"The Echoes of Forgotten Souls"
"As we give, let us not forget that the true hunger we seek to satiate is not of the belly, but of the soul; for it is in understanding the whispers of the forgotten, that we truly feed the heart of humanity."
-Whalid Safodien
The Feather Pen
The Profound Wisdom of Giving: A Lamentation of the Forgotten
As I ponder the verse of the Quran, "Alms are for the poor who are straitened for the cause of Allah..." (Quran 2:273), my heart swells with emotion, and my eyes well up with tears. For in this verse, Allah s.w.t. reveals to us the profound wisdom of giving, a wisdom that has been lost in the midst of our charitable endeavors.
We have forgotten that the true essence of giving lies not in the act of giving itself, but in the understanding of those who are in need. We have forgotten that there are those among us who bear the mark of shyness, who are too proud to beg, yet too hungry to ignore the pangs of their empty stomachs.
Allah s.w.t. has granted us the intellect to understand the verses of the Quran, to acquire wisdom from its words, and to apply its teachings in our lives. Yet, we have reduced the act of giving to a mere formality, a ritual that we perform without any true understanding of its significance.
We establish feeding schemes, but we do not solve the problem. We feed the hungry, but we do not feed their dignity. We stand in long lines, waiting to receive our parcels, but we do not see the shame in our actions. We have forgotten that the poor are human beings, just like the rich, and that they deserve to be treated with the same dignity and respect.
The verse of the Quran reminds us that the true recipients of our charity are those who are straitened for the cause of Allah, who cannot travel in the land for trade. They are the ones who bear the mark of shyness, who do not beg of men with importunity.
And so, I ask you, dear brothers and sisters, to reconsider our approach to giving. Let us not insult the poor by standing in long lines, by treating them like animals, and by hurting their feelings. Let us instead create a place where nobody is shy to come and eat, where the rich and the poor can sit together, and where the dignity of all human beings is respected.
Let us remember that whatsoever good thing we spend, Allah s.w.t. knows it. Let us remember that the true wisdom of giving lies not in the act of giving itself, but in the understanding of those who are in need.
As I conclude, I am reminded of the words of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), "The best of you are those who are best in character." Let us strive to be the best of people, to have the best of characters, and to embody the true spirit of giving.
May Allah s.w.t. guide us on this journey, and may He bless us with the wisdom to understand the true meaning of giving.
Ameen.
-Whalid Safodien
The Feather Pen
