Best Kind Of Charity
﷽ “A man said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which kind of charity is best? He said: ‘Giving charity when you are in good health, and feeling stingy, hoping for a long life and fearing poverty.”‘ -Sunan an-Nasa’i : 2542 ; Classified : sahih ~~~~~ “The Messenger of Allah said: “The best kind of charity is that which is given when you are rich, and the upper hand is better than the lower hand, and start with those for whom you are responsible.”‘ -Sunan an-Nasa’i : 2543 ; Classified : sahih ~~~~~ A man asked the Prophet, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! What kind of charity is the best?” He replied. “To give in charity when you are healthy and greedy hoping to be wealthy and afraid of becoming poor. Don’t delay giving in charity till the time when you are on the death bed when you say, ‘Give so much to soand- so and so much to so-and so,’ and at that time the property is not yours but it belongs to so-and-so -Sahih al-Bukhari : 2748 ~~~~~ Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “The best alms is that which you give when you are rich, and you should start first to support your dependants.” -Sahih al-Bukhari : 5356 ~~~~~ Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “The best object of charity is a she-camel which has (newly) given birth and gives plenty of milk, or a she-goat which gives plenty of milk; and is given to somebody to utilize its milk by milking one bowl in the morning and one in the evening.” -Sahih al-Bukhari : 5608 ~~~~~ Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The most virtuous of charitable spending is the shade of a tent in the cause of Allah, or giving a servant in the cause of Allah, or a riding camel in the cause of Allah.” -Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1627 ; Classified : Hasan Salam
What exactly to give is a personal choice and can vary in time and space. If you can fulfill a halal need of a needy person or the society in general then you have made a good charity.