At the end of the month of Ramdhan, Muslims across globe celebrate Eid with pomp and show. Every one, be it young or old, rich or poor, eagerly wait for this festival. But many poor can’t afford to celebrate it. This is just as another ordinary day for them as they struggle to meet their daily needs.
We buy mutton, bakery, chicken worth thousands but donating a Rs 100 note seems a burden to many of us. We buy many varieties of pastries, biscuits and cakes but we don’t bother whether needy people in our neighbourhood have bought anything. We don’t bother if aroma of delicious dishes wafting from our homes reach a poor fellow, what pain will he feel. We buy our kids new dresses, shoes and toys on Eid but we do not pay heed to those kids who don’t have any new dress to wear on Eid; who watch other kids with tearful eyes and wish to have one. We are inconsiderate to the needy families. They also want to feed their families a delicious dish, they also want to buy new dresses for their kids but unfortunately they don’t have money to do so. poor children watch rich kids enjoying Eid with toys, crackers , delicious cuisines and huge money as eidi.
To bridge this divide and to help poor families to celebrate eid with happiness it is our responsibility to contribute TO this noble cause as “sadqa e fitr”. We need to remember that sadqa fitr rate fixed by grand mufti as Rs 62/per family member is not an upper limit or A fixed amount. This is just a minimal amount. We should try to give more. We should give as per size of our pocket. If someone can afford to pay hundreds, thousands or even lakhs he should give happily as any charity given is not an expenditure but an investment. We reap more than we give. It adds to our blessings and saves us from many adversities. But it is very unfortunate that many people in our society who draw monthly salary of more than 1 or 2 lakh also contribute the minimal set amount. They want to save money for secure future and for their children when they don’t know that the money they will spent will bestow them endless blessings of Almighty on their family and will protect their family from adversity that may be about to befall them in future. Many of our tragedies and losses can be prevented by giving sadqa whole heartedly. Helping others is our collective responsible and a great way to help humanity.
Let us pay heed to their need. A little contribution by each one of us will make a big change in someone’s life. Let us be a cause behind someone’s smile. Let us make someone happy. The pandemic has affected everyone of us but it has affected those people a lot who earn from hand to mouth; pandemic has made lives of many families miserable. Vendors, labourers, bus drivers, auto drivers and those who used to earn livelihood by working as domestic workers are worst-hit. Let us help them. Let’s come to the forefront to help in the betterment of society; to help improve lives of people in this worst time. There are various NGOs, charity trusts and social activists who are helping people; to help them cater to needs of maximum people let us contribute to the noble cause. On this eid let us help others and give sadqa fitr as early as possible so that it can reach to the needy on time and they too can celebrate eid. They too get something nice to eat; they too buy new clothes for their children.