Avoiding thread closures

[glo]

I am surprised by how many people are trying to sneak threads into other sections, which really belong into the World Affairs section ... :hmm:

This is the holy month, when people endeavour to draw closer to God.
Are you not feeling it?
Why not enjoy the peace and tranquility of his blessings? The month will be over soon enough ...

 

[Muhammad]

Greetings glo and thank you for your concern,

To be fair to those who have posted, it is important that we remember our brothers and sisters who are suffering immense oppression and hardship across the world. Solidarity and unity are messages strongly felt and emphasised in Ramadhan, so we pray for the blessings and tranquillity to extend to all of us. Our drawing close to God is a golden opportunity for us to ask for their relief and aid. Especially at the end of the night prayers, Muslims all over the world raise their hands and earnestly seek God's help for all the suffering across the world. That is why it feels wrong to completely shut out news about what is happening in places like Syria and Burma.

Whilst people who post such news should not expect their threads will be approved, where Mods feel that the news is important, they may be moved to World Affairs where they can be read but not posted in.

 

[glo]

Thank you for your reply, Muhammad.
I agree totally that remembering those in need and distress and those you require our charity is hugely important - especially during Ramadan. And that we don't want to ignore the plight of those who are suffering.
I don't think those were the kind of threads I had in mind ...

Perhaps we should have a thread for Ramadan charities.
It might be more positive to focus on what we can DO and where we can HELP, rather than just focus on the negative of just how great the suffering is of some people.

 

[Insaanah]

It might be more positive to focus on what we can DO and where we can HELP, rather than just focus on the negative of just how great the suffering is of some people.

Greetings,

As Brother Muhammad mentioned above, dua is something that every Muslim can actually DO, and something where we can HELP. For us, it is something very powerful, something that can change destiny, one of the best acts of worship, a sign of our faith, our acknowledgement of Allah's generosity and our dependence on Him, is a sign of our brotherhood with our fellow Muslims, and it is beloved by Allah. And, it makes a person more optimistic.

In terms of charities, as you know zakat is a pillar of our faith, and apart from that, Muslims give voluntary charity (sadaqah) abundantly before and during Ramadan (as well as outside of Ramadan). Muslim charities post out fliers, have campaigns on their websites, on the Islamic media, and some will have personal contacts in affected countries and send aid directly. Some Muslims will have donated even before fliers are distributed or campaigns have begun. Some will stick to the same charity they've been involved with for years, others will give to different ones. This is something that goes without saying for us, and is part and parcel of our faith, throughout the year.

It's not a case of doing one or the other. We do both, and more if we are able. Dua is a powerful thing.

And the more we keep informed, the more we're aware of what's happening, then the more we can give to help, the more dua we can make, the more action we can take. And that's a positive. We will always feel their sadness and plight, share in their feelings, and feel their sense of injustice, but that's because we're human, and Muslim, and they're our brothers and sisters, not because we're focusing on the negative.

Peace.

 

[جوري]

No one should advertise their charitable acts, I find that very off putting.. reminds me of these verses from the noble Quran:

[FONT=Verdana,arial]An-Nisa [4:38]

[SIZE=+2]وَالَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ رِئَـاء النَّاسِ وَلاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ وَلاَ بِالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَمَن يَكُنِ الشَّيْطَانُ لَهُ قَرِينًا فَسَاء قِرِينًا
​

​

Waallatheena yunfiqoona amwalahum riaa alnnasi wala yuminoona biAllahi wala bialyawmi alakhiri waman yakuni alshshaytanu lahu qareenan fasaa qareenan​

4:38 Not those who spend of their substance, to be seen of men, but have no faith in Allah and the Last Day: If any take the Evil One for their intimate, what a dreadful intimate he is!
​

_________________

[FONT=Verdana,arial]Al-Baqara [2:271]

[SIZE=+2]إِن تُبْدُواْ الصَّدَقَاتِ فَنِعِمَّا هِيَ وَإِن تُخْفُوهَا وَتُؤْتُوهَا الْفُقَرَاء فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لُّكُمْ وَيُكَفِّرُ عَنكُم مِّن سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَاللّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
​

​

In tubdoo alssadaqati faniAAimma hiya wain tukhfooha watutooha alfuqaraa fahuwa khayrun lakum wayukaffiru AAankum min sayyiatikum waAllahu bima taAAmaloona khabeerun​

2:271 If ye disclose (acts of) charity, even so it is well, but if ye conceal them, and make them reach those (really) in need, that is best for you: It will remove from you some of your (stains of) evil. And Allah is well acquainted with what ye do.​

[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]

 

[glo]

As Brother Muhammad mentioned above, dua is something that every Muslim can actually DO, and something where we can HELP. For us, it is something very powerful, something that can change destiny, one of the best acts of worship, a sign of our faith, our acknowledgement of Allah's generosity and our dependence on Him, is a sign of our brotherhood with our fellow Muslims, and it is beloved by Allah. And, it makes a person more optimistic.

Amen to that, sis.
I believe in the power of prayer.

Prayer and good deeds should always go hand in hand. No doubt about that.

And the more we keep informed, the more we're aware of what's happening, then the more we can give to help, the more dua we can make, the more action we can take. And that's a positive. We will always feel their sadness and plight, share in their feelings, and feel their sense of injustice, but that's because we're human, and Muslim, and they're our brothers and sisters, not because we're focusing on the negative.

Amen to that too.
But I hope that Muslims feel the sadness and plight of suffering non-Muslims in the world too. After all, we are all brothers and sisters in humanity.

Salaam

 

[glo]

No one should advertise their charitable acts, I find that very off putting.. reminds me of these verses from the noble Quran:

I don't think anybody suggested advertising or showing off our charitable acts, sis.
Sharing with others worthy charities we know about is something quite different.

BTW, the Bible teaches similarly:

"Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
Matthew 6:1-4

Salaam

 

[Marina-Aisha]

Omg all this time I thought u were Muslim Anyways I think some news needs attention..just cos a holy month doesn't mean we shut it out all together....

 

[~Zaria~]

BTW, the Bible teaches similarly:

"But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
Matthew 6:1-4

Salaam

SubhanAllah!

Do you see a similarity here? : )

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "Seven people will be shaded by Allah under His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His.
They are:
(1) a just ruler;
(2) a young man who has been brought up in the worship of Allah, (i.e. worship Allah (Alone) sincerely from his childhood),
(3) a man whose heart is attached to the mosque (who offers the five compulsory congregational prayers in the mosque);
(4) two persons who love each other only for Allah's sake and they meet and part in Allah's cause only;
(5) a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for an illegal sexual intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah;

(6) a person who practices charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity).

(7) a person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes get flooded with tears."
(Sahih Bukhari)

 

[جوري]

I don't think anybody suggested advertising or showing off our charitable acts, sis.

No? what do you call this?
http://www.islamicboard.com/fasting-ramadhan-eid-ul-fitr/134314731-ramadan-charities.html

 

[glo]

No? what do you call this?
http://www.islamicboard.com/fasting-ramadhan-eid-ul-fitr/134314731-ramadan-charities.html

Really?
Are you serious??

At what point I am showing off my charitable acts?
By saying it's a charity I have been involved in? You don't know what I mean by that.

You think it is wrong for me to draw attention to a small charity, which does wonderful work in Algeria?
Really??
The lady running this charity would surely be disappointed to hear this from a fellow Muslim ...

I hope you will read up on her charity and change your mind, Inshallah.

Wishing you a blessed Ramadan, and my apologies if my charity thread has caused you offence.
I intended for it to be beneficial.

 

[glo]

(6) a person who practices charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity).

That's wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Zaria.
:statisfie

Do you think it is wrong to mention a charity you are interested or involved in, providing you don't tell people any details about how much you give or in what way you support the charity?

 

[glo]

Omg all this time I thought u were Muslim

Sorry about that.

Anyways I think some news needs attention..just cos a holy month doesn't mean we shut it out all together....

I agree. I take your and Muhammed's points.
I just wish some of those threads would not escalate into angry and hateful threads. Whilst I can understand that people might have those feelings, perhaps during Ramadan those feelings of anger should be curbed.

 

[Scimitar]

I think that maybe if every post in the closed sections threads had to be approved (for Ramadhan), it would minimise the likelihood of anger and hate entering the boards for the whole world to see and for the members to react to... just a thought.

Scimi

 

[Scimitar]

Do you think it is wrong to mention a charity you are interested or involved in, providing you don't tell people any details about how much you give or in what way you support the charity?

No, I don't think it is wrong at all.

We are encourages in Islam to compete in good deeds, it may even inspire others to do the same - but as Zaria mentioned, there is no need to show off the amount we gove to charity, that should be between us and Allah only

Scimi

 

[glo]

We are encourages in Islam to compete in good deeds, it may even inspire others to do the same - but as Zaria mentioned, there is no need to show off the amount we give to charity, that should be between us and Allah only

Yes, I agree with that.

 

[Masriya]

Assalamoalaikum

Do you think it is wrong to mention a charity you are interested or involved in, providing you don't tell people any details about how much you give or in what way you support the charity?

There is nothing wrong with that, you lead people to do good by telling them about charity organizations.

Perhaps we should have a thread for Ramadan charities.

I think it is a good idea to dedicate a thread in which we make known charity organizations and also areas in the world where there are people in need; and it doesn't have to be only in Ramadan, but all year.

 

[جوري]

Really?
Are you serious??

At what point I am showing off my charitable acts?
By saying it's a charity I have been involved in? You don't know what I mean by that.

You think it is wrong for me to draw attention to a small charity, which does wonderful work in Algeria?
Really??
The lady running this charity would surely be disappointed to hear this from a fellow Muslim ...

I hope you will read up on her charity and change your mind, Inshallah.

Wishing you a blessed Ramadan, and my apologies if my charity thread has caused you offence.
I intended for it to be beneficial.

Judging from how exasperated you're I can only draw two conclusions.. neither of them pleasant
You don't offend, I find your presence here little more than amusing..

best,

 

[~Zaria~]

Assalamu-alaikum,

Ukthis : )
Lets not be upset..
Its Ramadaan! Alhamdulillah : )

Just want to add:

"Those who spend their money in the night and in the day, secretly and openly, they will have their reward with their Lord, there is no fear over them nor will they grieve.” [Quran 2:274]

While we have all agreed that the best form of charity is that which is not displayed, and not with the intentions of drawing praise, but instead - soley and sincerely seeking the pleasure of Allah (subhanawataála),

there is indeed, that form of charity that can be used as a reminder for others to follow this example.

Most agree that doing obligatory acts in Islam (e.g Zakaat) is best done openly - so as to encourage others to fulfill their duties as well.
However, when giving voluntary charity (sadaqah) - then this is best done in private.

I think drawing attention to those npo's/ charities that are legitamite and deserving of our support is important.
There are many who are unsure as to which organisations are reputable/ what work is currently being done by our brothers and sisters around the world - and certainly it can be beneficial in this regard as well.
Insha Allah.



:wa:

 

[جوري]

Ukthis : )
Lets not be upset..

I am not at all upset ukthy- and I assure you that I am almost never arbitrary I try to approach everything with a leveled head and that's all I am going to say I have no desire to expend more on this topic or the original topic than need be. I think it already received more attention than it deserved!