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.
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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
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
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
Why did God make me an outcast and a stranger in mine own house? The shades of the prison-house closed round about us all: walls strait and stubborn to the whitest, but relentlessly narrow, tall, and unscalable to sons of night who must plod darkly on in resignation, or beat unavailing palms against the stone, or steadily, half hopelessly, watch the streak of blue above.
W. E. B. Du BoisRead
Are you never afraid of God's judgement in denying him? Most certainly not. I also deny Zeus and Jupiter and Odin and Brahma, but this causes me no qualms. I observe that a very large portion of the human race does not believe in God and suffers no visible punishment in consequence. And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence.
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A lot of people think the Breakfast for Children program is charity. But what does it do? It takes the people from a stage to another stage. Any program that's revolutionary is an advancing program. Revolution is change.
Fred HamptonRead
Look, I have no qualms about having played basketball. The game has done so much for me. Look at the places I've been, for one thing.
Bill BradleyRead