Year of Giving

29/01/2017

A “Year of Charity” is a three-word brief statement, but full of noble meanings inside, with which we start our new year to make it a year of giving, philanthropy, mutual solidarity and compassion. These notions are well-received by the Emirati society as they are typical of human nature and a way to achieve Allah’s satisfaction without waiting for a reward or thank-you messages from others. Giving is an act that puts a high value on man and helps spread love and rapport among society members, clear the hearts and remove hatred.

By declaring 2017 as a “Year of Giving,” our visionary leadership encourages all of us to give as much as we can. Charity is never underestimated as Allah will reward you for any little deed of kindness, not to mention the case with any greater deeds. Charity is a great value cherished by each wise nation, divine religion or world philosophy. It is all about how much man can help all the poor and underprivileged people, who experience hard times, and bring joy to their hearts.

There are many ways of giving such as volunteering, supporting and taking care of orphans, helping the poor, removing something harmful from the path, relieving the pains of the victims, establishing cooperation and solidarity in the society, providing advice, talking nicely to others, visiting relatives, seeking knowledge for humanity, and showing fortitude in disasters.

All religions and divine messages urge us to pay special attention to giving and find a special space for it in our life according to our respective financial and moral abilities. This includes our wishes of welfare, wellbeing, speedy recovery and good luck for others.

We should follow the lead of and learn from the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may Allah rest his soul in peace, who made the UAE the beacon of giving, philanthropy and humanitarian support all over the world. He did never hesitate to help the weak people and relieve the pains of disaster victims; an approach that has been followed by our visionary leadership in bringing giving and philanthropy to all the parts of the world.

I have no doubt that giving will promote social and economic security as it is conducive to cooperation as four hands are better than two and what can be difficult for one person can be easy for a group of people. So, we should all adopt giving as a lifestyle to ensure solidarity between our people and enable them to help the needy, support the poor and relieve the pains of the victims. Thus, we can establish peace and comfort in our society.

I pray to Allah to keep the welfare of the people and leadership of UAE, as they are really the best example for charity and to protect this visionary leadership.