Compassion toward others is most effective when you empower them to be self-reliant

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” (Old Navajo Proverb)

When love and compassion toward one another become a rare commodity in a society, then we all lose. This is not what the major religions teach about societal relations.

In my faith tradition, we have a saying that religion is all about how you treat others. A maxim of the Prophet says that “None of you truly believes until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.” Similarly, the Golden Rule in Christianity says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” while the Mosaic Law states, “Whatever is hurtful to you, do not do to any other person.” True compassion then starts by treating others as we would want them to treat us.

This means that we need to be compassionate, kind and patient with the people around us, at home, at work, in our places of worship, or in our communities at large.

To be compassionate is to do acts of kindness to others and try to alleviate their suffering. One should not belittle even the smallest acts of kindness, such as smiling or being in a positive mood when interacting with someone.

There are many examples in my faith tradition and in other religions that empowering and teaching others to be self-reliant is a noble endeavor. In this respect, I admire the employees and volunteers in nonprofit organizations who engage in helping others become more self-reliant while serving the least fortunate and most vulnerable in society.

In other words, in Islam as in all major religions, it is our duty to help those who are truly in need of our help and deserving of our benevolence. The basic kind of service is to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, and help the wayfarer or the stranger. But, in general, it is more meritorious to anticipate charity by preventing poverty and empowering people to earn an honest livelihood without being forced to hold up a hand for charity.

It is a sign of the times that we are seeing more homeless people and more beggars in Boise. My wife and I commented that we often see the same people at the same street corners year-round. You can find them near the parking entrances of major food stores, at the post office, or near a highway exit or entrance.

At the main post office, I often see a homeless person carrying a sign that reads. “I dream of a hamburger,” which prompted me one day to give him some money to fulfill his dream. I still see the same person at the main post office just as I see other people panhandling at their favorite spots. It saddens me to see young and able persons begging eight or more hours a day as a way of life.

Our Prophet frowned upon begging for a living. It was reported that a man in the town of Medina came to him and begged from him. He initially helped him out by giving him a donation. When the man returned for a second or third time, the Prophet asked him if he had anything to sell in his house. The man replied that he owned some pieces of clothing which he used to wear or spread on the ground, and a wooden bowl from which his family drank water. The Prophet asked the man to bring these items to him and he auctioned them off among his companions.

One man offered to buy these items for one dirham, which was the local currency. Another offered two dirhams and bought the items after the Prophet asked if someone would buy them for more. The Prophet told the man to use some of this money to buy food for his family and to buy an ax with the rest and bring it to him. When the man returned with the ax, the Prophet fixed a handle on it and told the man to gather firewood in a nearby forest and to go sell it in the marketplace. He also asked him never to panhandle again and to come back after two weeks. The man returned after having earned 10 dirhams, which he used to feed his family and to buy himself a nice garment. The Prophet told him that he was pleased with his transformation from a beggar to a productive member of society.