Everyday
Charity

You know, it's a strange thing, but the more riches that people get, the more they seem to want.

It seems that getting what you want doesn't make you happy for very long.

What really makes you happy is learning to be thankful for what you have.

But you can't understand this unless you first learn to share what you have with other people.

Being happy is something that people can't do well alone.

Happiness is something that gets stronger when it's shared.

That's why people have parties

to celebrate things together,

or play games together,

or laugh at jokes together,

not on their own.

So the happiness that comes with riches only comes when those riches are shared,

and that kind of sharing is called Charity.

Sharing what you have with someone who doesn't have until you give to them

makes both of you happy.

The word that Muslims use for Everyday Charity is the Arabic word Sadaqah

Sadaqah brings blessings on both the one who gives and the one who receives.

Those who give get a blessing for giving away what they own,

and those who receive get a blessing for giving the giver the chance to give.

But what if nobody has any money?

If everyone is poor, no one gets any blessings because there's nothing to give.

That's not true.

What is riches is whatever makes you happy, not stuff and money.

So there is always something you can give as Sadaqah.

Muhammad said that a good deed done for another person is a charity,

clearing a sharp stone out of someone's path is a charity,

and even giving someone a smile is Sadaqah.

No matter how poor you are, you can give someone a smile,

and however they are feeling, that smile can make them feel better and happier.

Wherever it seems to come from,

what makes us happy is a gift from God,

and sharing that happiness with others is true charity.