Give charity without exposing the poor
“Islam wants you to conceal him.”
True charity and Islamic character protect people’s dignity by giving without publicity or reminders and by keeping homes, conflicts, and confidences private.
The khutbah in 4 steps
- Charity should help the poor without publicizing, photographing, or reminding them.
- Kind words and forgiveness are better than charity followed by harm.
- Concealment extends to household matters, family conflicts, and private details.
- Consultations and sensitive information are trusts that must remain confidential.
In the khateeb's words
“Islam wants you to donate for him. But at the same time. Islam wants you to conceal him.”
“What you know about your brothers. What you know about your sisters. Especially in their house. Especially in their home. Should be. Private.”
“Whatever you see. Whatever you know. Whatever you listen. You have to protect it.”
For the dinner table
Today the khateeb talked about covering and protecting other people. First he said that giving sadaqah is wonderful, but if we talk about the person we helped, show off, or remind them of what we gave, we hurt their dignity and can ruin the reward of our charity. Allah tells us that a kind word and forgiveness are better than charity followed by hurt. He shared beautiful stories of righteous people like Ali ibn al-Husayn and Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, who gave in secret so completely that nobody knew until after they had passed away. He also reminded us that our homes, and other people's homes, have private matters that should stay private, and that what a friend tells us in confidence is a trust we must keep.
- If you helped a classmate who needed something, why might it be kinder not to tell anyone about it?
- Why do you think Ali ibn al-Husayn knocked on his cousin's door and then walked away instead of handing over the food himself?
- If you visit a friend's house and see something embarrassing, what should you do with what you saw?
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