CHARITY THE ULTIMATE THING

Charity a way of your salvation

The season of giving (Ramadhan) is upon us once again and it’s time to reconnect with Allah and preform with more zeal all the religious activities. Although, we all are in isolation and enclosed at homes, I think it has given us more time to reflect and pray with piety instead of indulging in hoteling, ifftars and exuberant shopping sprees. People used to spend more on buying unnecessary stuff than  usual but its also the month of zakat and charity .During Ramadan everyone wants to give charity in the form of Zakat, Sadaqah and Zakat to those who are not that well off and are in dire need of your help and support. By doing so we not only earn Allah’s pleasure but also help in community building and keeping a balance in the society, otherwise the differential of have and have not will increase and may lead to an anarchy in the society.

In Islam Charity is considered as Sadaqat.  Sadaqat means to give alms and also legal alms for which the word zakat is used in the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad. Zakat has been called sadaqat because it is also a kind of compulsory charity. It is an obligatory sadaqa while ordinary sadaqa are voluntary. Islam is the religion which has placed a lot of emphasis on charity (sadaqat) and just to highlight this Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) has mentioned a greater stress on Sadaqat (Charity) he said:

“o truly care for one another, we must love for others what we love for ourselves”. What better way to love one another than to give charity? Apart from professing belief and prayer, charity is considered the third most important component of our faith. But what does our beloved Prophet say about charity? Why is it considered so important? Here are ten insightful hadith about why charity is so important.

1) There Are Many Forms of Charity

“A charity is due for every joint in each person on every day the sun comes up: to act justly between two people is a charity; to help a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings onto it, is a charity; a good word is a charity; and removing a harmful thing from the road is a charity.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

2) It Protects You from Calamity

The Prophet, upon him be peace, said: “Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity.” (Al-Tirmidhi)

3) It Protects You from Being Miserly

Muhammad, upon him be peace, said: “Avoid doing injustice to others, for on the Day of Judgment, it will turn into manifold darkness, and safeguard yourself against miserliness, for it ruined those who were before you. It incited them to murder and treating the unlawful as lawful.” (Muslim)

4) It Is A Good Deed That Never Ends

Muhammad, upon him be peace, said: “When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); a knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous descendant who prays for him (for the deceased).” (Muslim)

5) Charity Will Be A Shade on the Day of Judgment

The Prophet, upon be peace, said: “The believer’s shade on the Day of Resurrection will be his charity.” (Al-Tirmidhi)

6) It Protects You from the Hellfire

Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, said, “Protect yourself from hell-fire even by giving a piece of date as charity.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

7) It Increases What Allah (swt) Grants You

“Allah, the Exalted, says, ‘Spend, O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you.’” – Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

8) Charity Elevates Your Status

Muhammad, upon him be peace, said: “Charity does not in any way decrease the wealth and the servant who forgives, Allah adds to his respect; and the one who shows humility, Allah elevates him in the estimation (of the people).” (Muslim)

9) Seek Only Allah (swt)’s Pleasure with Charity

The Prophet, upon him be peace, said: “A crafty one, a miser, and one who keeps reminding people of what he has given, will not enter Paradise.” (Tirmidhi)

10) Don’t Delay in Giving Charity

“Do not show lethargy or negligence in giving alms and charity till your last breath.” -Muhammad, peace be upon him (Bukhari and Muslim).

Islam has five guiding pillars, one of which is Zakat, the giving of alms to the poor and needy is an important one. It is considered a purifying tax for all adults of sound minds and means, and is viewed as an obligation, and a means of recognizing that everything that a Muslim has belongs to Allah. Islam teaches the sharing of wealth for the needs of others, to allow the less fortunate to stand on their own two feet. The Qur’an specifies eight groups which are eligible to receive Zakat:

Ø  The Fuqara’, The poor.

Ø  Al-Maskin,  The needy.

Ø  Aamileen,  Zakat collector.

Ø  Muallafatul Quloob,  The poor and needy who recently converted to Islam;

Ø  Ar-Riqaab Slaves,  Zakat can be used to purchase their freedom;

Ø  Ibnus-Sabeel,  A stranded traveller in need of financial assistance;

Ø  Al Ghaarimeen:, People in debt; and

Ø  Fi Sabeelillah,  Those who are away from home in the path of Allah.

Now let’s see what charity means in other religions , The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need, as a humanitarian act. There are a number of philosophies about charity, often associated with religion. Effective altruism is the use of evidence and reasoning to determine the most effective ways to help others. The word charity originated in late Old English to mean a "Christian love of one's fellows. Aside from this original meaning, charity is etymologically linked to Christianity, with the word originally entering into the English language through the Old French word "charité", which was derived from the Latin "caritas", a word commonly used in the Vulgate New Testament to translate the Greek word agape (ἀγάπη), a distinct form of "love. Over time, the meaning of charity has shifted from one of "Christian love" to that of "providing for those in need; generosity and giving.

Most forms of charity are concerned with providing basic necessities such as food, water, clothing, healthcare and shelter, but other actions may be performed as charity: visiting the imprisoned or the homebound, ransoming captives, educating orphans, even social movements. Donations to causes that benefit the unfortunate indirectly, such as donations to fund cancer research, are also charity. A philosophical critique of charity can be found in Oscar Wilde's essay The Soul of Man Under Socialism, where he calls it "a ridiculously inadequate mode of partial restitution . . . usually accompanied by some impertinent attempt on the part of the sentimentalist to tyrannise over [the poor's] private lives", as well as a remedy that prolongs the "disease" of poverty, rather than curing it.

At times people confuses Philanthropy with charity, however Philanthropy consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material gain, and with government endeavors, which are public initiatives for public good, e.g., focusing on provision of public services. A person who practices philanthropy is a philanthropist.

Philanthropy is different from charity, though there is some overlap. Charity aims to relieve the pain of a particular social problem, whereas philanthropy attempts to address the root cause of the problem Charity, in Christian thought, the highest form of love, signifying the reciprocal love between God and man that is made manifest in unselfish love of one's fellow men. St. Paul's classical description of charity is found in the New Testament (I Cor.)

In Christianity, the importance of charity stems from the fact that according to the Bible Jesus identified himself with the poor and excluded, and said that Christians will be judged not on the beauty of their altars, but on the way that they treat others. It is based on the feeling of love and respect for your neighbour, and that your neighbour could be somebody on the other side of the world and completely different to you.[6] Christian Aid’s principles for example are based on the principle of love for God and your neighbour, and the support of those most in need.

Buddhism and Charity: In Buddhism, there is the distinct concept of Dana, which is related to the Sanskrit and Pali word for ‘donation’, but also includes sharing, and selfless giving without anticipation of return or benefit to the giver. The Charities Aid Foundation hypothesises that the high proportion of people donating money in Buddhism, is likely due to the prevalence of small yet frequent acts of giving in support of those living a monastic lifestyle.

Judaism: In Judaism there is the unique concept of tzedakah, the obligation to perform charitable works. The word is derived from the Hebrew root Tzadei-Dalet-Qof which means righteousness, justice or fairness, meaning that while charity in English suggests benevolence and generosity, tzedakah is simply an act of justice and righteousness. It is an intrinsic part of Jewish beliefs and culture.

Whether we are offering emotional support for loved ones, volunteering our time to assist an organization, or donating money to charity, all this will earn us benefits not only in this world but also in the other world where we all will go after the day of Judgment. Some of the worldly benefits as a result of charity are:

Ø  Improved Self-Esteem & Self-Worth Are Health Benefits of Charitable Giving. This leads to a feeling of self-worth knowing that you’re offering much-needed resources to a great cause for those in need. As an added benefit, you and your loved one will both feel good about giving back to others.

Ø  Positive Moods and Low Depression Rates Due to the Psychology of Generosity. With positive self-esteem and self-worth comes a genuinely more optimistic mood and outlook on life as even more health benefits of giving.

Ø  Longer Life Expectancy Is a Result of The Psychology of Giving to Therapy as some studies show that the gift of giving and unselfishness is an altruistic personality trait that is closely aligned with people who live longer.

Ø  Improving the World Community. One person’s charitable giving can help the greater good of humanity; positively impacting more people than a giver may ever comprehend their donation could reach.

Ø  Make a Difference as the gift of giving always comes full circle. Giving is receiving and generosity is contagious. So, the next time you’re thinking about treating yourself, instead remember the positive benefits on your health that donating to charity can bring about, as well as the positive change you can help bring about around the world.

In the end I would like to say “Giving is not just about make a donation, it’s about making a difference”  As “Small acts when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” Another important thing which I would like to mention here is “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving or how we give is more important than how much we give.”

May God give courage to each one of you to support the poor and needy ones especially in this Covid-19 Pandemic with as much as you can or even beyond what you can May God Bless You All.

By: Ovais Asad Khan