In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Altruism (for teens)

 

Altruism means to be selfless (the opposite of selfish) i.e. to prefer others over yourself even when you are in need. For example, when you cheerfully volunteer your time without expecting to get paid, to get credits for school or even to get acknowledged and thanked, you are altruistic because you are only doing it for Allah's pleasure and to help others.

Most people give their time or money only when they expect something in return. To be truly charitable, we must learn to give our time, money and even our lives for others without expecting anything other than Allah's pleasure.

The Arabic word for altruism is ithar. A beautiful example of ithar is Rasulullah's family when they fasted for three days and only broke their fast with water because every time they sat down to break their fast, a beggar knocked on their door asking for food and they gave up their share to him. Allah has praised this one incident in several verses of Surah al-Insan. In particular Allah mentions how Imam Ali [AS], Sayyida Fatima [AS], Imam Hasan [AS] and Imam Hussain [AS] did not even want to be thanked for giving their own share of food:

"وَيُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعَامَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ مِسْكِينًا وَيَتِيمًا وَأَسِيرًا إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنْكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا"

They (the blessed) give food, for the love of Him, to the needy, the orphan and the prisoner, (saying,) “We feed you only for the sake of Allah. We do not want any reward from you nor any thanks”.

Surah al-Insan, 76:8-9

   

The first step to becoming truly charitable, selfless and altruistic is to realize that all human beings are equal. Even when some are poor or sick or handicapped, all humans want peace and comfort and security and love. All humans enjoy pleasure the same way and feel pain the same way.

The second step is to realize that Allah helps His creatures through other creatures and not directly. For example, when a mother shows kindness and love to her baby, it is Allah's love that is shining through her to the baby. It is Allah Who is being Kind and loving to the baby through the mother,

What does this mean? This means then that when we do good to help others, we should not be proud of what “we” or “l” have done. Instead, we should thank Allah for the opportunity to do good and that He chose us through whom he helped one of his creatures, when in fact He could easily have helped His creatures through someone else.

And when we are selfish or we hurt someone or refuse to help others, we should realize it is Shaytan that is blocking us from being used by Allah to do good to His creatures. We, therefore, should do istighfar (ask forgiveness) and return to Allah (i.e. do tawbah) and become His servants again so that He can use us to do good to others and so that He may be pleased with us. In exchange, Allah promises us His love and to keep us close to Himself in bliss and for eternity. What can be more wonderful than knowing that Allah is pleased and happy with you and that you live in Paradise in the neighbourhood of Rasulullah [PBUH] and his Ahlul Bayt [AS] forever and ever?

   

Being Charitable

Allah encourages us to be charitable and altruistic in many ways.

Firstly, He reminds us that even when we give others it is Allah Who gave us what we are giving to others. So He is in fact the real Giver but He is only giving it to others through us so that we may have an opportunity to do good and to purify ourselves:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْفِقُوا مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لَا بَيْعٌ فِيهِ وَلَا خُلَّةٌ وَلَا شَفَاعَةٌ ۗ وَالْكَافِرُونَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ

O you who have faith! Spend out of what We have provided you before there comes a day on which there will be no bargaining, neither friendship, nor intercession. And the faithless-they are the wrongdoers.

Surah Baqarah, 2:254

   

Secondly, Allah reminds us that He does not benefit when we are charitable or altruistic. It is only we who benefit because He will give it back to us on the Day of Judgement in the form of much good:

وَمَا تُنْفِقُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلِأَنْفُسِكُمْ ۚ وَمَا تُنْفِقُونَ إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَمَا تُنْفِقُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ

And whatever wealth you spend, it is for your own benefit, as you do not spend but to seek Allah's pleasure, and whatever wealth you spend will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged.

Surah al-Baqarah, 2:272

   

Thirdly, Allah reminds us that if hoard our wealth and just keep it for ourselves, it is useless after we die. But if we give in the name of Allah and for His sake, then He “converts” it to thawab. So in a sense we can take our wealth with us to the next world:

مَا عِنْدَكُمْ يَنْفَدُ ۖ وَمَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ بَاقٍ ۗ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّ الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا أَجْرَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

That which is with you will be spent but what is with Allah shall last, and We will surely pay the patient their reward by the best of what they used to do.

Surah an-Nahl, 16:96

   

Rasulullah [PBUH] said:

“The land on the Day of Judgement will be (shot like) fire except for the shade of a mu'min (faithful Muslim). If he or she gives charity, it will shade him or her.”

   

Imam Ali [AS] said:

"Blessed is one who gives out his excess wealth but withholds his excess speech.”

And to show that we are not doing anyone a favour by helping them but in fact we need someone to take our help so that we can get rewarded. Imam Ali [AS] said:

“You are in greater need to give what you have earned than the needy person who agrees to take and receive your charity and wealth.”

To show that the only way to take our possessions and wealth to the next world is by giving it to others, Imam Ali [PBUH] said:

“You have nothing to benefit from your worldly life except what you spend of it for your hereafter.”

   

And Imam [AS] also said:

“Whatever extra you have, send it forward (for yourself in the hereafter) and do not delay…”

   

Prophet of Mercy, once asked his companions:

“Who amongst you loves the wealth of his heirs (those who will inherit from you) more than his own wealth?”

And the people said, “none of us. We all love our own wealth.”

So Rasulullah [PBUH] said:

“Then know, your wealth is what you send forward (for yourself through charity) and the wealth of your heirs is what you keep (because that will be left behind when you die and taken by them).”

One of Rasulullah's wife said, “we once slaughtered a sheep and gave it in charity. Then Rasulullah asked, “what is left of it?” And I said “nothing is left except a shoulder piece.” Then Rasulullah [PBUH] Said, “All of it is left except the shoulder piece”.”

   

If a person is miserly and does not spend his wealth to help others or only helps people when there is a selfish reason for his or her own gain, then he or she just collects and hoards large amounts of wealth that in the end is left behind. But he or she will still be punished for being miserly and hoarding what other people need. Allah says in the Quran:

... وَالَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ الذَّهَبَ وَالْفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنْفِقُونَهَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَبَشِّرْهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ يَوْمَ يُحْمَىٰ عَلَيْهَا فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ فَتُكْوَىٰ بِهَا جِبَاهُهُمْ وَجُنُوبُهُمْ وَظُهُورُهُمْ ۖ هَٰذَا مَا كَنَزْتُمْ لِأَنْفُسِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا مَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْنِزُونَ

… Those who treasure up gold and silver, and do not spend it in the way of Allah, inform them of a painful punishment. On the day when these shall be heated in hellfire and bonded on their foreheads, their sides and their backs (and told): “This is what you treasured up for yourselves! So taste what you have treasured!”

Surah at-Tawbah, 9:34-35

   

Lastly, we must remember that Allah does not need us to be charitable or altruistic. He asks us to be generous for our own good. And if we give charity or help others but are reluctant or unhappy then it is no use. Allah will not accept it and of course we cannot force Him to accept it. For such people Allah says:

قُلْ أَنْفِقُوا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا لَنْ يُتَقَبَّلَ مِنْكُمْ ۖ إِنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ قَوْمًا فَاسِقِينَ وَمَا مَنَعَهُمْ أَنْ تُقْبَلَ مِنْهُمْ نَفَقَاتُهُمْ إِلَّا أَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَبِرَسُولِهِ وَلَا يَأْتُونَ الصَّلَاةَ إِلَّا وَهُمْ كُسَالَىٰ وَلَا يُنْفِقُونَ إِلَّا وَهُمْ كَارِهُونَ

Say, “Spend willingly or unwillingly, it shall never be accepted from you; for you are indeed a sinful group.” Nothing stops their charities from being accepted except that they have no faith in Allah and His Apostle and do not perform the prayer (salah) except lazily, and they do not spend (in charity) except reluctantly.

Surah at-Tawbah, 9:53-54