Forty hadiths on the excellence of charity.
On the authority of Mu'awiyah Ibn Haydah, may Allah be pleased with him.
From the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"Indeed, secret charity extinguishes the wrath of the Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He."
Recorded by al-Tabarani and classified as hasan by al-Albani.
The meaning of the hadith regarding secret charity:
It refers to the expenditure that a person gives in private,
while being keen within himself to conceal it,
so that no one else knows about it.
This charity extinguishes the wrath of the Lord,
meaning it serves as a cause for that to happen.
Thus, it is possible for one who has angered his Lord through disobedience
to rectify that by giving secret charity,
for indeed, good deeds efface bad deeds.