The smallest act of kindness counts as ṣadaqah.
Narrated by Abū Dharr (أبو ذر)
تَبَسُّمُكَ فِي وَجْهِ أَخِيكَ لَكَ صَدَقَةٌ
"Your smile in your brother's face is charity."
An accessible hadith that expands the definition of charity beyond wealth. A smile, a kind word, removing something harmful from the road, helping someone carry a burden — all are ṣadaqah. The one who cannot afford to give materially can still give this, and the scale of the record is the same.
Passages that draw on this hadith
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"The brother replied, "I would never break our brotherhood bond for your mistake. The devoted brother pledged to God that he would neither eat nor drink until God cured his brother of his desire. He fasted for forty days, continually asking about his brother’s condition, to which the brother replied, "My heart remains as it was."
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"For every utterance of glorification is a charity, every utterance of praise is a charity, every utterance of declaration of His greatness is a charity, every command to do good is a charity, every prohibition of wrongdoing is a charity, and in the intimacy of one of"
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"In a narration, it is said: "The son of Adam awakens, and every joint in his body owes a charity—each joint, totaling three hundred sixty joints. Commanding good is a charity, forbidding evil is a charity, helping the weak is a charity, showing the way is a charity,"
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"He replied: "Has Allah not given you that which you can offer in charity? Every tasbeeh [glorification] is charity, every tahmeed [praise] is charity, every tahleel [declaration of Oneness] is charity, every takbeer [affirmation of Allah’s greatness] is charity,"
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"enjoining good is charity, forbidding evil is charity, placing a morsel in your family's mouth is charity, and in the intimate relations of one of you there is charity. They said: "O Messenger of Allah, does one of us fulfill his desire and get rewarded for it?"
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"اللّٰه also says: "O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders or injury." These are two reasons that can occur after charity, nullifying it. اللّٰه likens the nullification of charity through reminders and injury to the state of the one who gives charity for show, nullifying the charity of each."
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"Al-Shu'bi stated, "Whoever does not see himself as more in need of the reward of charity than the poor are of his charity has invalidated his charity and thrown it in his face." Malik remarked, "We see no harm in a believer drinking from water given in charity,"
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"is charity. A good word is charity. Every step you take towards prayer is charity. Removing a harmful object from the road is charity." This حَدِيث is agreed upon. Seventh: Generosity with one's honor,"