The worst of guardians is a cruel ruler. Beware of becoming one of them.
MuhammadRead
If you disclose your alms, even then it is well done, but if you keep them secret, and give them to the poor, then that is better still for you;?and this wipes off from you some of your evil deeds.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Giving secretly is more virtuous than giving openly.
This quote emphasizes the importance of charity and the value of discretion when helping others. It suggests that while any act of giving is commendable, keeping such acts private enhances their significance and leads to greater spiritual rewards, as the humble nature of the act reflects a purer intention and deeper selflessness.
Themes
CharityAlmsSecrecyGood DeedsHelping Others
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about philanthropy, one might quote this to highlight the value of discreet donations.
More from Muhammad
All quotes →It is better to sit alone than in company with the bad, and it is better still to sit with the good than alone. It is better to speak to a seeker of knowledge than to remain silent, but silence is better than idle words.
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In Paradise there are things which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has thought of.
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It is not within the character of a believer to curse, to damn, to speak or act improperly.
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There will be no hatred or resentment among them, their hearts will be as one, and they will glorify God, morning and evening.
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The best jihad is to speak a word of justice to an oppressive ruler.
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Similar quotes
It is our duty to prefer the service of the poor to everything else and to offer such service as quickly as possible. If a needy person requires medicine or other help during prayer time, do whatever has to be done with peace of mind. Offer the deed to God as your prayer.... Charity is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to charity.
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Be ever watchful for the opportunity to shelter little children with the umbrella of your charity; be generous to their schools, their hospitals, and their places of worship. For, as they must bear the burdens of our mistakes, so are they in their innocence the repositories of our hopes for the upward progress of humanity.
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Fervor is a fire that makes things boil and grow hot, just as fire causes water to boil. It is, properly speaking, charity on fire, and that is what you should have because a Daughter without Charity is like a body without a soul.
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. . . this rage - I have never forgotten it - contained every anger, every revolt I had ever felt in my life - the way I felt when I saw the black dog hunted, the way I felt when I watched old Uncle Henry taken away to the almshouse, the way I felt whenever I had seen people or animals hurt for the pleasure or profit of others.
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Men lose all the material things they leave behind them in this world, but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For these, they will receive from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve.
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My father was a man of great charity towards the poor, and compassion for the sick, and also for servants; so much so, that he never could be persuaded to keep slaves, for he pitied them so much: and a slave belonging to one of his brothers being once in his house, was treated by him with as much tenderness as his own children.
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