Giving
Sadaqah (charity) is not only a great way to fulfill the needs of the
poor, but also serves as a purification of the heart. Therefore, it is
important to instill a sense of compassion and the love for charity in
your children from an early age on.
To
help you achieve this, I want to focus on three, hopefully original
ideas to involve your entire family when giving Sadaqah. However, since
they are all considered monetary charity in one way or another, it is
important to let your family know that there are many ways to give what
is called physical charity: like smiling at others or removing something
harmful from the road, and that every good deed, no matter how small,
is considered Sadaqah.
1. Sponsor an orphan
There
are various ways on how to go about sponsoring an orphan. One way that I
know of is doing so through the organization called Islamic Relief. The
sponsorships they offer definitely do not cost the world and many
Muslim families can afford it. For the two Eids, you can send extra
money to make sure that the orphan child also gets to enjoy the
religious holidays. The sponsorship will in sha Allah broaden the
cultural horizon of your children because they will be likely to develop
an interest for the country and culture that the orphan is from.
To
strengthen the bond between the orphan and your family even more, you
can write letters to them as a family or help your kids do so. Know that
you and your family will be giving this child opportunities that he/she
would otherwise never have. And since your family will be supporting an
orphan for many years to come, you will all in sha Allah be showered
with blessings and be close to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) in Paradise, as he (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said:
“I and the one who looks after an orphan will be like this in Paradise,”showing his middle and index fingers and separating them. [Bukhari]
2. Host a dinner party
I
personally am not a huge fan of hosting dinner parties during Ramadan
as I feel it takes away precious time from important worship. However, I
don’t have anything against them during the rest of the year – if they
are done with the right intention that is. Why not invite some family
friends and/or neighbors over for dinner, preferably some who have kids
themselves? This in itself is already considered Sadaqah. Get your whole
family involved when it comes to the preparation of the dinner. Decide
on a meal with your kids and spouse, go grocery shopping as a family and
spend time in the kitchen together preparing the food.
Decorate
the table and create a nice atmosphere for your guests. Once a year or
so, you can take it to the next level by inviting more people to the
dinner party and at the same time collecting money for a good cause.
Make sure to agree with your family and guests on a charity or project
to give it to. This way, you will not only be rewarded for feeding
others, but also for encouraging them to spend in the path of Allah
(Glorified and Exalted be He) themselves.
3. Visit a local orphanage
Look
for an orphanage in your area and plan a visit with your family. Speak
to the person in charge and agree on a date and time. Let your kids help
you prepare little goodie bags filled with sweets, pencils, uplifting
hadiths/quotes etc. Most of the children at orphanages have been through
a lot, so if you, or anyone you know, are able to make balloon
sculptures and similar handicrafts, use this talent to make them laugh.
You can also encourage your kids to bring some of their favorite books,
so they read stories to the children at the orphanage.
Also,
buy some other essentials, like soap, toothpaste, towels or food items
depending on what the orphanage needs the most. This visit will
definitely be something that your kids will remember for a long time. In
sha Allah, they will realize how good their life is and will appreciate
you as their parents much more.
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