Mission
In the name of Allah, the most Compassionate, the ever Merciful.
We are a non-profit social endeavor to serve the underserved. We see any endeavor against poverty an act in service of justice. We see every act that is initiated by human empathy and compassion as an act of beauty.
Our Prophet teaches us that; God has a right upon you, your body has a right upon you, your guest has a right upon you, your brother in need has a right upon you, give every one his right.
Our Mission is to bring ease in the lives of our fellow beings that are disenfranchised; to empower the disadvantaged by providing access to various resources and through sustainable economic opportunities, enabling them to improve their standard of living and create a better future for their children.
"You have forgotten the One Who doesn't care about ownership, Who doesn't try to turn a profit from every human exchange." (Rumi)
Our Philosophy
Bismillah Al Rahman Al Rahim
In the name of God the most compassionate the ever merciful
Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"God will continue to support His servant,
till His servant continues to support His servants."
'Lahaute' means the highest spiritual state. A term taken from an inspirational verse by the prolific poet and philosopher Allama Mohammad Iqbal, in which he addresses the 'Momin' (spiritually enlightened person) as the bird that flies in the highest skies In this beautiful verse, he says, pursuing anything that hampers your spiritual flight is worthless.
Ibn al Arabi speaks of 'Lahaute' in terms of the Divine attributes in humankind whereas 'nasut' is the animal attributes.
Hence our inspiration, 'Beautify your Being with Divine Attributes. Show Compassion, Generosity, and Mercy.' This concept has been selected to keep our foundation's short term goals aligned with the ultimate goal that transcends this life.
We remind ourselves these are not acts of generosity. These are acts for the fulfillment of our responsibilities. The notion of 'Taklif' in Islamic thought is rich with discourses on what is the human obligation. The Divine Speech in the Quran is full of references to what God holds as our obligation. Enjoining good and forbidding wrong (amr bi'l maruf wa nahi an il munkar) is the fundamental moral principle that obligates us to enjoin good.
Our moral obligation to act against moral failures is the Islamic Juhd toil. It is a major moral failure not to be moved by the pain of another. Empathy and compassion are signs of a heart that is spiritually alive. It is a commitment of the heart and soul to take a stand for a moral principle. One faces a degeneration of our spiritual well being with recurring moral infractions. Morality and submission have a beautiful relationship. Consider as Muslim, we are taught that the state of being desired is that of submission. It is only in acts that it comes to fulfillment. For instance, to be in a state of gratitude is to be giving others who are in need. In other words, gratitude is entangled with having compassion and empathy for another who is suffering due to a lack. It is humanity that we must protect, thrive, and be committed to; Both seeing humanity in another and the humanity within us. Reorient yourself to the way of life that is Islam. Become a moral voice that speaks against the injustices. Live a meaningful, perhaps a difficult life. Be God's agents who stand for beauty and justice.
You God are the most compassionate, the most merciful. Our Prophet speaks on the modality of acts of loving and giving; "Whoever loves for Allah, gives for Allah, withholds for Allah, he completed his eimaan." hadith on a sign of Eimaan (Belief)
Small Kindnesses
Why we chose 'Small Kindnesses' as a driving thought?
Small Kindnesses are a reminder that our everyday life is strewn with small kindnesses of others. Ones that help us with our journey forward, ones that bring ease into our lives, ones that bring a smile to our face, warms our hearts, give us hope and strength to move forward, infact provides gentle nourishment for our souls. No wonder, Mohammad (peace be upon him) calls 'Smile' a charity. You cannot measure the result a genuine smile brings. It is all that and more.
Even though we realize in our lives the value of small kindnesses, we may not be motivated to do small acts of kindness, because their is no 'material value' attached to it. It is 'small', we may say, almost neglible. We underestimate them. I would like to share some stories from real lives where the value of a small kindness is almost tangible; It is priceless.