The prophet Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The best of people are those who are helpful to others.”
Serving and helping others with their needs is part of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and the Qur’an. In the Qur’an, Allah makes mention of how Allah loves those who are helpful and kind to others especially the poor and the needy.
According to the Qur’an in the day of judgement a lot of wrong doers during their lives on earth will beg Allah to take them back to life so they can do good and charitable deeds.
In Islam, assistance, help, and care are not only limited to Muslims, but also includes non-Muslims. It actually goes beyond that to include every living-being.
The Prophet Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said: “While a man was walking he became extremely thirsty. He found a well, and he went down into it to drink water. Upon leaving it, he saw a dog which was panting out of thirst. His tongue was lolling out and he was eating moist earth from extreme thirst. The man thought to himself: ‘This dog is extremely thirsty as I was.’ So he descended into the well, filled up his leather sock with water, and holding it in his teeth, climbed up and quenched the thirst of the dog. Allah appreciated his action and forgave his sins”. The Companions asked: “Shall we be rewarded for showing kindness to the animals also?” The prophet, peace be upon him, said: “A reward is given in connection with every living creature”.
Assisting and caring teaches a person to be merciful. Being merciful with others and other living-creatures brings Allah’s mercy and love. Happiness and inner-peace are not achieved without Allah’s mercy and love. Everything in this life is due to Allah’s mercy.
At the Islamic Center of Naples, FL many social services are being provided.
Assisting brothers and sisters who are in need is one of our top priorities. We have setup a Sadaqa (Charity) account that is used to collect donations from brothers and sisters looking to help others. Due to Allah’s help and this account, we have been able to assist brothers and sisters who were in need either with paying bills, helping with their groceries, or even helping with funeral’s expenses for their loved ones.
We have been organizing food drives. The food drives are opened for two weeks to collect food. The food collected during those two weeks is donated to brothers and sisters who are in need and also to a local food bank.
We will continue to look for opportunities and programs to serve our Muslim and non-Muslim community.