14 Volunteering and Giving Charity

Suggested Duration: 60 minutes

Key Stage 2

Learning Objective

• To understand that both Islam and citizenship teach us to volunteer and give charity

Key Words

• Charity, volunteering, sadaqah

Islamic Values

Islam promotes giving charity, helping others and volunteering.

Citizenship Values

A good citizen volunteers to undertake activities that could be local, national or religious. Giving charity is part of being a good citizen.

Resources

Pupils' Activity Sheet 2.1401: Help Needed?

Activities

Ask some quick questions to recap the last lesson.

Share the lesson objective.

A Starter Activity

Tell pupils that you need help with something. Ask: Who would like to come forward and volunteer? Hopefully, several pupils will come forward even though they do not know what the task is.

Praise those who came forward.

Ask the pupils who came forward what they thought the task was going to be. Something difficult or easy?

Ask the pupils if they should have enquired about what they were volunteering for.

Emphasise that it is good to offer help and volunteer, but you should know what you are volunteering for.

B Development

Activity 1: Charities in the UK

Ask pupils to name as many charities as they can. List all the suggestions on the board/paper and highlight those that are run by Muslims. Stress that we should help humanity, regardless of people's faith or background.

Activity 2: Help Needed?

Using Pupils' Activity Sheet 2.1401, ask pupils, in smaller groups, to decide what they can and will do to help each person in the different situations.

Remind pupils that we have learned that as Muslims we have a duty to help whoever we can, locally, nationally or internationally. We all have to do our bit to help those who don't have what we do.

Give pupils fifteen minutes to decide how they are going to help and then ten minutes for feedback.

Remind pupils of their Islamic duty to help people and be charitable through the references on the next page.

Activity 3: Islamic Guidance

Ask a pupil to recite the following verses. Explain the meaning.

لَن تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّى تُنفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِن شَيْءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ

‘You will not attain goodness until you spend from what you love. And whatever you spend, indeed, God knows it.' (Surat Al `Imran 3:92)

فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ أَيْنَ مَا تَكُونُوا يَأْتِ بِكُمُ اللَّهُ جَمِيعًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

'So compete with one another in good works. Wherever you may be, God will bring you all together; indeed God has power over all things. ' (Surat al-Baqarah 2:148)

Question: Why does God tell us to compete with each other in doing good deeds?

Suggested answer: Competition encourages us to do as many good things as possible. The important thing is that we should do all these good things with sincerity, but we must not brag about it.

'Give charity and cure your sick by it, because charity surely removes your bad fortunes and illnesses; and it increases your life and rewards.' (Kanzul-Ummal)

'Do not wish to be like anybody except in two cases: the case of a person to whom God has given wealth and they spend it in the right way; and that of a person to whom God has given religious wisdom and they give their verdicts according to it, and teach it to others.' (Bukhari)

'Every good deed is charity.' (Bukhari)

Tell pupils the following story.

A story from the Sirah

'Prophet Muhammad came across an old woman who was dragging her luggage by herself. He volunteered to help and carried her belongings a long way to her home. During the journey she began to curse this 'new Prophet' who was really bad and causing so much trouble. When they arrived home she asked him his name. He replied: Muhammad - the same man you were talking about.'

Questions: What does the word 'volunteer' mean? Why do people volunteer? If you were treated in this way after volunteering what would you do?

C Plenary

Sum up and stress the idea that Muslims should give charity and volunteer freely. Stress that volunteering and being charitable also makes a person a good citizen.

Suggested Follow-up Work

Ask pupils to produce a diary of their own charitable activities and volunteering in the next week, using Pupils' Activity Sheet 2.1402.

Pupils' Activity Sheet 2.1402: Homework Sheet

Volunteering and Giving Charity

Pupils' Activity Sheet 2.1401

Help Needed? For each of the situations, decide in your groups what you can and will do to help. Be ready to share your ideas with the class.

1. Young boy with no shoes.
2. Old lady trying to cross the road with some shopping.
3. Charity van parked outside the mosque and people filling it with clothes.
4. Homeless person sleeping on the streets.
5. Teacher tidying up.
6. Dad cleaning the kitchen.
7. Friend who is stuck on his reading.
8. Very sick child who has not eaten for many days.
9. People helping after an earthquake.

Volunteering and Giving Charity

Pupils' Activity Sheet 2.1402

Homework Sheet

Task: Using the table below make a log or diary of all the things you did to help somebody and the charity you gave. Remember charity in Islam is not just about giving money!

Name:

Madrasah/Organisation:

My week of helping | | | | -------------- |:-------------:| | Monday | | | Tuesday | | | Wednesday | | | Thursday | | | Friday | | | Saturday | | | Sunday | |