Charity: Your money makes a difference [Archives:2005/830/Community]
Zahid Bashir Raja
(Vice-Principal)
Middle East Modern School
For the Yemen Times
During the term the extra and co-curricular activities programs run by the Middle East Modern School were highly stimulating for all the concerned, and it is an integral part of all-round education we offer.
After its outstanding achievement in the first term, the school held its first Charity Bazaar on 24th March. The Charity Bazaar started with the opening ceremony and our students performed admirably. Apart from the wide range of stage entertainment, visitors had the chance to sample outstanding food from Indonesia, Yemen and Syria. Orphans also took part in the Charity Bazaar enthusiastically.
I remember a very interesting example of the generosity of Hazrat Usman, the third Caliph. During the Caliphate of Abu Bakr, people were in great distress due to drought. The Caliph told them to remain patient, for God would soon relieve them. Before long Uthman's caravan arrived with its merchandise from Syria. There were one thousand camels in it, all of them loaded with wheat and foodstuffs from Syria. When the news got around Madina, all the great traders of Madina rapidly converged on Usman's house. When he emerged to meet them, they expressed their urgent desire to purchase the foodstuffs so that they could pass it on to those townspeople who needed it.
Ushering them inside, he asked them how much profit they were prepared to give him on this merchandise. “Twelve dirhams on every ten dirhams worth,” they replied. “But I can get a better price,” said Uthman. “Then we'll give you fourteen,” Uthman again said that he could get a better price, whereupon they put their price up to fifteen dirhams. But Uthman stood firm. Bewildered by his attitude, they asked him who could give him a better price, considering that all of the merchants of Madina were already assembled there. “I can get ten dirhams for every dirhams's worth,” he told them, then asked them if any one of them could give a better price than that. No one spoke up. Then Uthman recited the verse of the Quran that says that those who do good will be rewarded tenfold. He explained to them that he intended to give away all the wheat and other foodstuffs to the needy people of Madina.
Keeping in view the virtuous deed of Caliph Uthman, the Middle East Modern School has the honor to give paternal affection and consolatory cash prizes to Al-Haithum school (Orphans).
“Every good act is charity. A man's true wealth, as regards the Hereafter, is the good he does in this world to his fellow men. When he dies, people will say, “what property has he left behind him?” But the angels will ask, “what good deeds has he sent before him?”
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