Information about the Edhi Foundation

The Edhi Foundation is the biggest and most comprehensive social welfare organisation. It is constantly in operation and does not discriminate against anyone, regardless of whom they are or where they come from. The foundation focuses on the need to help people live. This particular organisation stands out from the rest owing to its diversity that enables it to provide a wide range of services. There are over 300 centers that operate each and every day on a 24hour basis.

The essential social services offered by the organisation include ambulances, homeless shelters, hospitals, pharmacies, and maternity healthcare as well as rehabilitation centers among others. It also reaches out internationally by providing assistance to victims of natural disasters.

Edhi strives to be self-reliant and does not believe in receiving financial help from external sources. Every donation made is from business entities and individuals. The noble mission has been ongoing for over fifty years and continues to be a source of inspiration or philanthropists around the world. It has positively transformed the social fabric of Pakistan by inspiring various individuals to actively contribute to social welfare services. Edhi believes that it is important and necessary to protect everyone’s rights without discrimination.

All societies face the challenges that arise from destitution. The conscience of a society is based on how it perceives human rights and whether or not it values people’s rights. Social development programmes are often hard to implement because of financial difficulties and insufficient support. The Edhi Foundation founder Abdul Edhi made a commitment to deal with societal challenges and provide long lasting solutions. The foundation provides a clear example of the critical role that ordinary individuals play in alleviating the suffering of fellow human beings.

Zakat is a charitable act that involves easing the financial hardships of the less fortunate members of society. The basis of this practice is the ability of people to give and everyone who is capable is obligated to provide financial assistance. This is aimed at preventing inequality that arises from the amount of wealth that different people have.

Zakah considers the needs of people who live in poverty and those who are unable to meet their financial obligations. Zakat is a noble act that shows care and interest in the needs of other people in society. It helps to bridge the divide that typically exists between wealthy people and poor people. Edhi aims to deal with human needs by enabling individuals to create a positive change in society.

Humanitarian Organizations: Providing Relief in Disastrous Situations

Humanitarian organizations work round the clock to provide relief to suffering human population. In war-torn countries such as Pakistan, relief services are important to the suffering lot who need immediate medical care, first aid, food, and any important assistance that can alleviate their suffering. For such reasons, humanitarian organizations such as Edhi Foundation were established. Such organizations often depend on donations from other organizations and individuals to carry out their duties. Without sadaqa from concerned individuals and groups, the organizations cannot be able to provide various emergency services to communities and individuals afflicted.

With that idea in mind, it becomes clear that humanitarian work is everyone’s concern. Individuals and communities need to team up together to support humanitarian organizations that are engaged in providing ambulances in emergencies, preserving and burial or unclaimed bodies, and providing relief food to communities and individuals affected by disaster. While mainstream humanitarian organizations may receive donor funding from other organizations, small and medium size humanitarian groups find it difficult to operate without enough funds yet they play a leading role in relief services.

To achieve their goals effectively, individuals and communities need to team up and contribute towards relief services. That is why people from all corners of the world are urged to contribute Zakat both online and offline to provide relief to suffering victims. Some of the important services offered by humanitarian organizations include:

• Ambulance services: these are important in situations where victims have to be taken to other medical facilities for further medical attention. The ambulances are mainly donated by world-class humanitarian organizations to help in disaster-stricken areas.
• Volunteer work: This is important as willing citizens volunteer to donate blood, food, and clothing to affected communities. Volunteer work is also important in communities stricken by famine and other natural calamities.
• Rehabilitation centers: People affected by disasters often undergo traumatic experiences, which require counseling from experts. A reliable humanitarian organization should have a rehab center where disaster victims are counseled qualified personnel.
• Maternity centers: These are important for expecting women and their children in disaster prone areas. They offer basic prenatal and mother/child health services in such areas.

With these services in their list and more, it is easy to recognize the work done by Humanitarian organizations. Since disasters do not give warnings of their happenings, the organizations are always ready with necessary requirements to handle each disastrous situation. One of the much-needed requirements is finances, which they use to buy fuel for the ambulances, medical supplies and other necessities for the emergencies. 

The Noble Duty of Humanitarian Organizations

Disasters are part of many communities across the world, especially where there is constant political unrest or other forms of disaster such as famine, drought and others. When calamities afflict communities, the human population suffers. At such times, much assistance is needed in terms of medical, food, and supplies.

Humanitarian organizations perform a noble duty to ensure that they alleviate suffering in the afflicted communities. The spirit of donation through zakah is what keeps such organizations going. Donations can be in kind or financial, depending on type of donor. Major humanitarian organizations can donate vehicles, ambulances and other bigger donations.

Donor of lower levels can donate smaller items such as food and clothing. However, the bottom line remains that humanitarian organizations need support in order to operate continuously. For all concerned citizens that wish to contribute towards the projects, it is advisable to get in touch with such organizations and make a donation however little it is. Some of the services offered by humanitarian organizations include:

• Shelter for the destitute: When disaster strikes, thousands of people can be left homeless. At the same time, many destitute children on the streets need shelter and support in various ways. Humanitarian organizations provide shelter, food, and clothing for such groups.
• Supply of relief food: afflicted communities where disaster has occurred need urgent relief food. Famine is one of the major disasters affecting communities in the world. For victims of famine, the organization provides food and other food supplies.
• Supply of medical care: in war-torn communities, urgent medical attention is essential for victims. Humanitarian organizations in conjunction with other medical organizations provide the victims with drugs and other supplies.
• Assistance for handicapped: This is one of the duties handled by humanitarian organizations, providing necessary machines and equipment such as wheelchairs, and other important supportive devices for handicapped people.

Humanitarian organizations call upon everyone to support their services through donations and lilah, so they can continue to render important services to deserving communities. Contribution to these services goes a long way to support the work done by the organizations. In countries such as Pakistan for example, experience disasters quite often and therefore need regular assistance from these organizations. Humanitarian service is essential where disaster has occurred regardless of race, religion, or other limiting factors.

For more more information about our society's services such as Sadaqa and Qurbani please visit our website.

Learn More about Giving – What are Sadaqa, Lilah and Qurbani?

Watching the news can be disheartening. There are so many people suffering around the world. You don’t even have to go far to see this suffering. It is right outside your doorstep. We pass less fortunate people every day on our way to work. Some of us encounter them every day as we carry out our tasks at work.

Many of us would like to do something to assist those less fortunate than ourselves. However, it can be difficult finding the right way to do it. We are not able or willing to leave our homes or jobs in order to dedicate our lives to assisting the less fortunate. This may not be the life or career path we would choose for ourselves.

This doesn’t mean that we cannot assist those who are less fortunate. Islam teaches us how we can care for our neighbours by sharing the fruits of our labour.

Lilah is a term that is often used to express the beauty of the Islamic community. It is a reminder that we are all part of a larger community and should therefore look out for each other. This teaching of Islam encourages faithful Muslims to give to the less fortunate.

Zakat is a type or form of Lilah. By giving zakat, the faithful Muslim is stretching out a helping hand to those in need. Giving of Zakat is an obligatory practice amongst Muslims. Giving your Zakat to a charitable organisation will ensure that it supports the work of the organisation and enables it to assist more people.

Sadaqah is not mandatory like Zakat. It is alms that are given voluntarily for the cause of Allah. It is often given on special occasions such as weddings, anniversaries and other personal occasions as a mark of the occasion or for bringing blessings.

There are no set amounts for Sadaqah. The amount given is dependent on the person giving the alms.

Qurbani is an Arabic word that means sacrifice. It is an act of worship that is performed on special days. 

These days include the 10^th, 11^th or 12^th of Thul Hijjah in accordance with the Islamic calendar. The offering given often consists of livestock. The livestock is slaughtered and distributed to the poor or the relatives and friends of the person performing the act of worship. 

Giving your Zakat to Charitable Organisations – How it is Used

Living in today’s fast paced world is not easy. You find that you barely have enough time to do any of the things you’d like to do apart from work. We can sometimes be so absorbed with our own cares and daily tasks that we forget our obligation to care for our neighbours.

Islam teaches the importance of helping the needy especially when you have been blessed with more. Charity is one of the pillars of Islam. As a faithful Muslim therefore, ensure that you do your part to take care of your brothers and sisters who are not as fortunate as you are.

Many of us would like to reach out and serve the poor and those living under difficult conditions. However, it simply isn’t possible to take time off work or drop everything to serve the poor. Luckily, you can still assist in alleviating the suffering of others by giving your zakat to a charitable organisation.

Giving zakah is obligatory for every faithful Muslim. You can donate yours to a non-profit Muslim organisation that works to improve the lives of others around the world.

It is important to ensure that the organisation you give your zakah to is able to fulfil the requirements of Shariah law. They should also be genuine in helping the needy. You can do some research online to find out more about the works of any specific organisation that you are interested in making a donation to.

Many non-profit organisations work in parts of the world that have been hit by natural disasters or ravaged by war. These organisations provide food, health care, shelter and clothing for those in need in those areas. In most cases, these organisations will offer assistance without showing any discrimination.

Many of these organisations are non-profits meaning they depend entirely on donations made from well-wishers. Your zakah will therefore go a long way to support the work of these organisations.

You can choose to assist such organisations on an ongoing basis by making arrangements so that your zakat is channelled to these organisations regularly. Many Muslim non-profits will assist you in calculating what you are meant to give and also facilitate the distribution of the money you have given.

You can make a difference in someone’s life today without having to leave your home to do itby simply giving to a charitable organisation. 

The Importance of Serving Humanity

Many people have been brought up in strong religious foundations and they believe that human life is the most valuable asset anyone can have. It is provided by God and can only be taken away by God himself. Religion teaches us many things and when you grow up, you are directed on how you are supposed to live so that you can become a highly respected individual in the society.

Serving human being is serving God and it has been clearly written in holy books that human beings were made in the image of God. As a matter of fact, all regions support this and it is considered as an essential of good morality. There are two important things to live by in this world.

• You must have a strong relationship with Allah and ensure that you live up to your duties. When you worship Allah alone, he will guide you and protect you in your way of life.
• You must also be kind, helpful and good to other people. Life is all about respecting and appreciating what God has provided you with and that means that you must take fellow human beings as they are. Some people have weaknesses where as others are strong. Others are wealthy whereas others are poor. It is important that you give sadaqa because it goes in helping other people who are not well of.

Serving and helping others in all regions means that you are helping God. You cannot serve God without helping others. You must open your heart and serve others without distinction of skin color, religion race or tribe. It has been written in holly books that those who treat the human race with mercy shall also be treated with mercy by the almighty Allah.

The thing is that the human race is one familiar and under no circumstances should we be divided by humanly things. It goes against God`s will because he gave us life and everything that we cherish in life. Being kind and doing service to God also means serving not only humans but also animals, birds and world creatures.

Because Allah created the creatures himself, he will be so happy to see you treat them with kindness and sure enough he will reward you hand fully. There are so many ways you can serve humanity-find your own way and do it with all your heart. 

Ways in Which You Can Serve Humanity

Serving humanity is something that many people have devoted their lives to. As a matter of fact, some people have started organizations that basically deal with serving humanity. You don`t need to start an organization yourself to serve humanity but if you can join one the better.

However, you can serve humanity as an individual, and now you may be wondering how you can start doing that. There are several guidelines that have been written by experts to guide you on ways in which you can start serving the human race so that you may be considered in Allah`s eyes. Here are the five steps.

• Start by building a foundation

Try to picture how you would like yourself to be in a step by step manner. Find all the materials online and book stores that can help you mould yourself in to someone that everyone would admire. You can read autobiographies of famous philanthropists. Absorb and incorporate what you have read in your day to day activities.

• Try to find your own path

Write down reasons why you want to serve humanity. Come up with the 5 whys and you will be able find yourself and understand better why it’s important to serve humanity. The 5 whys will help you to figure out your true purpose in life and motivate you to keep on going even when things are not working as you expect. It will help you to lay out a foundations that will help you to accomplish you vision of serving humanity.

• Make sure that you put into action what you have learned on a daily basis

Ensure that you practice what you have learned daily. When you practice daily and incorporate it into your daily habits, it will be easier to serve humanity. It does not matter how small the contribution might be. You can do this by giving zakah that will help those who are unfortunate. Whenever you heart tells you that you are doing something right, it is important that you keep doing it.

• Trust your heart and always follow your instincts

We are different and although you may receive advice from different people on how you should do things, it is important to follow your instincts and what you heart believes in.

• Share with others.

Find people who share the same opinion with you and connect with them. Communicate with them more often especially when you need advice on certain matters.

For more information about our services Sadaqa and Lilah please visit our website: www.edhiuk.org