Volunteering and Giving Charity

Suggested Duration: 60 minutes

Learning Objectives

• To understand why volunteering and giving charity is important for Muslims
• To appreciate that volunteering and charity are key components of good citizenship

Key Words

• Charity, volunteering

Islamic Values

Islam promotes giving charity, helping others and volunteering.

Citizenship Values

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

Activities

Ask some quick questions to recap the last lesson. Share the lesson objectives.

A Starter Activity

Ask pupils to look at the person sitting next to them and smile. Then ask: When do we smile? Why do we smile?

Take feedback.

Introduce the hadith that Prophet Muhammad said: 'Giving a smile is sadaqah.' Stress that sadaqah is a form of charity.

Ask pupils why they think that Prophet Muhammad said that. Take feedback.

Suggested answer 1: Sadaqah (charity) is a gift which makes other people happy. By giving a smile you are making another person happy.

Suggested answer 2: Here Prophet Muhammad is including those people who cannot afford to give money. They have the option to simply give a smile, which is equally accepted by God as a form of charity.

Note: Ensure that pupils don't have the understanding that giving a smile is the only form of charity, but that they should also do good deeds, help others and, if possible, give money to the poor, needy and charities.

B Development

Activity 1: Charity Collection Box

Present a charity collection box and ask where they have seen such boxes. Talk about different charities in existence in the UK.

Ask pupils to talk to their partner (or in groups) about occasions when they have freely volunteered or done something at home or school.

Tell pupils they have three minutes to make a list of at least seven such occasions.

Take feedback from pupils.

Ask selected pupils to present their ideas to the rest of the class.

Activity 2: Islamic Guidance

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

لَّيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ

وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ

الآخِرِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ وَآتَى

الْمَالَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى

وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّائِلِينَ

'Righteousness is not that you turn your faces to the East and to the West but true righteousness is [that of] the one who believes in God and the Last Day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and who gives wealth, despite love for it, to relatives and orphans and the needy and travellers and beggars.' (Surat al-Baqarah 2:177)

Question: What is meant by 'turn your faces to the East and to the West'?

Suggested answer: Praying/Salah (movements during praying), facing specific ‘holy' directions

مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ

كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ

سُنبُلَةٍ مِّئَةُ حَبَّةٍ وَاللَّهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَن يَشَاء

وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

'The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of God is just like a grain that has produced seven ears; in each ear there are a hundred grains, and God multiplies (the reward) for who He wills. God is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.' (Surat al-Baqarah 2:261)

Explain that, just as one single seed planted in the ground can grow into a plant and produce hundreds of grains, when a Muslim spends a single pound in charity God will reward that with hundreds of times more.

'Give charity and cure your sick persons by it, because charity surely removes your bad fortunes and illnesses; and it causes prolongation of your life and increases your rewards.' (Kanz al-'Ummal)

'Do not wish to be like anybody except in two cases: the case of a person to whom God has given wealth and he/she spends it in the right way; and that of a person to whom God has given religious wisdom and he gives his verdicts according to it, and teaches it to others.' (Bukhari)

'Every good deed is an act of charity.' (Bukhari)

'Save yourself from hell fire by giving even half a date. If you don't have that then offer a kind word.' (Bukhari, Muslim)

Emphasise that the best of people are those who help others.

Activity 3: Story from the Sirah

Tell pupils the following story.

‘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"...'

Ask: 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

Read the following statements and ask pupils if they are true or false:

1. If I give money to charity I should tell everyone.
2. I should give charity only once a year.
3. Charity is only giving money.
4. To give charity is my parents' job.
5. I can give charity to Oxfam.
6. I can give sadaqah to Oxfam.
7. My parents can give zakah to the Red Cross.
8. Volunteering is the same as giving charity.
9. Giving charity pleases God.
10. I can donate to the local church.

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

Invite pupils to fill in Pupils' Activity Sheet 3.0604.

Suggested Follow-up Work

Ask pupils to develop a charity leaflet and a collection box. Either give them the choice to pick any charity they want or suggest a current cause.

Ask them to produce a diary of their own, using Pupils' Activity Sheet 3.0605, which illustrates their own charitable activities.