Why do good?

I would like to share a story. For the benefit of the people. I assure you, I do know that the good deeds that we did should be concealed as if what the right hand do, the left hand should not know. But this is for me, kind of a benefit; to enjoin people to do good.

I am not an IIUM student. Never had any affiliation with IIUM though there was one time I was supposed to come for a last minute interview for studying Medicine but God has planned something else for me.

Back in my foundation college, often abbreviated as The Ever Busy College (of course in Malay), I often do sadaqa to people. My Ustaz, let’s give him the name Ustaz YY, once told us that there is a part in our belongings (which is money for most of the cases) that belongs to someone else and in order to give that away is by giving sadaqa.

I would often pay for people’s food without them knowing. I would even help those in needs even if I have no money with me. I remembered, I had RM 20 in my account but when a friend was having a problem, I immediately cashed out RM 10 (because the bank did not let me empty the account) and handed it over to him.

Back then I never think twice when helping people, be it in the form of money, time, or energy.

And the moment that I was left speechless and grateful was when I was supposed to go back home to the Land of Hornbills for semester break. My dad is a police officer so he would have this warrant ticket for his family in which I can fly back home using Malaysia Airlines for free. And that day I did.

It was an ordinary day. After saying goodbye to a friend who is going back to the same state but different city, I went to my gate for boarding only to be told by the stewardess that the economy section is full. My heart sank.

“How am I going to go back home?” My family is a middle class family and it usually takes me 3 months to save money to even afford the cheapest flight ticket available.

What happened next almost left me to tears.

“But we can upgrade you to Business Class for free.”

At that moment I realised that Allah said, “If you are grateful, surely I will give to you more” (QS Ibrahim:7). Doing sadaqa does have its advantages, but the thing that we should focus more is being grateful to Him.

Even though I was flat broke every month, it did not stop me from helping people. Why? Maybe because I was grateful for all the things that He gave me and I would like to show that by helping other; perhaps by making them say (or think), “I’m grateful that He sent you to help me.”

Grateful is when we feel what we have is enough for us and the rest would be for someone else. Grateful is when you do not think twice when helping those in need. Grateful is when you put your Deen above everything else, be it a small little deeds in the eyes of the human.

Therefore, do good deeds gratefully. Let it comes to you naturally. One day, Allah will show you the sweetness of the good deeds that you did. And when that day come, I can assure you, you will shed manly (or womanly depending on the gender) tears and prostrate down to Him.

May Allah bless. Happy giving. ☺️

PS: I would like to apologize if my ‘confession’ seems a bit arrogant or something like that. I am no writer. Just an ordinary human being.