Kindness to all kinds
Many of us remain unaware of the many small acts of mercy and kindness that could raise our station in the eyes of God all through the year. One of those aspects is continuous charity, or sadaqa, and while most of us are aware of the necessity and benefits of sharing our fortunes with the less fortunate, we often forget that human beings are not the only kind that Allah created!
One of the silent and often unseen casualties of our towers and glass buildings are the birds of the regions. The glass confuses them, the building obstructs their flight paths and influence their routines permanently. Not to mention the rampant denuding of city areas of old and sturdy trees— it is not just the tree that are lost, but entire ecosystems and homes of many creatures, of many kinds, including birds.
Keeping all that in mind, what could we do create a real impact? While planting trees is always an option, the space to do that might not be available to all. However, most of us have access to a roof or balcony, and one of the easiest ways to do so is to keep a bird feeder, and a water trough, with fresh clean water, for the little birds to come and drink from during these soaring temperatures of our blazing tropical summers.
As Muslims, imagine the rewards you reap each time a thirsty or hungry bird eats or drinks from your balcony, its relief translates to a reward for you as sadaqa, without much effort too. Sounds like a real easy deal, does it not? And even if we take out religion from the act, kindness, compassion, and caring for earth's beings is only one of the ways we can show our love to this planet, after all, it's our only home in this universe.