By Saadia Humayun

You know there’s trouble when all of your actions are on the same low frequency.

I was attending an Islamic event the other day, where a group of people presented their welfare work-extraordinary on so many levels- and they asked the audience for donations. My mind immediately thought of the last time I made a donation (which was pretty recent), made a few calculations (cringed at the bank balance) and arrived to a conclusion that these guys would have to wait. Maybe next time… Yeah, definitely next time, brain nodded fervently, content with the recollection of the last charitable act.

Case closed.

Another opportunity lost.

Another failed investment. Cash rots in the pocket.

There used to be an institution where I’d regularly give a portion of my spending. And then the act of giving became robotic and my charity got limited to that single place and figure only. Every time a new opportunity to give would present itself before me, I would brush it aside thinking that I was already contributing to a cause-worthy institute, and that on its own would suffice. Obligation of giving charity fulfilled.

But we all know how wrong that thought is. When I subconsciously began to accept it, I was only providing an excuse for my own stinginess.

They had become lifeless, devoid of feeling and lacking in spontaneity and spirit. . The very act of charitable giving had become monotonous. And I couldn’t help but link it to my innate tendency of making calculated decisions when it came to spending in the way of Allah.

Charity should be such in abundance that I shouldn’t be able to remember the last time, place and cause where I contributed. I shouldn’t limit myself to a figure or place. Charity is not something you constrain to a budget. After all, it isn’t real charity if I keep track of it.

These realizations hit me a bit late. But when they finally did, the new algorithm I made for my brain to follow was fairly simple.

Is the cause worthy? Yes.

Hunt for cash.

Is cash present at the moment? Yes.

Give. Forget.

Is the amount present embarrassingly small? Yes.

Give it anyway.

But the cash is for post-event donuts…

Repeat. Give it anyway.

Who knows what sort of a chain reaction you initiated when you gave that amount. Be prepared for surprises in the next life.

And it’s not just money you can give of course. If you can contribute through your skillset, volunteer. If you have strong connections, spread the word. If you have money on you, part with it. A transaction with Allah is always profitable in more ways than one.

These are only a few actions to name a few that allow you to witness the barakah that Allah puts in your affairs and giving charity is one of them.

If you could undo, reset, control, stop and multiply the variables in your life all at the same time, then there is only one thing that gets it done: it’s giving charity. And then some more.

If I have learnt anything in life, it’s that the act of giving never makes a person broke. You get your wishes answered from places you never expected.

All the money you spend in the way of Allah, you get to cash it later in the hereafter. Big time.

Wouldn’t want to see “Error 404- Page not found” in your other life, would you?

Spend in charity, donate freely- today. Search for worthy causes, and help them out. Build a culture of giving- the effects will come back to you and benefit your society!