Sunrays shining through the trees in the Westonbirt Arboretum, UK. Photo by Terry.
Wael Abdelgawad for IslamicSunrays.com
The Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alaihi wa sallam) said,
“Whoever relieves a believer of a hardship from the hardships of this world, then Allah will relieve him of a hardship from the hardships of the Day of Resurrection… Allah is helping the servant as long as the servant is helping his brother, ” [Hadith Tirmidhi /Muslim].
Do you need help? Help others, and Allah will help you.
Helping others doesn’t have to consist of anything grand. Even a smile is sadaqah. Removing a harmful thing from the road is sadaqah. Speaking gentle words to someone in distress, or feeding a meal to someone who is hungry, or making a donation to help an orphan… or donating blood, or working a few hours a month for a charity, or visiting someone who is sick… all those things are valuable. They are not nothing. They are important and worthwhile acts.
Changing the world starts with every person doing one small thing. And in the process, you help your own soul, and you bring happiness to your own heart, and you get the blessings and barakah of Allah. What a deal!
Wael Abdelgawad is an Egyptian-American living in Fresno, California. He is the founder of several Islamic websites, including Zawaj.com and IslamicAnswers.com, and also of various technology and travel websites. He is a writer and poet, and has been a web developer since 1997.
This project, IslamicSunrays.com, is very dear to his heart, as it has allowed him to express ideas that have growing inside him for many years.
Wael is divorced and has one lovely young daughter. He practices and teaches martial arts (somewhat obsessively), and loves Islamic books, science fiction, and vanilla fudge ice cream. Wael is an advocate for human rights and blogs about these issues at AbolishTorture.com. He is also a volunteer with the MyDeen Muslim youth organization in Fresno.
Lovely post Wael, and the photo goes with it beautifully. Thank you for bringing me a bit of comfort as I start my day.