The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Treat your sick ones with Sadaqah.”
Bayhaqi
The benefits of giving Sadaqa (charity) are numerous. In the afterlife Sadaqa benefits us as it removes sins, grants us shade on the day of judgment, and protects us from the hellfire. We also receive numerous benefits in the dunya such as protection from tribulations, extension of lifespans, and an increase in rizq (sustenance).1
Another major benefit of giving Sadaqa, as mentioned by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, is that it cures illnesses. The great Hadith Master Imam al-Bayhaqi told the story of how his teacher who was also a master of Hadith, Imam al-Hakim (the author of al-Mustadrak), received Shifa from an illness.
And in this same manner was the story of our Sheikh al-Hakim Abu Abdullah (may Allah have mercy on him). He had an illness which affected his face. He tried to treat it with various remedies but it would not heal. The illness remained for almost an entire year. So he requested the Imam Abu Uthman al-Sabuni to make dua for him in his gathering on Friday. He did this and many people were there saying Ameen. The next Friday, a woman (who was present during the dua) left a letter in the gathering saying that she had returned home and made a lot of dua for Imam al-Hakim that night. Then she saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in her sleep and he ﷺ said to her:
“Tell Abu Abdullah (Imam al-Hakim) to provide water to the Muslims”
I (Imam al-Bayhaqi) took the letter to Imam al-Hakim and he ordered for a water tanker to be built near the door of his house. Once the construction was completed, he ordered that water be poured into it and then for ice to be put into the water. People began to take water from it to drink and a week had not even passed before the Imam was cured, the illness was gone, and his face returned to being as beautiful as it ever was. He lived for a number of years after that.
Bayhaqi in Shu’b al-Iman
So as we see, the great Imam al-Hakim was cured due to the water he provided as Sadaqa. There are countless examples of such occurrences in the lives of Muslims throughout history. It is said that someone once complained to Sheikh Ahmed Habbal that he had cancer. Sheikh Ahmed told him to buy bundles of bread and distribute it to people. The man did this and he was cured.
Footnotes
1. Imam Ahmed Rida Khan was once sent a question from Bangladesh regarding seeking relief from calamities, droughts and famines by feeding people. He was asked if this was permissible. The Imam replied in the form of a short treatise in which he quoted 60 Hadith on the benefits of Sadaqah and derived from them 25 benefits of feeding the Muslims and the needy. An English translation by Ajmeri Press can be downloaded here.
Orthodox Muslim 