Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings upon him) very famously said that charity could be done in a number of manners, including bearing a smile to a stranger. Smiles have mysterious effects on people.
Even from the lips of a stranger, a smile can change a day. As I call it, a smile is the curve that makes the world go round.
Because smiles are contagious! And I'm not just talking about the social construct that smiles must be returned but also about the fact that happiness spreads from one person to the next like wildfire.
In this world where too many tears are shed, a smile brings hope of better days, of a better world. A world that spreads love instead of hate, compassion instead of fear, charity instead of spite.
Does this sound oddly idealistic? Yet it is the power of a smile I encountered on my way to work from a stranger, a much older woman with eyes full of kindness and a slight smile that carried a deep love of others.
As Muslims, we are told of this charity, and too many times we forget to do so. We keep our smiles the way keep our money in the face of those in needs. But why? A smile does not cost a thing, it doesn't remove from the one who gives and adds to the one who receives. It cannot be taken away and it can multiply upon sharing. A smile is the simplest of charity. Do not be too selfish to forget your Creator and give, in His name, the simplest of charities.
A smile can brighten up a day, aleviate pains and turn a week around, so I ask you: have *YOU* donated today?
