UAE Friday sermon: Discreet acts of charity will draw people closer to Allah, sermon tells worshippers

Good deeds when performed discreetly will draw people closer to God, the sermon will tell worshippers on Friday.

In the Quran, it is said that God is the “Knower of the unseen in heaven and earth”.

Allah knows what people do in public and in private, and it is for this reason that Muslims are not discouraged from performing good deeds in secret.

An act of kindness done in private is encouraged because the rewards are multiplied. The Quran says: “If you disclose your charitable expenditures, they are good; but if you conceal them and give them to the poor, it is better for you, and He will remove from you some of your misdeeds [thereby]. And Allah, is [fully] acquainted with what you do.” (Al Baqara: 271).

A good deed should be revealed to others only if disclosing it will encourage others to follow suit.

A noble act performed discreetly is deemed more sincere because its doer does not expect any praise or gratitude in return. For this reason, the Prophets ensured that some of their deeds were done secretly.

There are several deeds that Muslims are told to carry out in secret. One among them is charity. Those who follow this will see themselves getting closer to God, the sermon will say.

Prophet Mohammed said: “Seven people will be shaded by Allah under His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His.”

He said one of them was “a person who donates so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given”.

Another act that Muslims are encouraged to undertake discreetly is to supplicate to God on behalf of others. In this act, God rewards both people – the one who supplicates and the person on whose behalf supplication is being performed.

Once someone prays for a person in their absence, the prayer is believed to be more sincere and is therefore more likely to be answered.