- By Khurram Murad -
Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“There is no person who does not have the obligation of (doing) charity every day that the sun rises.”
Whereupon he was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, from where would we get something to give in charity (so often)?” To which he (peace and blessings be upon him) replied,
“Indeed the gates to goodness are many: glorifying God, praising Him, magnifying Him, saying ‘There is no god but Allah,’ enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong, removing (any source of) harm from the road, making the deaf hear (and understand), guiding the blind, showing the seeker his need, striving as far as your two legs could carry you and with deep concern to give succor to him who asks, carrying with the strength of your arms (the burdens of) the weak. All these are (acts of) charity.”And he added,“And your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, your removing of stones, thorns, and bones from people’s paths is charity, and your guiding a man gone astray in the world is charity for you.”
Any person who comes across this beautiful saying must pause for some moments to consider some of its meanings and implications. The hadith has two main concerns:
- Awakening the springs of goodness in the human heart
- Strengthening the society with the bond of love, affection, and brotherhood
Charity, as it is traditionally understood, consists of money or various objects given by the rich to help the poor or by the strong to help the weak. Charity, according to this understanding, is extremely narrow and its effects on the life of society are limited. The saying of the Prophet, however, takes charity out of this narrow, physical meaning and on to a spiritual plane that opens up a vast and limitless world by emphasizing that every good is charity. And on every person is the obligation of charity. This is a unique concept of charity. What is charity? Isn’t it “giving”? Indeed, so it is. Then let every act of giving be charity—even a smile in the face of your brother. Charity has a physical and a spiritual dimension which are thus fused into one so that a person can say in giving charity: Take this penny or take this helping hand or take this feeling!
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