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 βIt 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.
MuhammadRead
In Paradise there are things which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has thought of.
MuhammadRead
It is not within the character of a believer to curse, to damn, to speak or act improperly.
MuhammadRead
There will be no hatred or resentment among them, their hearts will be as one, and they will glorify God, morning and evening.
MuhammadRead
The best jihad is to speak a word of justice to an oppressive ruler.
MuhammadRead
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.
St. VincentRead
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.
Conrad HiltonRead
Almsgiving, according to the Gospel, is not mere philanthropy; rather it is a concrete expression of charity, a theological virtue that demands interior conversion to love of God and neighbor, in imitation of Jesus Christ, who, dying on the cross, gave his entire self for us.
Pope Benedict XviRead
To make a perfume, take some rose water and wash your hands in it, then take a lavender flower and rub it with your palms, and you will achieve the desired effect
Leonardo Da VinciRead
From secrecy and deception in high places, come home, America. From military spending so wasteful that it weakens our nation, come home, America.
George McgovernRead
Only in truth does charity shine forth, only in truth can charity be authentically lived. Truth is the light that gives meaning and value to charity. That light is both the light of reason and the light of faith, through which the intellect attains to the natural and supernatural truth of charity: it grasps its meaning as gift, acceptance, and communion. Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality. Love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way.
Pope Benedict XviRead