Pt 13. Charity: Values and Ethics in Action
I strongly believe that the most effective
way to engage the whole being of anyone is to involve them in service
to others. We live at a time when self-interest increasingly demands
that a tangible reward is given for every supposedly “good” act,
but what this does is actually to destroy the goodness of the act by
turning it into a manifestation of greed. Everything becomes reduced
to a profit and loss account, in which nothing is ever done for
reasons other than self-gratification or personal gain and
advancement.
Involvement in active charitable work or
community service which brings together different communities, both
the haves and have-nots, is immensely enriching to all. The poor,
deprived, or needy may be materially enriched, but the givers also
benefit immeasurably because of what they learn about the human
spirit, the joy of selfless giving without hope of reward, the
development of compassion and empathy, direct insight into the way of
life of others, and an understanding of the roots of true happiness.
My experience is that young people are hungering for involvement of
this kind because it is part of their innate humanity, and it is an
obligation on us to provide them with a context for its expression.
It is important to understand the Islamic
concept of charity has a wider application than that of charitable
“work” and “service” in the conventional sense: The Prophet
said, “Doing justice between two people is charity; assisting a man
upon his beast and lifting his baggage is charity; and pure,
comforting words are charity; and answering a questioner with mildness
is charity; and removing that which is inconvenience to wayfarers,
such as thorns and stones, is a charity.” The simple act of
“smiling in your brother’s face” is also charity.
The best Islamic education will cultivate
leadership in the area of active charitable work and in the many
expressions of a charitable heart. For Muslims, according to sayings
of the Prophet, “Charity is proof of iman (faith)” and is “a
duty unto every Muslim.”
Next: Contemporary Issues
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