From Charity to Empowerment: A Reflection on the International Day of Charity

Seyed Hashem Moosavi

Introduction

The fifth of September has been designated by the United Nations as the International Day of Charity- or, more meaningfully, the International Day of Benevolence. This occasion is not merely an invitation to increase monetary donations; it is an opportunity to rethink the meaning of goodness, new forms of participation, the ethics of helping, the roles of government and society, the potential of Islam’s obligatory financial duties, and the preservation of public trust.

In many people’s minds, charitable work is still limited to donating money, distributing food, building mosques, or helping the sick. All of these are valuable expressions of benevolence; yet today’s world has shown that charity can extend from teaching a skill to providing legal defence for the oppressed, from donating time and expertise to creating free software for people with special needs, such as the visually impaired, and from establishing an academic endowment to protecting the environment. The central question, therefore, is not only “How much should we give?” but rather: “What should we give, to whom, with what intention, through what means, and with what outcome?”

From a National Initiative to a Global Occasion

The idea of dedicating a global day to charity emerged in 2011 as an initiative from Hungarian civil society and, with the support of Hungary’s parliament and government, reached the United Nations. On 17 December 2012, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 67/105 and declared 5 September the International Day of Charity. The date marks the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa in 1997, a figure who devoted many decades of her life to serving the poor, the sick, and the deprived, and who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Hungary’s proposal was adopted by consensus, with 44 states from different regions of the world formally supporting the draft resolution.

The purpose of this designation was not merely to honour a historical personality. The UN resolution recognised charity as a means of reducing human suffering, combating poverty, strengthening social solidarity, and fostering dialogue among nations. It called upon governments, international organisations, civil society bodies, and individuals to promote a culture of benevolence through education, awareness-raising, and appropriate activities.

The United Nations also emphasises that charity can supplement public services in health, education, housing, and child protection, while also supporting culture, science, sport, natural heritage, and the rights of marginalised groups. Thus, this day is less a “celebration of giving money” than a call to mobilise human capacities in the service of the common good. [1]

What Is a Good Deed?

In social usage, a “good deed” may be defined as any legitimate, thoughtful, and dignity-centred action that reduces suffering, restores a right, meets a real need, nurtures human capability, or creates a lasting benefit for society and the world- without itself leading to injustice, humiliation, or harmful dependency.

This definition contains several important points. First, goodness is not limited to giving money; knowledge, time, skill, social credibility, networks, job opportunities, kind words, and even preventing harm can all be acts of charity. Second, not every action that appears good is truly good; if a form of assistance damages the dignity of the recipient, turns them into a tool of publicity, or increases their dependency, its method must be reconsidered. Third, good deeds are not always voluntary recommendations; sometimes they become binding duties, such as paying zakat, khums, maintenance, debts, and other rights owed by a person.

The Islamic understanding of goodness is far broader than financial almsgiving. The Qur’an says:

«لَنْ تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّى تُنْفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ»

“You will never attain true righteousness until you spend from that which you love.” (Āl ʿImrān 3:92)

The Qur’an also presents righteousness as a comprehensive combination of faith, worship, fulfilment of promises, patience, and giving wealth to relatives, orphans, the needy, and travellers in distress (al-Baqarah 2:177).

The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said:

«کُلُّ مَعْرُوفٍ صَدَقَةٌ»

“Every good and recognised act is charity.”

Another narration states:

«وَالدَّالُّ عَلَى الْخَیْرِ کَفَاعِلِهِ»

“The one who guides another toward good is like the one who performs it.” [2]

These narrations expand the meaning of charity from material wealth to the full range of human capacities.

Charity in Different Religions

The principle of benevolence, though expressed through different foundations and practices, is also present in the great religious traditions.

In Judaism, the concept of tzedakah is closely connected with justice and moral duty. Helping the poor is not merely an act of compassion; it is the fulfilment of an ethical right. In the tradition attributed to Maimonides, the highest form of help is to bring the needy person to self-sufficiency– for example, by providing employment, capital, training, or the means to earn an income.

In Christianity, caritas, or self-giving love, holds a fundamental place. Serving the hungry, the sick, and the stranger is regarded as service to Christ, and hidden almsgiving is preferred over ostentation. [3]

In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, dāna is a practice of generosity and release from attachment. In Sikhism, too, seva- selfless service- and the communal kitchen tradition of langar emphasise service and social equality.

These traditions are not identical, yet they converge on one point: giving is not merely the transfer of property; it also educates the giver and shapes society.

A Broad Map of Forms of Benevolence

To expand public participation, people should be encouraged not only to look at the money available in their bank accounts, but also to recognise the financial and non-financial assets they possess.

Field of Charity	Examples of Participation	Main Benefit
Emergency relief	Food, medicine, shelter, and assistance in war, floods, earthquakes, and displacement	Saving lives and reducing immediate suffering
Livelihood support	Covering essential expenses for families, older people, orphans, and people with disabilities	Preserving a minimum dignified standard of life
Economic empowerment	Vocational training, work tools, interest-free loans, job creation, and business advice	Reducing dependency and creating sustainable income
Education and knowledge	Scholarships, voluntary teaching, libraries, translation, research, and open content	Opening long-term opportunities
Physical and mental health	Treatment, blood and organ donation, counselling, accompanying patients, and palliative care	Protecting life and quality of life
Professional expertise	Free medical, legal, accounting, engineering, design, or media services	Turning skill into social capital
Digital charity	Donating devices and internet access, digital literacy, open-source software, accessibility for blind and deaf people, and cybersecurity support for institutions	Fair access to new opportunities
Social and legal charity	Mediation, support for victims of violence, legal defence of the oppressed, and help for refugees and prisoners	Restoring rights and reducing social exclusion
Environment and heritage	Planting and caring for trees, cleaning nature, protecting water, animals, and cultural heritage	Safeguarding the rights of future generations
Time and emotional support	Spending time with a lonely older person, guiding a teenager, temporary childcare, listening, and companionship	Healing loneliness and strengthening human bonds
Endowment and lasting infrastructure	Endowing property, academic funds, clinics, schools, skills centres, or productive capital	Sustaining benefit across generations
Promotion and networking	Introducing a verified need, connecting benefactors with specialists, and attracting volunteers	Multiplying charitable capacity without requiring personal wealth

This diversity teaches us that no one is “too poor” or “too busy” to be charitable. A person may lack financial means yet still teach for an hour each week; a physician may dedicate part of their time to free treatment; a translator may make vital information available to migrants; a programmer may build a simple system for an institution; or someone may simply introduce a genuine need to a person who has the capacity to help. Immediate relief, of course, remains essential. Yet if all charitable capacity is spent on food parcels while education, employment, and prevention are forgotten, poverty is managed rather than healed.

Intention: The Soul of Charity

In Islamic thought, the moral and devotional value of an action cannot be separated from intention. Imam al-Sajjad, peace be upon him, said:

«لا عَمَلَ إِلّا بِنِیَّةٍ»

“There is no action except with intention.”

It is also narrated from the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family:

«نِیَّةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ خَیْرٌ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ… وَکُلُّ عَامِلٍ یَعْمَلُ عَلى نِیَّتِهِ»

“The intention of the believer is better than his action … and every person acts according to their intention.”[4]

A God-centred intention transforms charity from a transaction with people into an act of worship. The Qur’an says of the righteous:

«إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُکُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِیدُ مِنْکُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُکُورًا»

“We feed you only for the sake of God; we desire from you neither reward nor thanks.” (al-Insān 76:9) By contrast, the Qur’an regards charity accompanied by ostentation, reproach, or hurt as spiritually void (al-Baqarah 2:262, 264).

Nevertheless, sincerity does not mean acting without planning. A good intention does not make a flawed method sound. A person may genuinely wish to help, yet because of lack of awareness may send inappropriate goods, disrupt a local market, disclose a family’s private information, or spend funds on an ineffective project. Complete charity rests on three pillars: pure intention, sound method, and beneficial outcome.

Publicising charitable work is not always ostentation. The Qur’an states that revealing charitable giving is good, while concealing it and delivering it to the needy is better (al-Baqarah 2:271). Therefore, if announcing a donation is necessary for creating an example, attracting participation, or providing transparent reporting, it can be compatible with sincerity-provided that the display of the donor does not replace the needs of people, and the dignity of the recipient is not made the price of publicity.

How Can We Do Good Without Falling into Its Pitfalls?

Charitable work, like every human activity, can have side effects and harms. The solution is not to abandon benevolence, but to make it more ethical and more professional.

1. Recognise the real need:

The donor’s preference should not be imposed on those in need. Before any project begins, the people themselves and local specialists should be asked what the priority is. Sometimes targeted cash assistance is more effective than sending goods; at other times, because of specific circumstances, non-cash support is necessary.

2. Preserve the dignity of the recipient:

Publishing images of a child, patient, or needy family without informed consent, narrating the details of their private lives, creating humiliating queues, or turning the deprived into tools of publicity is incompatible with the spirit of benevolence. In many cases, discreet help, or assistance through a trustworthy intermediary, is more appropriate.

3. Keep a balance between relief and empowerment:

One cannot tell a hungry person to first learn a skill; their urgent need must be met. Yet if a programme remains limited to permanent feeding and opens no path toward education, treatment, employment, or self-reliance, it will make dependency permanent.

4. Do not replace prior duties with charitable acts:

A person cannot withhold a worker’s wage, a debt, family maintenance, or lawful tax and then use part of that same wealth to present a charitable image of themselves. The Qur’an commands us to spend from the good and lawful things we have earned (al-Baqarah 2:267). Charity begins with justice in earning and fulfilling rights.

5. Know the limits of our own capacity:

Emotional giving that drives a person into debt, burdens their family, or exhausts them is usually not sustainable. A narration states:

«وَابْدَأْ بِمَنْ تَعُولُ»

“Begin with those whose support is your responsibility.”

Regular and proportionate giving is often more beneficial than large but occasional and emotional giving.

6. Take oversight and transparency seriously:

Institutions should have financial controls, separation of duties, conflict-of-interest policies, safeguarding for children and vulnerable people, complaint mechanisms, impact evaluation, and clear reporting. Zero administrative cost is not necessarily a sign of integrity; auditing, staff training, secure technology, and oversight all cost money. The right criterion is that expenses should be reasonable, transparent, and in service of the mission- not merely that the lowest administrative ratio be advertised.

Government, People, and Organisations: Who Is Responsible?

The existence of a welfare-oriented state or a broad system of public services does not remove the need for people’s charitable work; just as charitable activity does not exempt the state from its legal and justice-oriented responsibilities. The accurate formulation is this: “The state does not replace society, and society should not be expected to replace the state.”

The Role of Individuals

Individuals are the closest circle to everyday suffering. They can notice hidden needs, build human relationships, volunteer, give regularly, and oversee the performance of institutions. A needy family member, neighbour, or relative should not be forgotten amid the bustle of large projects.

The Role of Charitable Organisations

Charitable and non-governmental organisations turn scattered acts of help into specialised action. Their duties include assessing needs, choosing beneficiaries properly, implementing programmes professionally, safeguarding entrusted resources, measuring outcomes, and reporting transparently. These institutions should build a bridge between people’s good intentions and real impact in society.

The Role of the State

The state has a duty to guarantee basic rights, social security, education, health, crisis relief, and support for vulnerable people. It should also provide clear regulations, proportionate oversight, legal incentives, reliable data, and opportunities for cooperation with charitable organisations. The desirable model is a responsible division of labour and cooperation among the state, civil society, the private sector, and citizens-the kind of partnership that the United Nations also regards as essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Khums and Zakat: From Voluntary Virtue to Financial Responsibility

One of the strengths of Islam’s financial system is that it does not leave the struggle against poverty and the support of society’s welfare solely to passing emotions. Zakat and khums move part of wealth out of the realm of personal choice and turn it into a right. The repeated mention of zakat alongside prayer in the Qur’an shows that religiosity is not only a person’s relationship with God; one’s relationship with the servants of God is also part of faith.

The Qur’an sets out specific categories for the use of zakat, including the poor, the needy, debtors, and travellers in distress (al-Tawbah 9:60), and describes zakat as a means of purification and spiritual growth (al-Tawbah 9:103).

Khums, too, based on verse 41 of Sūrat al-Anfāl and the detailed rulings of Islamic jurisprudence, has held an important place in the school of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, in meeting religious and social needs, supporting eligible people in need, advancing religious education and propagation, and serving the interests of the community of believers.

Without comprehensive statistics, it is not possible to measure the historical contribution of these two obligations across all Muslim societies with a single figure. Yet their potential capacity is immense. If religious dues are paid on time, collected professionally, spent according to real priorities, and reported transparently in terms of their impact, they can become a sustainable stream for reducing poverty, preserving scholarly and religious institutions, and responding to emerging needs.

Several points, however, must be observed. First, the legitimate uses of zakat and khums are not identical or unlimited; the payer cannot simply treat any preferred project as a valid religious expenditure. In particular, the payment and use of the Imam’s share and the sayyids’ share in khums are subject to the ruling of one’s religious authority and the necessary permissions.

Second, obligatory religious dues do not cover all the needs of society. They must therefore be complemented by recommended charity, endowment, interest-free loans, well-considered vows, public budgets, and corporate social responsibility.

Third, public confidence in religious funds also depends on trustworthiness, professionalism, proper prioritisation, and appropriate reporting. Alongside khums and zakat, endowment has a special capacity to create lasting infrastructure. If zakat and charity often respond to ongoing needs, productive endowments can support schools, clinics, research centres, supportive housing, and employment funds for generations. The revival of Islamic benevolence will remain incomplete without redesigning endowment for today’s needs.

When a Betrayal Wounds Public Trust

A mistake, mismanagement, or betrayal by someone responsible for a charitable organisation can have destructive effects far beyond that institution itself, because the main capital of charitable work is trust. When that trust is damaged, the first real victims are the needy people who had no role in the wrongdoing. For this reason, institutions should not conceal errors. They should investigate them, report them, make amends, and reform their preventive mechanisms.

At the same time, the conclusion that “because one person or one institution has betrayed trust, no one can be trusted” is logically a hasty generalisation and morally amounts to transferring the punishment of the wrongdoer onto innocent people in need. One act of betrayal is sufficient reason to distrust that individual or defective structure and to investigate further, but it is not proof that all benefactors and institutions are corrupt. The right path is to move from naïve trust to intelligent trust.

From Occasional Charity to a Sustainable Culture

The International Day of Charity becomes meaningful when it turns benevolence from an emotional, occasional reaction into a personal habit and a social system. For this purpose, several transformations are necessary:

• Small but regular contributions should replace short-lived emotional impulses.
• Emergency relief should be accompanied by empowerment.
• The recipient should move from being an object of pity to becoming a partner in solving the problem.
• Institutions should move beyond reporting the number of packages distributed and instead report real changes in people’s lives.
• Benefactors should rise from the role of mere payers to that of learners, overseers, and collaborators.

Children and young people should also be introduced to charitable work from the beginning-not merely by putting money into a donation box, but through the experience of service, respectful awareness of society’s needs, teamwork, care for the environment, and dedicating part of their time and abilities to others. A society that expects charity only from the wealthy leaves a large part of its human capital unused.

Conclusion

The fifth of September reminds us that the world is not governed by law and budgets alone; empathy, volunteering, trust, and mutual responsibility are also pillars of society. Yet desirable charity is not merely a giving hand and a receiving hand. It is a bond between love and justice, sincerity and expertise, relief and empowerment, people and government, and religious duty and social responsibility.

If we understand benevolence as every legitimate action that reduces suffering, restores a right, or nurtures a talent, then every human being has something to give. One gives wealth, another knowledge; one offers time, while another uses their reputation and connections to untie a knot in someone’s life.

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[1] . Official UN page on World Charity Day, General Assembly Resolution 67/105, Report of the Government of Hungary on the adoption of the proposal

[2] . Al-Kafi, Vol. 4, Chapter on the Well-Known Virtue.

[3] . Matthew 25:35-40 and 6:1-4.

[4] . Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, Chapter on Intention