It is narrated on the authority of Anas ibn Malik (Radiallahu Anhu) that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, “Sadaqah repels seventy different types of calamities. The least of them is leprosy and white liver. (al-Jami’us Sagheer- Faidhul Qadeer).
( الصدقة تمنع ) في رواية تسيد ( سبعين نوعا من أنواع البلاء أهونها الجذام والبرص ) جعل الصدقة كالدواء الذي [ ص 237 ] هو برهان على زوال الداء وهذا مما علمه الله لنبيه من الحكمة والطب الروحاني الذي يعجز عن إدراكه الخلق لعدم استطاعتهم حصر الكليات في المحسوسات إذ قصارى إدراكهم حصر الكليات المعقولات. (الجامع الصعير مع فيض القدير).
It is understood from this Hadith, that giving Sadaqah is a means of warding off calamities and hardships. Sadaqah is a general term which encompasses all voluntary good deeds. It may refer to giving money, reading optional prayers, smiling at a person or sacrificing an animal and donating it.
If one is sacrificing an animal as Sadaqah as a means of warding off some hardship or calamity, the person is at liberty to do as he wishes with the meat. He may give the entire animal in Sadaqah or he may keep a portion for himself and give the rest as Sadaqah. The more Sadaqah a person gives, the more he will be rewarded.
The reward is multiplied by giving Sadaqah to family members as it entails two good actions:
1) Giving Sadaqah
2) Joining and strengthening family ties
