Mufti Menk – Don’t Forget This When You Give Charity
AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses the cost of donating to charities in Africa, including a 100-dollar donation and additional fees for transportation. They emphasize the importance of donating to strengthen the foundation of Islam and encourage people to consider themselves lucky to have reached a point where they can afford to pay for their missed opportunities.
AI: Summary ©
You see, when you have a poor person
identified by a charity,
charitable organization
somewhere in Africa.
And they say
there is an issue, for example, in Sudan
or in Somalia or wherever it may be.
We want you to donate
and you give zakat.
You give a 100 ringgit or
maybe $50 of zakat.
What did you do? You click send. You
put your card details and the money is
gone. Agreed?
I want to remind you of something.
My way of doing things.
Someone is going to carry that amount and
take it
to that place and meet the poor people
and give them the item. Agreed?
On behalf of whom?
You. Agreed?
So if it is on behalf of yourselves,
surely there was a cost to take it
from here to there, which is divided among
so many people because the charity is not
only going to take yours and give it,
but they're going to take that of a
few 1,000 people and then give it.
If you were to add a few more
dollars or ringgates
on that in order to facilitate
that, it is better than just giving the
amount
and no more than that.
Why should someone else incur the cost
of your pillar of Islam being fulfilled for
you
and they're incurring a cost,
give them something.
I remember
one organization
inviting the poor people to a central place
and telling them
that
please come on this day to this place
and we will give you some food hampers.
And I told them, when they are coming,
they incur a cost of transport from their
village to where you called them. Who is
paying for that?
Oh, we don't know.
What do you mean you don't know? Why
should a poor person pay for your zak
zakat to be fulfilled?
You pay.
Give them the taxi fare or the transport
money. 5 more ringgates. One more dollar. Give
it to them.
So people said we didn't ever think of
it. I said, well, it's a thought, isn't
it? It's something great.
My pillar of Islam.
My zakat.
A poor man is paying
to facilitate it for me,
yet Islam teaches you, consider yourself fortunate that
there are poor people that you have recognized
and given to
because that
is the favor of Allah. A day will
come when you won't be able to do
that.