Charity to those in need (and what if..)

Have you ever wanted to give sadaqah (charity) to someone who asked or just to someone you don't know too well, and you wonder, if the person really deserves the sadaqah?

Because we should try to give our sadaqah to those who are really in need, and preferably to those who believe in Allah and the Last Day.

So in the end, we either end up not giving sadaqah at all, or we become troubled by trying to find the background, and then still end up not giving. Is it that difficult to give out sadaqah?

I am glad to have come across this hadith. (I don't know what the status of this hadith is yet. It's not from Sahih Bukhari, it's from Riyad-us-Saliheen that I saw online. I understand that not all hadith in the latter book is authentic. I hope this one is - I'll need to find out from someone learned.)

What this tells me, or reminds me is that of course, we will not be able to always know if a person is really in need, or if the person will end up using our money for something bad - but as long as we have done our due caution, and then we give out our sadaqah out of sincerity - for the sake of Allah SWT alone - to help, then insyaa Allah, our sadaqah is good.

So, let's not hold back and give sadaqah freely to those in need (to the best of our knowledge at the point).

Abu Hurairah (R.A) said : The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said : 'A man (from amongst the people before you) said : 'Indeed! I will give in charity." So he took his Sadaqah out and placed it in a thief's hand. In the morning the people were talking and saying,"Sadaqah was given to a thief last night."

The man said : 'O Allah! Praise be to You, I have given Sadaqah to a thief. Indeed, I will give in charity!'. So he took his Sadaqah out and he placed it in a prostitute's hand. In the morning the people were talking and saying 'Sadaqah was given to a prostitute last night.'

On hearing this, the man said, "Praise be to You, O Allah! I gave Sadaqah to a prostitute. Indeed, I will give in charity!". So he took his Sadaqah out and placed it in a rich man's hand. In the morning, the people were talking and saying 'Sadaqah was given to a rich man last night."

The man said: O Allah! Praise be to You (for helping me) give charity to a thief, a prostitute and a rich man'.

Then he had a dream in which he was told that this Sadaqah to the thief might result in his refraining from his theft, his Sadaqah to the prostitute might help her abstain from her immorality, and his Sadaqah to the rich man might help him pay heed and spend from what Allah had bestowed upon him.

Hadith #1865, Al Bukhari from the book Riyad-us-Saliheen