"The seventh duty is to select from one's wealth what is best and dearest to one - the finest and most excellent part - for God, Exalted is He, is Good and accepts only what is good."
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship
al-Ghazli is continuing his discussion of giving alms, specifically, but I would also propose, more generally, performing kindnesses. I'm not discussing all of this section, or this work, but I thought it would be helpful if I listed the eight aspects that al-Ghazali identifies in giving alms: 1) Understand the Purpose and Significance, 2) Payment at Proper Time, 3) Give in Secret, 4) Give Openly, 5) Avoid Taunting and Hurting, 6) Adopt Humility, 7) Give the Best and the Dearest, and 8) Seek the Worthy and Deserving. Is it really a kindness when we're giving the least of what we have? I mean, we do it all the time, certainly me included, when we take a bunch of unwanted clothes to drop off, making sure that we pick up our receipt for tax purpose. al-Ghazali continues, "Not to make the offering from the best one has is to be guilty of bad manners, since it means that one is keeping the best for oneself, for one's servant or for one's family, and so preferring others over God, Great and Glorious is He." And this is what I continually find myself coming back to, the notion that if you want to worship God then perform a kindness for someone else. It's not that going on the hajj isn't a part of faith, but we can't turn it into the main point of faith; rather, it's the thousand opportunities we have every day to make someone's life easier.
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship
al-Ghazli is continuing his discussion of giving alms, specifically, but I would also propose, more generally, performing kindnesses. I'm not discussing all of this section, or this work, but I thought it would be helpful if I listed the eight aspects that al-Ghazali identifies in giving alms: 1) Understand the Purpose and Significance, 2) Payment at Proper Time, 3) Give in Secret, 4) Give Openly, 5) Avoid Taunting and Hurting, 6) Adopt Humility, 7) Give the Best and the Dearest, and 8) Seek the Worthy and Deserving. Is it really a kindness when we're giving the least of what we have? I mean, we do it all the time, certainly me included, when we take a bunch of unwanted clothes to drop off, making sure that we pick up our receipt for tax purpose. al-Ghazali continues, "Not to make the offering from the best one has is to be guilty of bad manners, since it means that one is keeping the best for oneself, for one's servant or for one's family, and so preferring others over God, Great and Glorious is He." And this is what I continually find myself coming back to, the notion that if you want to worship God then perform a kindness for someone else. It's not that going on the hajj isn't a part of faith, but we can't turn it into the main point of faith; rather, it's the thousand opportunities we have every day to make someone's life easier.
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