Background:
Before diving into my views on charities let's dive into my background for a deeper understanding of my thoughts.
I am from a society where a person collects dam funds in the name of charity and the people of Pakistan never actually saw a dam being built, we loss lives every time in a flood cause of multiple reasons including this.
You might be wondering, dlm it's up to date then why you are having negative thoughts about it? This person is playing a ping pong game with my nation (it's up to you to dig the rest). He claims to give as much as he can to make dam while his daughter's wedding dressing was too expensive, it was even expensive to the upper class of society. The person who was preaching to give one dish at our wedding was doing the opposite of his own teachings and he even tried to impose laws related to a number of food items at weddings. This fund was non of my business but it was imposed on my people automatically whenever we recharged our phone balance/top-up without our will.
I can keep going into details of this fund-related organized scandal and supported by the justice system and government but I don't wanna lose you till the end cause I have too much to say.
Read this if you wanna know more:
In short, a drama filled with corruption to fill pockets.
I am also from a nation where the blind can see after he is done begging and a handicapped can walk. Begging is a profession here.
Why People Are Still Doing Charity?
With all this aside charity is not optional for us, it's compulsory in our religion. Before you get hyped up, let me break your over-expectations.
In Islam, charity is compulsory but Sadqa is not! Why am I comparing these?
Islam's ideology is Allah as a God and Prophet Muhammad as the last messenger of Allah.
Islam is not complete without the preachings of the Prophet. A summary of what He said is:
"If you give a date (dry fruit) to a hungry person then this date can result might result in your forgiveness from hell fire."
This was an example of a needy person. While people in Pakistan are doing Sadqa in name of this. An open invitation with food availability. Since it targets all, it's a good deed of Sadqa but it is not charity. Here they even give expensive food to people who are usually drivers (not covered in charity). It was all fine if it doesn't affect charity and sadqa difference. We have to remember the difference between helping a needy person and helping someone. Both are good if people do both but doing sadqa will not replace the need for charity as it's compulsory which is happening as per my observation. This is purely a lack of understanding of own religion.
Personal Story 1:
In my post, Label Them! #thoughtfuldailypost on Dec 12, 2022, I posted about an event I attended at my university.
On DEC 4, 2022, from the same event I got this box which was a mixture of a tissue box, calendar, and money box. Awesome? No! When it was given to me, I told the salesperson I will only donate to them once a year or once this box will get filled. Since I filled out a form with my phone number, I was almost forced and reminded him every month that our agreement was different. (I am skipping some details here again) In short, This "Put your deeds inside" turned out to be a headache and I had to block that person on whatsapp while having a heated argument with him for breaking terms and again and again disturbing me with calls and his emotional drama.
Story 2:
We friends played a game online and played with even girls in a lobby with an open mic in normal society (cause calls are usually seen as bad between boys and girls by some people without a proper reason). One day I was talking to my API (elder sister, saying out of respect as a sister). She told me her neighbor is gone so she has nothing to eat. I was shocked by what she was saying and why she have nothing to eat. I asked for her WhatsApp then I asked for a live location, to her surprise Foodpanda (a delivery service) was at her door. After she was full, I asked her about the details. Then I came to know about how she is a widow (last 3 months) and her mom is also outside of the city for work and can't come back cause of lack of money even if she comes on COVID peak days, things will just become harder. Oh, also to keep in mind, her father died 10-15 years ago. When the world was stuck in Pendamic, a girl was alone at the home also cause her Husband made her live like a hostile housewife with no knowledge of the outside world. She didn't even know how to pay bills and was using her neighbor's WIFI, and surviving on the food she gives.
It's just a short briefing of a far worse condition. She was a syed by caste and non of zakat forms applied to syed caste. I had little money compared to the money need to fix the problems. I visited her place and paid the gas bills cause the supplier cut her supply for not paying them. It wasn't too much cost-wise. I contacted some EGOs, some called me her boyfriend while some called her a call girl, and some asked for a guardian to be available for getting the charity funds cause they can't apply for themselves nor I can apply for her (her mother away and no father to assist. Husband left her :( ). In short, after doing my very best 14 days passed. It was the toughest time for me cause I heard a lot of negative things from charity givers. I also had an interaction where if she do *** with the person then they were ready to solve all issues.
I know you might be wondering how can all this happen, it's up to you to decide for yourself. I am just a nobody on the internet. I was fed up with all the TRANSPARENT charity drama that many of hivers preached in their posts recently. I knew I had to solve the issue but I had low to zero funds to give her a new life. I did what I do best (utilizing online crowd), I took help from my online social circle knocking facebook group to facebook group (while keeping her identity anonymous cause it's very negative for someone in her condition to publicly ask for charity), and in the end, with the help of a person we wave off her last 3 months electricity bills by filling a form to the government. Some other guys came forward and after their full satisfaction of situation NORMAL PEOPLE, raise funds to help where charity failed.
A lot of negative things happened in name of charity. I fear them cause of my personal experience.
Closing Thoughts:
I never shared this adventure with my family nor wanted to share on hive (I don't even know how my mind got the courage to open up. I believe talking about good might motivate someone to do good.) although my friend who helped me and some others know about this. My family at that stage of life wouldn't even believe their son/brother can even go to such a far place by using public transport. I had multiple negative thoughts while doing this adventure for example getting kidnapped. I had nothing but just a dream/hope/will and that was enough. I never want anyone to go through what she went through. Nor do I believe charities are bad, we just failed forms criteria and some few bad actors of society tried to exploit or blackmail us. Don't worry about her. She started teaching and sewing afterward and living a happy life.
