Helping the Needy is an Embodiment of Faith
| Khatib : |
Sadullah Khan |
| Khutbah No: |
163 |
| Khutbah Date: |
08/26/05 |
الساعي علي الأرملة و المسكين كالمجاهد في سبيل الله كالصائم لا يُفطِر و القائم لا يَفتَر/ لا يَنامThe one who cares for the needy and the poor is like one who strivesconstantly in the path of Allah; like a fasting one who never breaks the fast,like an activist who never stops good deeds/ like worshipping all night without sleep.[Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)]Promotion of Universal WelfareOne of the most common sources of unethical behavior among human beings is selfish, self-interest; disregard for the rights, feelings or needs of others; while focusing primarily on personal benefit, personal gain and personal interest. We all seem to know what we want
from others and from life. What is often not as clear is if we also want the same
for others. It is important for us to decide whether it is important for us that others also have what we so much want for ourselves. In promoting the concern for the welfare of others, Allah declares,
لَن تَنَالُواْ الْبِرَّ حَتَّى تُنفِقُواْ مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ "None of you can attain unto righteousness until you avail for others of that which you yourself love most." [Qur'an 3:92] The Prophet
(pbuh) said:
ان الله تعالى خلق خلقا لحوائج الناس “Surely, Allah created creation to be of benefit to humanity.” We all must have recited
Surah al-Maun [chapter 107] many times and we've probably had it memorized since we were children; but we most often miss its message of
caring for the orphans, feeding the hungry and
assisting others as an integral expression of our faith.
Starvation in the World TodayHunger, poverty, and homelessness are sources of desperation in many parts of our world. Let us reflect on these alarming statistics from the recent United Nations Development Program (UNDP):
- nearly 800 million people do not get enough food
- half a billion people suffer from some form of malnutrition, 250 million of these are children of pre-school age
- each year, 15 to 20 million people die of hunger-related causes. Three out of every four are children.
- NIGER ~ referred to by many observers as the Land of the Living dead; Last year, a locust invasion devoured its crops. What the locusts didn't eat, a drought then scorched. For one of the world's poorest countries, already plagued by environmental degradation, this twin calamity is catastrophic. Families have resorted to feeding their children with leaves and grass if only to survive. This has resulted in a bizarre situation in which cattle and goats are competing for pasture with humans. The result is that both humans and animals are falling dead from the lack of availability of even grass and leaves. Aid agencies estimate that as many as 3.6 million people in Niger could be affected by the famine and drought; and as in most emergencies of this nature, children are often the worst hit. The United Nations says that as many as 150,000 children are dying of hunger. When the Tsunami earthquake occurred last year the world responded; including Niger (sending $250 000, as one of the world’s poorest countries where the average income is less than a dollar a day). Just because the news does not focus on it is no excuse for us to turn a blind eye to this human crisis. Does it take horrific images on television to shock us out of complacency? We as people of faith have the moral, ethical and religious responsibility of shortening the distance between crisis and consciousness, between awareness and action, between prayer and charity.
Faith & GenerosityIslam has paired charity with faith in its fundamental pillars to the extent that it has considered
every good deed charity كل معروف صدقة and has further linked humanitarian aid as a pre-requisite for Divine assistance. Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) said:
و الله في عون العبد ما دام العبد في عون أخيهAllah is at the assistance of a person as long as that person is of help to another.
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