Day 9: Smile
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Charity is prescribed for each descendant of Adam every day the sun rises." He was then asked: "From what do we give charity every day?" The Prophet answered: "The doors of goodness are many...enjoining good, forbidding evil, removing harm from the road, listening to the deaf, leading the blind, guiding one to the object of his need, hurrying with the strength of one's legs to one in sorrow who is asking for help, and supporting the feeble with the strength of one's arms--all of these are charity prescribed for you." He also said: "Your smile for your brother is charity." - Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 98
As this Hadith makes clear, there are many ways in which we can do good each day. It doesn't require a big commitment or a grand effort, just a big heart and sincere intention. Today the kids did some of these simple, small good deeds. My parents are staying with us during Ramadan, which has made the month all the more special. The idea was to have a quiet month enjoying the spirit of Ramadan -- no rushing, no playdates, no camps, no major commitments. Just spending time together, unplugged. Today happened to be one of those days. This morning, Zayd, our scientist, was busy doing an experiment with Nunno on the deck -- something with a balloon and string and gravitational pull. It worked -- the second time around -- and both Nunno and Zayd were thrilled. In the afternoon Saanya and Zayd shared stories and photographs from our trip to southern Spain. They knew how much Nanni had wanted to go -- it's been her dream to see the Islamic architecture of Al Andalus -- but couldn't, because of her weak knees. So they took lots of pictures and videos while we were there and kept detailed journals. InshAllah, Mom will get to see these beautiful places for herself one day, but today she got to experience it through her grand kids and that definitely put a big smile on her face. Later, Saanya showed Nunno how to 'cut and paste' on the computer, and Zayd read his Quran with Nanni. We didn't change the world today, but the kids certainly shared a lot of smiles, particularly with their grandparents. And as Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, even a smile is a form of charity. Day 9: Deed 9: Smiling.
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