The doors to kindness are many; we just need to open them.
Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said, “Every act of kindness is a sadaqa (charity)”. (Bukhari and Muslim). There is an endless list of acts of kindness, we should be sure to accomplish at least one each day, and I shall mention a few.
1- If someone owes you money, try to extend the period or prolong the period in which they must pay you back. Forgiving or acquitting the debtor has great reward. 2- Try to teach someone a verse or sura from the Holy Quran. 3- Be affectionate, kind, and obedient towards your parents, even if you are a grown adult. Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said, “Paradise lies under the feet of the mother” and in another Hadith he said, “He who wishes to enter Paradise through its best door must please his parents”. One's duty towards parents is also mentioned in the Holy Quran, in sura 17, verses 23-24: {And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honor. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: ‘My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small.} 4- Visit the sick. The Prophet (peace be upon him) repeatedly stressed the virtue of visiting the sick, as in the following Hadith, “There is not a Muslim that visits another in the morning except that 70,000 angels ask forgiveness for him until the night, and if he visits him at night then 70,000 angels ask forgiveness for him until the morning, and he will have earned a garden in Paradise.” (Al-Tirmidhi) 5- Remove something from the road which is blocking the way or something which might cause harm. 6- Provide someone with a glass of water. 7- Help someone carry their groceries to the car. 8- Open the door for the person stepping out of a store or shopping center. 9- Allow someone to go before you in the queue. 10- Offer to look after your friend's child so that the frazzled mother can relieve some stress and have some time to relax.
11- Contact a friend or relative by phone or email, especially one who you have not been in touch with in a long time. 12- Greet others with a smile. 13- Offer help for an elderly person, for example, taking out the trash, getting their prescription from the pharmacy or preparing a meal. 14- Be kind towards your neighbor. 15- Give time to those who are in distress. A kind word has a positive effect upon those who are sad and sometimes all the person in despair needs a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen. Most times charity is associated with giving money. However, charity can come in any form or act of kindness. It can be as simple as giving a smile to others. What is important to remember is that we must take extreme care when we want to give things to others. We must choose to give things which are of the best quality. We must give things which we ourselves would want to have. As in the Holy Quran, sura 2, verse 267, {O ye who believe! Give of the good things which ye have (honorably) earned, And of the earth which we have produced for you, and do not aim at anything which is bad out of it ye may give away something when ye yourselves would not receive it except with closed eyes. And know that Allah is free of all wants and worthy of all praise.} The one who gives charity is rewarded from Allah. Giving has a positive effect on the giver more than on the receiver. There is something called continuous charity, sadaqa jariya. Continuous charity means the rewards and good deeds continue to be recorded for the giver even after the giver's death. Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “When a person dies, all his good deeds cease except for three: a continuous charity, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous son who supplicates for him”. Examples of continuous charity are: building mosques, schools, and hospitals, and digging wells for the benefit of the people.
