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Name
khadijah
- Canada
Profession
social worker
Question
I'm a really busy person and I don't have a lot of time. By the time I get home I feel tired. This will be moreso in Ramadan. How can I do volunteer work in such a situation?
Answer
Bismillah Ar Rahmaanir Raheem
First I think that RAMADAN is a very special month to us.. so we should have to be most near to ALLAH as much as we can, and the voluntering work for me is a very important task that I can do even by being at home.
So how can I do volunteering work at home? Well as for our charitable organiization, we are making a slogan which says that call us we'll be there for u wherever. She can just call our charitable online number which is 07777100. Any profit we make from this is for orphan children.
Or she can call 023377714 and tell us if she wants to pay any donations for orphans or for poor people or for building a charitable hospital, and the volunteer will come to her/his home directly and give a receipt for the donation and she can pay him.
You can take your old clothes and give them away. Such things can be done from the home.
Name
amany
-
Profession
editor
Question
How can I make a balance between doing my duties in Ramadan and doing volunteer work?
Answer
Assalam alaikum and thanks for your question.
We should try to organize our work as much as we can so we will be able to do many things throughout the days, for example, just take 1 or 2 hours so that you can make packages of food for poor families. And after al azan you can go to them and check if they are in need of anything. You could specify a group of families to concentrate on during the month. Choose families who live in your area so it will be easier to contact them.
You could keep the ties of kinship by inviting family members for Iftar. Especially those you haven't contacted for some time. And make a renewed intention to keep close contact with them as there are a lot of blessings in doing so.
You could also help poor students to do their daily homework. And remember that it's a part of being a Muslim to help others and make them happy. May Allah reward you for your efforts.
Name
aishah
- United Kingdom
Profession
student
Question
Why is it important to do volunteer work especially in Ramadan?
Answer
Assalam alaikum,
Well Ramadan is the Holy month and the month when the Qur'an was first revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him). It is a time when whatever good we do, we are given much much reward for our efforts.
Also ALLAH told us that we should take care of the orphans and the poor people around us and for that we gain a great reward In shaa Allah and even more in Ramadan.
And it is important to do charitable work in life on a global scale. We never know how far-reaching our deeds are. If we make the intention to do good and to help others and then follow up that intention with good works, we will feel the month of worship.
There are always people in need around us so when you have time or are even going to work or leaving work or when you are at home or outdoors, you should look carefully at the people around you and see if they are in need and then help them for the sake of ALLAH.
Name
muhammad
- Colombia
Profession
teacher
Question
I don't do any volunteer work all year round. Can I do it only in Ramadan? Or is this hypocritical?
Answer
Assalam alaikum,
Well although the concept of worship is accentuated in Ramadan we shouldn't think that obedience to ALLAH should only be in Ramadan. It's a life long process. Obedience is a must in Ramadan as well as in any other month because doing charitable work is a part of obedience to Allah.
Even if you don't do volunteer work throughout the year, just start in Ramadan. You might find that it becomes a habit - a good habit and something that will continue throughout the coming year. Surely, we have the chance in Ramadan to create good habits for ourselves. May Allah give us strength to persevere in doing good.
Name
Aziz
- Denmark
Profession
writer
Question
How can I be a volunteer? What are my duties?
Answer
Assalam alaikum,
Simply you should think about what you can offer your society. Choose something you like to do; something you are good at. It could be things like befriending lonely people (if you're a good communicator with a friendly personality), helping poor students (if you're good at teaching and a patient person), preparing food for the poor (if you can cook!).
Allocate some time to do these good things. At the same time don't make a burden for yourself. Muslims should be balanced in every part of life, including how we arrange our time and activities.
For more examples of volunteer work that you can do in Ramadan - you can go and visit orphans, you can also go and visit poor families and see what you can offer them in the way of packages of food and medical care. You can also pay for their school and college payments. You can also serve poor families by assisting them in getting married, and see what they need in their homes.
Also you can offer something to the handicapped people. Just talking to them and giving them some attention is really appreciated. This is something that Allah loves.
You could arrange to take them on trips so that it'll be easy to make kind and good relationships that increase the level of trust between them and the volunteer.
You can also do something for blind people. You can help them by writing their books in a prial machine and you can record their books with your voice so that it'll be a reminder for them always.
May Allah make our hearts pure for His sake.
Name
Usama
- Nigeria
Profession
manager
Question
Living in a poor country, what kind of volunteer work can we do here?
Answer
Assalam alaikum,
Oh yes! There are many things to do in such countries. As we said before, we can give the poor people clothes, bedding and food. Also, we can see to their medical needs and find doctors who may be willing to treat poor patients for a low cost.
Organizing fund raising is a good idea too and the funds can be used to pay for the school fees of poor students. You could organize (yourself or others) to help poor students with free lessons in any subject.
Don't forget the social aspect of helping others. Befriending the youth who may be estranged from family or involved with 'bad' friends is a great service. Try to organize gatherings like Iftar, prayers, lessons and so on for young people to draw them away from a bad environment.
Be sure that if we rely on Allah, He will help us in our efforts to do good. First, we must start with a pure intention to do these things for Allah.
Name
Naglaa
- Saudi Arabia
Profession
Student
Question
Will sawab be doubled for volunteering in Ramadan? Why is it different than normal days?
Answer
Assalam alaikum,
Yes in sha Allah, the good we do in Ramadam will be rewarded many times over! What is important is that our intentions are purely for Allah and not for any worldly gain. That isn't as easy as it sounds.
We all like to be thanked and acknowledged for the good we try to do, but to seek that praise means our intentions are not sincere for Allah.
First, we have to work on purifying our hearts, then learn about the things Allah wants us to do. It is so important to be kind, generous, helpful and to reach out to the orphan, the needy, the lonely, the sick.. these are actions that are most often overlooked by people and hence the reward for doing them.
Ramadan is different than any other month because of the mercy of Allah and that people are all busy in worship and they come closer to each other through breaking their fast together and praying together. This contact should help us to know each other and each other's needs, so we can try to help.
Being in a community brings out people's love for each other and gives them a sense of belonging, which is so often missed in today's world. We are so blessed to have Islam and to know the answers to life's problems.
When feelings of love grow, likewise the desire to help and support each other also grows.
It is also easier in Ramadan to do good works because the Shaytaan and his helpers are imprisoned, so all we have to deal with is our own desires. May Allah grant us the ability to overcome our weaknesses and to use our abilities to spread goodness and joy wherever we are in the world.
Name
Mariam
- South Africa
Profession
student
Question
I'm fourteen years old, what can I do to help others? I'm not trained in anything yet.
Answer
Assalam alaikum,
Well, actually in order to help others we do not need to be a certain age because it is something that you can feel in your heart which is a part of the essential nature of human beings.This nature leads us to feel pity for those who are in need. So simply answer this call and reach out to those around you.
You can start with your own family and try to help them, love them, and support them.
Doing good acts does not need training, you just have to love to do volunteer
work. So choose something you enjoy doing - something that coincides with your abilities, hobbies, and nature.
You can do something like visiting and taking an orphan out as he/she is like your brother or sister. Visiting and playing with the orphans is the least we can do for them.
Also if you are studying at school you can offer to teach children from poor families what you learned.
Think of your hobbies and see if you can do charitable work by using them. For example, if your like painting you can paint some pictures for free and offer them to charitable organizations or teach orphans or young people in hospital how to draw and paint.
Also if you like to play some kind of sport you can use this ability to do volunteer work to teach others. Again your target could be orphans, poor lonely bored young people who need an interest and a hobby and a friend!
If you know how to use the computer you can record a book with your voice and give it to blind people.
May Allah bless your efforts.
Name
Abdul Rahman
- Oman
Profession
accountant
Question
My daughter wants to do volunteer work in a hospital but she is shy and not sure what to do if she visits the young people there. Do you have any suggestions?
Answer
Assalam alaikum,
You should be proud to have such a daughter who, despite being shy, wants to reach out and help people. May Allah bless you both.
It is difficult to be young and shy but I'm sure that if she keeps trying to talk and mix with people, she will overcome this. She will gain more reward because she is exerting much more effort.
It's a wonderful thing to visit ill people and try to lighten their mood and comfort them in their pain and distress. We all need friends, but especially those who are sick or constrained need to have someone with them who takes an interest in them and what they're going through.
I think the first ability your daughter should develop is to be a good listener.
She could also encourage her friends and relatives to donate blood to help sick people. This is always needed and is an act of charity. It shouldn't be too difficult to organize this with the local hospital because like i said, it's always needed.
Your daughter could get together with some of her friends and organize a kind of mini campaign in your area to increase people's awareness about the necessity of donating blood. She could talk about different blood types and blood components and what they're used for and so on.
If she is visiting young people in hospital, she could take some kinds of games with her. This will also break the ice and help her to talk to them comfortably. People in hospital suffer a lot from boredom and time passes slowly so if she could read a book to them, play a game, help them to write letters and so on this is very helpful.
Name
Khan
- United States
Profession
student
Question
What kind of effective voluntary work can be done in countries like the US (or non-Muslim societies) to bring about the real essence of Ramadhan?
Answer
Assalam alaikum and thankyou for your question.
Non-Muslim countries are the main ones that need to be introduced to the meaning of Islam, including the duties of Muslims especially in Ramadan.
As Muslims we are all responsible to be united in doing good. And this is where volunteer work comes in.
The point is how to approach the subject with non-Muslims in a way that they will understand the message. The key is to draw anaglogies using subjects they understand and sympathize with.
Doing good deeds and helping others are common values to people all over the world. Also, people usually respect those who try to develop themselves spiritually and become more kind and wise. Such behavior and characteristics are the outcome of a successful Ramadan.
Fasting draws us closer to Allah, reading the Qur'an teaches us wisdom and piety and doing more good deeds serves to spread goodness in the society.
If we approach non-Muslim people with these ideas, I think, in shaa Allah, they will understand the beauty of this month. Remind them of the words of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who said that the most beloved people to Allah are those who are helpful, and the most beloved work to Allah is to make a Muslim happy or relieve his pain or pay his depts or satisfy his hunger.
Spreading goodness is incumbant on all Muslims wherever they are. If we do so, the non-Muslims will grow to love us because we will be faciliating goodness and piety which is sorely needed in the world today.
