The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Charity is prescribed for each descendant of Adam every day the sun rises." He was then asked: "From what do we give charity every day?" The Prophet answered: "The doors of goodness are many...enjoining good, forbidding evil, removing harm from the road, listening to the deaf, leading the blind, guiding one to the object of his need, hurrying with the strength of one's legs to one in sorrow who is asking for help, and supporting the feeble with the strength of one's arms--all of these are charity prescribed for you." He also said: "Your smile for your brother is charity."*
This hadith clearly indicates that Muslims should be involved in good deeds everyday and to work towards helping others. This hadith is rich with meaning and advice to all people (Muslims and non-Muslims alike), but for now I will just focus on the last thing mentioned--smiling. Even though many of us know this hadith very well and quote it sometimes it seems that the older we get the less we smile. When you go to the masjid, your school, or even to a dinner at someone's house, how often do you find others smiling at you? Better yet, how often do you smile at someone else?
When you walk down a street and you see a homeless person sitting on the curb, what do you do? Ignore them? Pretend they don't exist because it inconveniences you to give them anything? Or lets say you don't have money to give to the homeless person, do you say hello? Do you even smile at them or treat them like human beings at all? Yes, some homeless people can be aggressive and sometimes even daunting. But chances are that you can identify who is going to be aggressive and who is not.
One of the best things I learned at UNC is that even if you do not have money to
give, if you just give your time to someone it could make all the difference. Of course be safe in the things that you do, don't seek out homeless people just so you can smile at them, incorporate this hadith in your everyday life. All it takes to make a difference is something as small as a smile to one person. Post your thoughts reflections and comments below, I'd love to hear from you all._____________________________________________________________________________________
*Fiqh-us-Sunnah Volume 3 No. 98
