Shama Farag: November 2021

Once, I was in the park with my kids. I met another parent who'd recently had a baby, and he took his older daughter to the park to entertain her. We talked and he saw my children; then he asked me how I taught them how to share. He told me, “The idea of sharing what you have with someone else or favoring someone else over yourself is so hard for any human being to grasp and practice. Whenever I ask my daughter to share with her baby brother, she says no. I find it makes a lot of sense. Why should I favor you over myself? Why should I share what I have with you? You are not better than me, and I care to be successful. So I might need to be better than you and everybody else.”

I see his point, but as humans, we need to work on our spiritual beings the same way we care for our well-being. And unlike physical wellness, spiritual wellness is elevated by lacking mundane things and deprivation of self-satisfaction. The more we satisfy our everyday needs, the more our own greedy selves will ask for more. And If we only focus on satisfying our greedy selves, nothing will be enough, and eventually, we will tend to hurt our souls and bodies. That's why Allah ordered us to give away from what we have in the form of charity and alms to encourage the goodness in ourselves. We need the reasonable, the enough, and we don't need too much of anything.

God asked us to fast for the same reason. We don't need too much food, what we need is what makes us self-content. We shouldn't be following our greed. All kinds of greed. Intellectual greed, social greed, emotional greed, economic greed, etc. God knew how the lower self would drag us to wrongdoing and sinful acts if we kept asking more and consuming more. So, He ordered us to give more and ask for less to honor his grace and reach the better higher self. In return, He blesses us with farseeing, tranquility, blessed hearts, and spiritual light in this life, and He promised us the company of prophets in heaven in the afterlife. This is a great deal, no one should miss it. It's hard though, but prayers- dua'as-, and working on our intentions will ease it Insha'Allah. We ask Allah's forgiveness, and we seek His guidance.

So, what if I don't have money to give away?

You can give away your time and dedicate it to something beneficial to your people, including family. You can dedicate your energy to serving a good cause. You can donate your skills by spreading your knowledge and sharing what you know and sharing your resources. "You should refer and give credit to who taught you. Virtue should be attributed to its people. This is a sign of morality."

Since it's Giving Tuesday, I would recommend a list of REAL organizations that do REAL work, and the only reason I'm listing them here in my blog is to share the knowledge, spread the word out about what they are doing, and connect them with REAL helpers who are willing to step up and support. And all of these are non-profit organizations and some of them are funded by the community. And this is not an Ad. :) If you have an organization that has a beneficial cause and would like me to spread the word about it, feel free to reach out to me. I'm always looking for stories. Real stories to inspire others and mobilize communities. Here is my email.

Modest Family Solutions, a non-profit organization that is mainly focused on food justice and sustainability. They provide gardening classes, discover hydroponics classes, and free fresh produce.

Essentials First, providing hygiene and warmth kits to several populations, including those experiencing homelessness living in shelters and outside.

Muhsen has established an inclusive and accessible environment for persons with disabilities by assuming an active role in advocacy and education, creating a better understanding of disabilities in Muslim communities.

Poligon, a non-profit organization that launched in January 2017 to increase American Muslim participation on Capitol Hill, and provide training to amplify Muslim voices and self-advocacy among Muslims.

CAIR provides media training, hosts events, features brilliant scholars and professors, responds to community questions, and provides student and parent guides to educate the community and raise awareness.

Ribaat providing Islamic Education and knowledge for Muslim women.

Why do I write blogs?

Because I'm an author!