Short answer
For voluntary charity, giving secretly is usually better, and the Quran says so. For zakat, many scholars say giving openly is fine or even better, so others are encouraged and no one doubts you pay it. Either way, what matters is the intention: showing off destroys the reward.
Concealing voluntary sadaqah is better, while making obligatory zakat known is permissible and often preferred, as long as it is free of showing off (riya). Neither is required.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The Quran says that charity given openly is good, but giving it secretly to the poor is better and removes some of your misdeeds. Among the seven people Allah will shade on the Day of Judgement, the Prophet ﷺ named a man who gives charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives.
Secrecy protects two things: your sincerity, because no one is watching, and the dignity of the person you help, who may be ashamed to be seen taking charity.
There are times when openness is good:
- Zakat is a duty like prayer. Many scholars, from Ibn Abbas onwards, say paying it openly is fine or better, so others follow and no one suspects you of withholding it.
- At a fundraising appeal, giving visibly can encourage others. The Prophet ﷺ praised the man who starts a good practice that others follow.
- The Quran also praises those who spend by night and day, secretly and publicly.
What ruins charity is not being seen but wanting to be seen. Giving to win praise, or reminding the poor of your favour, cancels the reward. Never make the recipient known, keep plaques and announcements modest, and check your heart. The four schools agree on these principles.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:271
إِن تُبْدُوا۟ ٱلصَّدَقَٰتِ فَنِعِمَّا هِىَ ۖ وَإِن تُخْفُوهَا وَتُؤْتُوهَا ٱلْفُقَرَآءَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۚ وَيُكَفِّرُ عَنكُم مِّن سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌۭ ﴿٢٧١﴾
If you disclose your charitable expenditures, they are good; but if you conceal them and give them to the poor, it is better for you, and He will remove from you some of your misdeeds [thereby]. And Allah, with what you do, is [fully] Acquainted.
Secret charity to the poor is better, though open charity is also good.
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:264
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُبْطِلُوا۟ صَدَقَٰتِكُم بِٱلْمَنِّ وَٱلْأَذَىٰ كَٱلَّذِى يُنفِقُ مَالَهُۥ رِئَآءَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ ۖ فَمَثَلُهُۥ كَمَثَلِ صَفْوَانٍ عَلَيْهِ تُرَابٌۭ فَأَصَابَهُۥ وَابِلٌۭ فَتَرَكَهُۥ صَلْدًۭا ۖ لَّا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَىٰ شَىْءٍۢ مِّمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ ﴿٢٦٤﴾
O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders or injury as does one who spends his wealth [only] to be seen by the people and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day. His example is like that of a [large] smooth stone upon which is dust and is hit by a downpour that leaves it bare. They are unable [to keep] anything of what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.
Showing off and reminding the recipient destroy the reward.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1423
Sahih... ورجل تصدق بصدقة فأخفاها حتى لا تعلم شماله ما تنفق يمينه ...
"And a man who gives charity and hides it, so that his left hand does not know what his right hand spends."
Secret charity earns a place in Allah's shade.
Sahih Muslim 1017
Sahih... من سن في الإسلام سنة حسنة فله أجرها وأجر من عمل بها ...
"Whoever starts a good practice in Islam has its reward and the reward of those who act on it."
Said at a charity appeal, when one man's visible gift led others to give.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Ahkam al-Quran (al-Jassas), Surah al-Baqarah, on verse 2:271. Concealment is better for voluntary charity; openness is better for obligatory zakat.
- al-Majmu', Kitab Qasm al-Sadaqat, on voluntary charity. Concealing voluntary charity is better; openness in zakat is better.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.