Make charity a daily habit

by | Jun 14, 2020 | 0 comments

Maimuna Al-Sulaimani 

Someone recently asked me whether I believe in charity. It was not a difficult question to answer, yet, I felt that if I were to answer that question, it must truly reflect something that my heart believes in.
The answer must contain the essence of my belief.

I immediately replied that I believe in being kind and that passing a good deed forward was commendable, I did not engage in a standard reply that yes, I believe in charity.

I mean, it is not that I don’t believe in charity. But, charity as in the popular usage today is not exactly what I subscribe to. I feel that charity today is an overused word. And while some seem to mouth it, there are others who are doing it too. But, somehow, I feel that everyone seems to be doing and indulging in charity, for the good or for the worse; most of them in the name of society, or religion or some belief.

I grew up learning that charity should not be publicised. What you do should be for the good. No act of goodness need to be publicised. The left arm should not know what the right arm is doing, they say! When you do a good deed, you satisfy your soul, your heart and that feeling gives you strength and clarity of thoughts. What is the need to go on top of the roof and shout it out to the world? Why do you want someone else to know that you have done some charity?

And, tell me, what exactly is charity? Should we all believe in charity? Should we all propagate charity? Is there good and bad charity? So many questions…

Charity is basically a conscious act of extending kindness and care to others unconditionally; a decision made by the heart, without expecting a reward, or for that matter, anything in return.

The question that I would like to ask is this: If charity is unconditional, why should we limit it to only occasions? Are these poor, needy and deprived not suffering on all the 365 days of the year? Are they suffering only during a particular occasion? Are they suffering only during a month? The other 335 days they are living a full, happy, well-to-do life? We should ask ourselves these questions.

Therefore, if you ask me, I believe charity should be done throughout the year and by everyone. While we thank God Almighty for our own good life, we should also extend the blessings we have been showered upon to those who desperately need it; we should pass on goodness and spread kindness, however small or big it is, to the members of the community that we live in.

This is the only way we can give back to the universe for the abundance that it has given us and give back to the society that we live in for having nurtured us, and our lives. So in a nut shell, charity or rather acts of kindness should be done by all and also on all days. I am of the belief that charity is not something to be relegated to special days.

Charity is an act that is our responsibility as a human being to our fellow beings. Charity is something that has to be taught to our kids’ right from day one and to make them understand that there is nothing greater in life than giving to those who do not have anything.

Moreover, charity must be sustainable and it should comply with the laws. Charity must be licensed, operated with the highest standards of governance where efficient and reliable persons are selected to run it, and soundly managed to ensure that it reaches to those it is intended to benefit. In the end, I have to say this: If God has provided us with everything, it is our duty to give whatever we can to those who do not have anything. So let us make it beyond everything and unconditional… let us be kind throughout the year and throughout our lives! Let’s make this truly a better world!

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