depends on me to give it to your son or any one else, a relative or a stranger: You did not give it to your son, which might have reflected as self-interest but you gave it to me to do what I liked."
A certain person from the tribe of Bani Sulaim narrated that Abu Zarr Ghifari Radhiallaho anho resided in the village of Rabza, where he had his camels and an old man to look after them. A tribesman (of Bani Sulaim) lived in the neighbourhood.
He came to Abu Zarr Radhiallaho anho and requested permission to live with him and offered himself for the help of the old man, so as to derive moral benefit by being close to Abu Zarr Radhiallaho anho and receive the blessings of Allah Ta’ala through his company. Abu Zarr Radhiallaho anho replied that only a person who would comply with his orders could live as his companion.
If the tribesman was fully prepared for that condition, he had no objection to his stay. The man asked, "What are those matters in which you demand obedience." Abu Zarr Radhiallaho anho said, "Whenever I order you to bring something to be given away, you must choose the best of the available things." The man agreed to do so and remained with Abu Zarr Radhiallaho anho for a period of time.
Once Abu Zarr Radhiallaho anho learnt that some people living across the water course were badly off. He wanted to help them, so he ordered the tribesman to bring a camel from his herd. The man went and looked for the best one, and found a he-camel strong and well trained, which he thought of taking to Abu Zarr Radhiallaho anho but it occurred to him that this was a fit animal for breeding, so he left it out and chose the next best, which was a shecamel, and took it to Abu Zarr Radhiallaho anho By chance, Abu Zarr Radhiallaho anho saw the he-camel which the man had selected first. So, Abu Zarr told the man that he had committed a breach of trust. The man understood the position and replaced the she-camel with the he-camel. Abu Zarr Radhiallaho anho then asked the people around if two of them would volunteer to do a good deed for him. Two men came forward, Abu Zarr asked them if they would slaughter the camel and divide its meat into as many pieces as the number of houses along side the water course and deliver a piece to each house.
He also told them to count his own house amongst those and deliver a piece there of exactly the same size as that for others. The two men agreed to do the needful and accomplished the whole task.
Abu Zarr Radhiallaho anho then called the tribesman and asked him if he had forgotten the promise, which he had made before and told him that in that event, he had an excuse, or otherwise he had intentionally overlooked that undertaking.
The man replied that he had not forgotten it and explained that when he looked round the herd and found the hecamel to be the best in the whole lot; he thought that this animal met Abu Zarr’s needs and requirements. Abu Zarr Radhiallaho anho enquired, "Did you really leave it for the sake of my needs?" The man replied in the affirmative, whereupon Abu Zarr Radhiallaho anho said, "Shall I tell you the time of my real need? It shall be the time when I will be placed in the grave and that would be the time of my utter helplessness and need! There are three partners in your property.
One is fate, which does not wait for anything but would take away your property, good or bad (I may think of a certain thing to be good and useful for a particular occasion and keep it for that, but without knowing whether it would be available at that particular time). In that case why should I not deposit and reserve it now for the Akhirah, in the treasure of Allah Ta’ala.
The other partner is your heir, who is always waiting for the occasion when you would land in your grave and he would receive all your property. The third partner is you yourself, (i.e. you can use it for yourself); therefore try and make sure that you are not the least recipient of all. Let it not happen that fate snatches it away and renders it useless or the heir rushes to own it; the best of all would be to hurry up and deposit it in the treasury of Allah Ta’ala Shanohu. Besides this, Allah Ta’ala has said: "You will not attain unto piety until you spend of that which you love" Therefore that camel which was very dear to me, why should I not reserve it for myself and send it ahead of me for safe custody?"
Another Hadith relates that Ibne Umar Radhiallaho anho used to buy sugar and distribute it among the poor. His servant once submitted that it would be better if bread were given to the poor instead of sugar, as they would benefit more from it. He agreed with the suggestion but said that Haq Ta’ala Shanohu has said: "You will not attain unto piety until you spend of that which you love" Since, he himself loved sugar most, he gave the same to the poor (Durre Manthur). The Sahabah, even if they considered some action desirable, always preferred to act literally, according to the command of Allah Ta’ala Shanohu and His revered Rasul Sallallaho alaihe wasallam.
There are many examples of this, in the Ahadith, indicating the height of love in doing something exactly according to the words of their loved one, even when there is an alternative apparently more appropriate