Give as much voluntary charity as you can. The sustenance of the evil creatures that descend is kept only in the charity that God Almighty provides them through us. Therefore, do as much as possible.
There are many forms and types of charity. It is not important that charity should very big or costly. Money, food, these are all forms of sustenance that continue to reach humans, animals and birds. Remember that God Almighty is the only Provider; neither are we capable of providing, nor is anyone else. God Almighty will surely continue to provide for them even if we stop giving out charity. He can use anyone’s hand and give sustenance in an instant. It is out of His beneficence that he uses our hands and allows us to fulfill the responsibility of being the best of creation.
We can find many opportunities in our daily routine to give charity, such as:
1. Listening to a useless conversation of a depressed, worried person who is suffering somehow for long time without showing so much as a frown.
2. Bearing the harsh words of an angry person softly.
3. Calling out to people who visibly appear less fortunate with respect as “brother” or “son”, rather than saying “oye”, or “hey you”.
4. Forgiving someone despite having the option to take revenge.
5. Remaining humble with a family that you have married into.
6. Avoiding haggling with shopkeepers when buying things at the market.
7. Listening to the reprimands of your father carefully and attentively.
8. Rushing to your mother the first time she calls out to you without her having to call out a second time.
9. Fulfilling your sister’s need before she complains.
10. Not reprimanding your spouse for a mistake in front of others.
11. Not criticizing food at the table if you do not like it.
12. Ironing your own clothes if they are not ironed properly.
It is not life that is dependent on us, it is we who are dependent on life. Work together to make things easy for everyone. With the will of God your destination will come to you itself.
Remember, when God Almighty puts us in a financially better position, our standard of giving should increase rather than our standard of living. Charity always increases wealth: with the will of God your wealth will never decrease it. Never be proud while giving out charity; rather be humble and courteous while giving it.
I pray with all my heart that God Almighty grants us the will to make things easy for people and that He enables us to offer the best of charity through our hands and deeds.
Murshid Waqar Faiz