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The Small Kindness

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind

The Small Kindness (Sura 107)
Do you see him who calls the reckoning a lie?
He is the one who casts the orphan away
who fails to urge the feeding of one in need
Cursed are those who perform the prayer unmindfully
who make of themselves a big show
but hold back the small kindness

This sura speaks literally of three problems: (1) denial of the revelation that is Islam (2) abuse of the orphan and (3) neglect in prayer. These are three distinct but related ideas because the initial attitude translate into behaviors that are contrary to Islamic moral theology. That is, "those who reject the reckoning, are those who abuse the orphan, who are indifferent to those suffering in their midst, and who are neglectful in performing the prayer" (Sells, 125). One who fails to recognize the significance of faith passes through life mechanically, acquiring material objects, seeking pleasurable stimuli, without ever fully recognizing his or her responsibility to the Creator.

The act of prostration must really be accompanied by contemplation of the Creator. The act of worship should be a manifestation of an internal value system--i.e. piety--that includes all levels of religiosity, beginning with the shahada. Prayer must be an act of righteousness, and not an empty act of display. Apparently, "display, particularly of one's own acts of worship or piety, betrays a lack of true generosity"(Sells, 125). In fact, self-display is ultimately a form of self-delusion because the final reckoning will imply an evaluation that is based on genuineness. The refusal to acknowledge the moment of reckoning results in blindness to the small act of kindness. The small gestures one provides the environment, strangers, friends, family are like the money acquired from interest in a saving accounts: they make future provisions that are unexpected and unknown to the individual. The small kindness can be a smile, a phone call, a dua, a conversation, a gesture, a hug, a message, a thought--really a range of things. Essentially, however, generosity of the heart and spirit entails that you give others the complete mindfulness, attention, and love you give Allah (swt). The small kindness of generosity is one of the greatest gifts to give.

Today is my mother's birthday. Certainly this is one of the many things she has given me these 20 years. Alhamdullilah.


Sells, Michael. Approaching the Quran: The Early Revelations (Ashland: White Cloud Press, 1999.

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