Dua of the Day - Charity

0:0017 or eight central African time, Assalamu alaykum and welcome back to the show. We are on to our next segment of final segment for the program which is our do our of the day. And I was really reflecting as I was doing the research yesterday evening on kindness and thinking to myself, well, Islam advocates kindness through our charity. Subhanallah, if one is the means, one will distribute ones, Sardakah, Lillazakah, and that's all about empowering communities, empowering individuals. And it's such a big part and such an important part of our deen. It also ties into today's do our of the day with Ape Surah Jahan, Ape Surah Assalamu alaykum. Welcome to the program. It's lovely to have you with us on air this afternoon. Ape Surah Alaykum. Ape Surah Alaykum. Ape Surah Alaykum. Welcome to the program. It's lovely to have you with us on air this afternoon. Ape Surah Alaykum. Ape Surah Alaykum. It's nice to be back on a very cold day. It's extremely cold. It's the do our of the day segment. We make do either way. The key is up a little bit. Insha Allah. But interesting topic we hear for this afternoon, Ape Surah, the topic of charity.

1:02What is the Islamic perspective of charity? So you know, Safira, some of the nafi-l-ibada that we do at the worship, a lot of times you want to know what is heavier. What will be heavier on the scales on the day of Kiyama. And one of the things that are very, very heavy is good character. And the other is to assist another human being. So have assistance, kindness, in whatever form. It doesn't have to be money. Like anything that is going to ease someone's burden. If you ease the heavy, definitely Surah Alaykum, is that if you ease the burden of someone else, Allah will ease your on the day of Kiyama. So anything that is going to make a person's life easier, then that already is very heavy on the scales. Now when you speak about charity,

2:02we generally translate it as Surah Alaykum. When you speak about charity, it's like a very loose translation, Surah Alaykum. But generally it's regarded as something for the benefit of the poor people. It can also be for your family. So it's not necessarily only for the poor. You know, charity begins at home. It's not just a thing. It's in our dean as well, that when we want to give, or when we are giving, the first place we started is our family. Often we can give lots of people, and we forget that like our own family is maybe struggling. You overlook that because of the message we said the coming back. Oh, you know, you're going to donate to the organization. And you kind of overlook people like your neighbors, your family, those that are like the closest to you. So these are, this is very heavy in the eyes of Allah, to give from whatever earnings that you have. In Islam, this is something that will help you even with things like

3:08something that is going to happen to appear as the path. So sometimes you don't know because you're giving it, you can't see the unseen, but Allah protects you from something that's going to happen for example, like accidents, example, you know, injuries helped. There's so many things that, you know, we don't know the unseen. So when we're giving, we must give, but we must also know, we have that intention, Allah, I know that with this, you're going to clear my path going forward for my family, for myself, my dad used to always tell us, you know, even if it's better than you would get right since it's intense. So even if it's like, right since it's intense, every day, give it because Allah will protect you and clear the, you know, and could you ask people, you say like, ask it. So I think you will clear the roads for you, you know. And even when something happens, you know, people tell you, quickly, they go to other countries, you know, when you hit someone and you, you know, either accident

4:09or maybe you have a close call, you can meet anything. And then people tell you, you know, just go and take outside of a why? Because when you take outside of a, it eases that part, it also Allah protects you in that way. So that by something that is so heavy, we, it's not one dimension of. There's so many things that we can't see that benefit us. Absolutely. And as much as it's for the benefit of the poor and those that need to be recipients of our charity, I was saving this conversation the other day with a friend and I said, it's to our benefit because it cleanses our, our wealth. It prevents calamities in our homes. It's something that is so beneficial for us, not only in terms of the rewards, obviously, which is the, but also the spiritual protection that is afforded to us and our families through the discharging of charity. And that's an important aspect and an important,

5:10we're talking a lot about mindset shifts this year. This is the week and mindset shift being, your charity doesn't deplete you. It actually enhances you. It attracts more baraka in your life and it's a sense of protection for you. So you sometimes in more need of giving out the charity than the recipient is of receiving it. You always, Safira, you always more in need. That's something that's very important that you touched on. And the Pai scholars speak about self-application. If you give, thinking you benefit in the person and so that there hasn't yielded you. So how you give is, you look at it when you give, you say, first years, a lot safer on me. I did not mean for him. I would never have been able to do this so that it clears my path. It has to always be given the intention of, it's for me. It's not for the person because as much as we, giving a person that's maybe, that doesn't have enough or an orphan or a widow,

6:13as much as it looks outwardly that way, like you are maybe a level higher. It isn't like that because Allah is giving that person, you are the means. So how do you look at it? The Pai scholars always say, give it. I say that a lot, thank you so much because you made me the means of giving this person. It's not something, it's not something. So whenever we make it like I gave, and we deplete the beauty and the blossoming flowers that will come out of someone who's going to give charity, we deplete it because already we're giving it without ego. The minute we take the ego out and we say, you know, this is Allah. I'm just the means because when someone tells you past this to someone else, you're just in the middle passing it. It's not yours, you have an only, you can't even take thanks for it because you passed it. That's literally what's otherwise is. You passing it onto someone else, it's nothing to do with you. And also Pai scholars say, and this I just love this,

7:15is that never ever remember the good you've done in the past. Remember what others did for you, but never remember what you did for others. Forget it. The minute you do it, never think about it, don't bring it up. It must never be in your head as long as it's there. You will always feel like you did something for someone else. So as soon as you give it, it will in you and Allah and finish don't even think about it. Absolutely. Is there any other importance that we can touch on when it goes to the importance of discharging our charity, anything else you any add to that conversation? What do you want to react to the sadhaka vaka or what is that? I think let's catch a little bit about psychiatry. We've discussed said a car, so let's go a little bit into the car. Okay, so sadhaka as I said, you can give anybody, right? You can give a Muslim, you can give a non-Muslim, you can give your family and sadhaka can also be in any type.

8:19It can be, it doesn't have to be mine. It can be something that you do for someone. You know that maybe it's really obvious and tells us to smile sadhaka. So immediately that is your sadhaka. So sadhaka can be so, like it's so, it's so broad that it's encouraged, especially during times of difficulty of hardship, right? And then obviously people always ask what's the difference between sadhaka and lila. Lila is the different thing. Lila is more something specific like a project, you know a charitable project like well, must you invest in it? So it's like a specific thing. And then we get a Zaka. And that's when, you know, generally all the queries for Zaka are in the month of Ramadan, right? Because people remember to pay most people. I think here they follow us, there is a Zaka during Ramadan. And that's just because like people is easier to remember. And also that when they give it away in that time, the reward is more, you know,

9:19anything you do in Ramadan while you're fasting is more. So that's the reason. So now the Zaka is something that is compulsory, not that sadhaka. And therefore it's not compulsory. So therefore it's something that if you have, you're going to give, if you want to, obviously it depends on each person. If I want to give more, I'm going to give more. If I, someone else has less than me, may be able to still give more than me. That is sadhaka is there is nothing, there's no amount, there's nothing. Do whatever you can, even if it be a single date. But as long as you got the right intentions, it will multiply. Zaka is something that is compulsory. Zaka, as long as you need the Nisab amount, then an Enforshaffee and Hanna Feef's discipline. So once you need that amount and you buy it and you say, then Zaka becomes fertile free. It's part of your five pillars of your deed. If you don't discharge the Zaka,

10:20then you've done a serious harm to yourself and to your deen by not discharging it. So the guy is a specific amount that we give, unlike Sadhaka, it's 2.5% of your wealth. And that is something that is soon as you're eligible to give the Zaka, it must be discharged. This is another thing, a lot of people don't understand that they think that you can give it at any time, right? It must be given within the year. So if you gave it last year at a certain time, it must be given again within the year. If it's late, it can have a very bad effect on you, your family, your home, because it's something that you're sitting with that you shouldn't be. So the guy is not something to take lightly. There is something that is commanded. It's something you have to do. Not like all you know, I'm so wonderful, I'm giving Zaka now. It's not like Sadhaka. It is compulsory and you have to give it wherever you like it or not. So that too, even in that you have to ask Allah to accept and ask Allah and thank Allah

11:23that you're in the position to give Zaka. Because a lot of people want to be, want to give it hand. So as long as you're paying Zaka, you must be so thankful to Allah that you're in that position that you can be. Absolutely. Is there any to us to be read when one is discharging one's charity? So generally, every single act is not just for, so this is why it's even for every single act whether it's charity or even if you've done something good or you've, you know, cooked the pot of food for your family or you invite someone over, whatever it is, any act we learn, this is from Ibrahim Alayhi Salam is in the Qut'an, Robbena, Takob Balmina, Inaka and this is the only idea. That Allah, you accept from us. Indeed, you are all yearning or knowing. Ibrahim Alayhi Salam, Ibrahim Alayhi Salam, when they both the Qaba, they decided this to us that Allah accept from us.

12:24Because it looks like you would think to yourself, you know, I'm rebuilding this Qaba it's such a meritorious act. Why would then you ask Allah to accept? Allah told you to do it. But in every act, we have to ask Allah to accept because we don't know our intention. If it has shifted, if it's the same as when we started. So this ensures that Allah, please accept from me. You know, this is what I'm giving in my human capacity. It may be flowed with shortcomings, but Allah, you accept it. So anything you do, this to us, we have the tip of your time, every single day, should be read all the time. You're doing something to someone, Robbena, Takob Balmina, in the Qut'an. In that, we also clarify your intention. Oh, I want, I want acceptance from you, not from this person. I want you, acceptance only from you. Absolutely. That is our discussion this afternoon on the topic of charity. Is there any final words you want to add before we end off?

13:24Apesareya? I think just, I think everyone would know in the last 10 days, increase the Sadaqa, right? We know that if it falls in the nail of the colour, then it's like, you know, a super, super, super, big bonus. So try as much as possible, and also, right now, right now, before Mahri, this is the time you give Sadaqa, the honour, Jumma. Again, you maximise. You have to be smart about when and how you're doing it. It must be your intention. So if you've forgotten for today, then you've got to regret, give anything out, even if it's a day to something to a neighbour, give something out immediately, and ask Allah to accept. Thank you so much for joining us on the programme this afternoon. We'll catch up again on Monday, until then, you take care. Assalamu alaikum.