As human beings living and coexisting on this planet , it is on us to prove our competence in taking the responsibility of being the custodians on Earth . This indeed is a huge burden on our shoulders ,never the less it’s a type of burden that develops a sense of satisfaction within our souls .There is no doubt that we all seek happiness in this life and the life to come in the hereafter ,the attempt to enlighten our lives with joy has led us to explore different methods to achieve this goal.
Religion and modern science go hand in hand in their conclusion of what really bring joy and happiness to humans ,whether they are sacred scriptures of modern research on happiness the ultimate find is serving humanity is the way to attain true happiness.
The religion of Islam is no different than other faiths in this conclusion and the glorious Quran being the final revelation of almighty Allah it is evident in many verses the importance of giving what is dear to our heart to those who are less fortune ,some of the prophet traditions go to the extend explaining that a believer is not a believer if they sleep and their neighbor is hungry .In these words of our beloved Prophet Muhammad PBUH it is a clear indication on the great importance that Islam put on the concept of giving .
Charity work is a form of goodness and any type of goodness would never be contradicting any true faith ,after all what good is this life if we don’t share the resources that were given to us in the first place by The Creator to those who are less fortune.
In our daily practices of worship we seek the pleasure of our creator and He The supreme power in this universe has allowed us to seek His pleasure through many means and charity is one of them.
The religion of Islam teaches us that charity is a part of belief and is to be practiced in any form or condition ,it even went to the extent that even those who are misfortunate can practice charity by expressing the minimum effort such as a smile towards others. This can only mean one thing ,that no one has an excuse not to be charitable in all circumstances.
The classical Islamic historians also show us some of the best examples of Muslims who were charitable , the settlers of Al Madinah ,those companions of the Prophet PBUH who opened their homes and shared their entire wealth with their less fortunate fugitive brothers who fled from Makkah running away from prosecution .
The highest ranks of charity work is to be proactive and initiate the goodness towards those who are misfortune before they ask for the support ,this only save them humility of asking and the other approach that would elevate us is to give them the best of what we have and not the things that we wouldn’t want for ourselves .
Islam is an entire system of life and only those who seek the greater happiness in this life of the hereafter would recognize what Islam would do to our weak souls .
Hatim Al Abdissalaam
April 2016
