Charity for Every Joint, Every Day: Hadith 26 of an-Nawawi

You wake up, stretch, bend your fingers and get out of bed without a second thought. Every one of those joints is a gift, and the Prophet ﷺ taught that each of them owes a small charity every day the sun rises. This is Hadith 26 of Imam an-Nawawi’s collection, the charity for every joint hadith. The good news is that most of this charity costs no money at all: a fair word, a helping hand, a step to the masjid, and two short rak’ahs of Duha.

The hadith

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

Imam Muslim reports it too (Sahih Muslim 1009), and Imam an-Nawawi gives it as Hadith 26 of his 40 Hadith.

Two rak’ahs of Duha cover it all

Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported a similar hadith that adds words of remembrance, and ends with a gift: two rak’ahs of the forenoon prayer are enough for all of it.

The last line, وَيُجْزِئُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ رَكْعَتَانِ يَرْكَعُهُمَا مِنَ الضُّحَى, is why Duha is such a valuable habit. For more on it, see 3 Daily Sunnahs the Prophet ﷺ Advised.

What the charity for every joint hadith means

The Encyclopedia of Translated Prophetic Hadiths (HadeethEnc) explains that every accountable Muslim should give a voluntary charity each day for each of his joints, as thanks to Allah for good health and for bones that let him hold things and move. It adds that this charity is not limited to money. The hadith itself names these:

• Judging fairly between two people, which HadeethEnc also connects with making peace between people who have fallen out.
• Helping someone with his ride: lifting him onto it or loading his luggage. Today that could be helping someone into a car or carrying a heavy bag.
• A good word, وَالْكَلِمَةُ الطَّيِّبَةُ صَدَقَةٌ. HadeethEnc gives examples such as remembering Allah, making dua and greeting with salam.
• Every step to the prayer.
• Removing something harmful from the road.

Among the benefits HadeethEnc lists: our bones and health are among Allah’s great blessings, gratitude for them should be renewed every day, good deeds should be kept up daily, and helping a fellow Muslim is itself a charity.

Blessings we cannot count

The Quran reminds us how far Allah’s favors go beyond what we can number:

Reflection: I find this hadith humbling because it turns thanks into something we do with our bodies, not just something we say. We cannot count Allah’s favors, but we can answer the ones we use every day, our joints, with small acts that use those same joints: walking to the prayer, lifting a neighbor’s bag, picking up a thorn or a bottle from the path.

How to put it into practice

The hadith does not set a list for each day, so these are suggestions:

• Pray two rak’ahs of Duha in the forenoon, as Sahih Muslim 720 says they suffice.
• Fill gaps with dhikr, since every tasbih is charity too; see Hadith 25.
• Walk to the masjid when you can, and count each step as charity.
• Help someone with a load, or help two people settle a disagreement fairly.
• Clear the path: move a stone, a nail or litter that could hurt someone.

Key lessons

• Every joint owes a charity each day the sun rises, as thanks to Allah.
• Most of this charity costs no money: fairness, help, a good word, steps to prayer.
• Removing harm from the road is charity.
• Two rak’ahs of Duha suffice for all of it (Sahih Muslim 720).

Questions people ask

One thing for today: before the sun is high, pray two rak’ahs of Duha, and let them be your thank you for every joint that carried you this morning.

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