Why help those in YOUR OWN COUNTRY?

Surely this very question should seem bizarre, as it is.

Our natural inclination should always be to help those around us, and then look to those further away from us after that. 

We are constantly bombarded with images of devastation all around the world, and this naturally makes us very emotionally charged. However the fulfilment of the rights of our religion is not an emotional matter; rather, it is a matter of fulfilling the commands of the religion with due etiquette. 

Islam teaches that Zakat should be paid locally, so we should strive to fulfill this obligation. We can no longer ignore the reality of the existence of a complete underclass of Muslims living in this country. There are Muslims caught up in a vicious cycle of not being able to pursue legal employment due to not having anywhere to live, and because they have no source of income, they cannot feed and clothe themselves adequately.

The Messenger of Allah, Peace Be Upon Him Said,

"The best of companions with Allah is the one who is best to his companions, and the best of neighbours to Allah is the one who is the best of them to his neighbour" 
[At-Tirmidhi]

If our neighbours, the people who live near to us, are in need, how can we overlook them for people in need across the world? The reality is there are so many Muslims living in this country who are eligible for Zakat, and we as a community must respond to their needs, before responding to those across the world.

We have overlooked supporting Muslims locally for too long now, and our brothers and sisters have had no choice but to seek help from other faith groups, as their own community has let them down. 

The Believers Are but A Single Brotherhood [Quran, 49:10]

You may not know of Muslims who do not eat for days due to lack of money, but that does not mean they do not exist. 

We are not suggesting that Muslims should ignore the desperate situations of our fellow brothers and sisters all over the world. Instead of making our choices of ‘either / or’, we should seek to support all the noble causes to the best of our abilities, as The Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him said: "The believer's shade on the Day of Resurrection will be his charity." [At-Tirmidhi]

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