Give, even if it's 1 Pound/Dollar/Riyal/Ringgit

Reminder to my own self first and foremost.  How many times have we walked past that young child on the street with his/her hand outstretched, that homeless man sleeping on the street with some change in a cup or that old woman with a handwritten note?  How many times have we questioned whether they were genuine or pulling a scam?  Or, how many times have felt embarrassed about giving just that 1 pound/dollar/riyal/ringgit?  Yet, this single worthless coin to us, could mean the world to the one we're giving it to.  This person may not have had a sip of water or a bite of food all day and our small donation could be the difference between thirst or starvation and survival.

How quick we are to belittle the small deeds.  Do we forget about the following hadeeth:

"The deeds most loved by Allah (are those) done regularly, even if they are small." (Bukhari, Muslim)

So, the next time you're in that dilemma, put yourself in the shoes of the one you're giving to.  Were you in that position, what would you expect from others walking past you?

That one coin could be the means for Du'aa from the depths of the heart from this person and in turn could be the thing that guarantees you shade on the Day when there will be no shade except His (Allah's) shade, if concealed.

I leave you with with this beautiful trait of our mother: Aisha (RA):

Aisha (ra) was called Umm al-Teeb because she used to spray perfume on the money she donated. When asked why she did this, she explained that charity reaches Allah before the receiving person’s hand so she wanted it to smell nice. She did this so often that it became her trademark and earned her this nickname.