Other than the charity of giving part of one's wealth to others, charity, in its broadest Islamic concept, can be divided into two main categories. The first category consists of the acts of goodness and kindness that are done toward other human beings. Acts of goodness that are done directly toward oneself constitutes the second category.
The first category includes acts as mentioned by the Prophet,
"Your smiling at your brother is a charitable act for you. Your ordering good and eradicating evil is a charitable act. Your guiding a man in a land wherein he is lost is a charitable act. Your helping a man with bad eyesight to see is a charitable act. Your removing a stone, thorn or bone from the road is a charitable act. Your emptying your cup into the cup of your brother is a charitable act." [Tirmidhi]
An important act of charity of the second category that is available to everyone, no matter how poor or rich, is the act of refraining from harming others. Abu Dharr once asked the Prophet, peace upon him, what he should do if he does not have the ability to perform some of the good deeds. The Prophet told him,
"Keep your evil away from the people and that will be a charitable act from yourself upon yourself." [Muslim, Bukhari]
Compiled From: "Commentary on the Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi"
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One day when I was teenager. I was walking with my friend and passed a boy in my age who played with water. Suddenly water splashed me and my pant getting wet. I looked at that boy who look shocked. But I smile and gave sign "It's okay, no problem". That boy smile and nod as a sign of "Thank you".
I walked again, and my friend asked me "Why don't you angry?". And I replied "Why should I angry?. It's just accident and he has apologized". My friend looked at me without saying anything, and my memory flew to the times when I was younger.
I was an aggressive boy who easy to use my fist. I can't remember how many times I hit other boys just because small things. But later I learned to remove evil from my heart. Alhamdulillah, I could do it, and I felt I became care to the other, and could feel what the other feel.
Back to the hadith above. Actually the second point is the base of the first point. We can't care to the other, we can't have instinct to do good deeds to the other if we still keep an evil in our heart. But if we can remove evil from our heart, In Shaa Allah, we will have a feeling to always do something good to the other.
Whenever the word “charity” is mentioned I think of the money or giving to the poor people, and I always forgot the other type of charity like smiling at other people which is one of things I truly love, unfortunately nowadays we tend to only greet the people we know.
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