#Donate Poor and Orphan Girl Marriages

[writingwenches]

Lady Lynora Lannister

Lynora Lannister: A lady raised by harsh Septas, away from courtly life, brought to the bustling court of King Viserys by the Lannisters to serve as lady-in-waiting to Princess Helaena Targaryen, and secretly offered as potential mistress to Prince Aemond Targaryen.

pairings –

Helaena Targaryen x Good Female Friendship. Lynora Lannister was brought to the castle to serve the "strange" young princess. Queen Alicent banished dozens of ladies from court, tasking servants to report any forked tongue gossip about her poor, sweet, Helaena, straight to the Queen's bedchamber.

Aemond Targaryen x OC Female, raised lowborn. Lannisters are always there to serve the crown, offering the young Lady up to the Prince as a potential play-thing. All young men needed to blow off steam, the Lannisters knew, and who better than someone the Prince can belittle, berate, curse and abused than some classless girl.

other story ocs

mission statement –

Let’s turn Westeros into the girlhood centric sadbae YA novel of our dreams ✨

character information –

Lady Lynora Lannister was born to the third son of Lord Lannister, Warden of the West and a daughter of Lord Mullendore of the Uplands in the Reach. House Mullendore had made their recent fortunes in bountiful cattle farming throughout their lands. House Mullendore is very generous to their smallfolk, allowing many to collect impressive sums for their hard work in the fields. 

The current Lord Mullendore was raised too softly, knowing nothing of hardship and struggle, surviving each winter with no inconveniences. Lord and Lady Mullendore had many children, and lost most. Always too far gone into their cups, they lost track of the alliances and marriages of their children. The announcement of their daughter’s marriage to the Lord Leon Lannister, a widower twice over already, was hurried after a passionate tournament week celebrating the King’s daughter. The announcement of her death was quiet, between the lines of Leon Lannister’s new engagement. 

Lynora’s mother died a few days after giving birth. The daughter that was left angered Leon, what a waste. She was sent the way of many Lannister bastards, into the care of the Faith of the Seven.

Lyn was raised by Septas in a Motherhouse, under their watchful patron, The Maiden, commonly referred to as a “Maidenhouse”. The Septas taught unwanted girls life skills, to learn to support themselves in the world. They work hard, tilling the fields, and practicing a trade to sell at the nearby town markets. It is whispered about that the Maiden’s Motherhouse was a place known to house bastards of Noble Houses, for those too kind to end the child, but not kind enough to bring them into their House. The unwanted girl’s dreamed of their possible sisters and cousins, finding small similarities in looks and actions, all in search of a family. Some girls formed their own families. 

Much like its name, The banks of The Bite was a rough place to live. The banks of The Bite are where The North, The Riverlands and The Vale meet. The Bite is a rural area East of The Twins, along the Kingsroad. 

The Maidenhouse was known to take in all kinds of young girls. Some girls were taken by force, abducted by honorable Knights from their Hilltribes or Wildling clans. Other girls showed up in gilded carriages, with sacks of gold in tribute. Most are dropped off at the gates, in worn baskets and tattered blankets. It is hard to remember how one came to the Maidenhouse, unless the Septas enjoy holding it against you. 

Lyn assumed she was just another orphan girl, just another one of the wild mosaic of children the Septas tried to control with pain and fear. Fear of the gods, fear of the rod, fear of the pitiful future they were all to endure. 

The winters were hard, some near impossible. Donations stall, the fields barren, the girls more unwanted than ever. One winter, when foraging for wood, Lyn and a group of friends were abducted by a Hilltribe and held captive until summer. She will keep this secret from her noble family, if her virtue was ever called into question, she would surely be forced to marry an old, wealthy lord that no one else would have. 

Lyn has a hard time adapting to noble!speak, using lowborn vocabulary such as “m’lady/m’lord”, and having terrible manners. 

She was born with a prominent birthmark on her face, under her eye. For ooc story purposes, it will make her easier to “track” through a system of unwanted girls, the Lannister/Mullendoren family will know for certain it is really her and not some pretender. In the story, she will be given some nasty name to be known through the Kingdom, dealing with her face.

When meeting Lord Layrs Strong, he is annoyed Lyn assumed the Tully’s ruled the Riverlands. She only knew of house banners that donated food to the children of the Maidenhouse and she had never seen House Strong’s sigil.

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: Muslim Culture and Character: Embracing The World: Part 3

CHARITABLE TRUSTS IN MEDIEVAL ISLAM

All over the vast Islamic world, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, various services that are fundamentally important to society have been financed and maintained through charitable trusts.

Godliness and virtue is not that you turn your faces towards east or west; but godliness and virtue is to believe in God and the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the Prophets; to spend of your substance out of love for Him for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the liberation of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts you have made; and to be persevering and patient in hardship and disease, and throughout all periods of stress. Such are the people who are true (in their faith), and those are they who achieved righteousness, piety, and due reverence for God. (Qur’an 2:177)

All cultures and religions instruct their followers to help the poor and leave behind an everlasting source of good deeds (Dallal 2004, 13-43). Originating from a desire to improve others’ well-being, charity is an altruistic behavior (Becker 1974, 1063-1091) of gift exchanges between individuals that encourages social order and stability (Mauss 1950). This essential principle comprises two main categories in Islam: Zakat, obligatory alms for Muslims with a certain level of wealth, and sadaqa, highly recommended voluntary donations, one of the most popular forms of which are philanthropic foundations.

Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta (d.1369) was struck by the dedication of the inhabitants of Damascus to all forms of countless foundations, such as legacies devoted by people who could not travel to Mecca to pay others’ pilgrimage; foundations providing girls from poor backgrounds with all the requirements for their marriage; foundations devoted to purchasing the freedom of Muslim prisoners; others for paying the maintenance of roads, and many more (Ibn Battutah 2006). Once, he saw a young boy drop a porcelain plate, which broke. The passer-bys told the boy to take the pieces to the foundation for utensils. Consequently, the boy got a refund, equal to the value of a new plate. The residents, in their great numbers, also provided endowments for schools, hospitals, and mosques. It was a city, Ibn Battuta tells us, where the social spirit was at its optimum.

The word waqf (plural awqaf), means to cause a thing to stop and stand still, to withhold, or to prevent; and the word applies “to endow the property rights of a good [while dedicating its benefits] to the public service perpetually, and to prevent others from obtaining its property rights”. Awqaf are considered an expression of piety, not because their activities are inherently religious, but because they are governed by a law considered sacred. In Islamic terminology, waqf is described as the detention of an entity from ownership forever, by considering it as the property of God, while devoting all its possible gifts of income to some charitable purpose for the community.

However defined, waqf institutions stand out as one of the greatest achievements of Islamic civilization. Although this was not a new concept introduced by Islam, the system to allocate, administer, and dispense the usufruct was unique. All over the vast Islamic world, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, various services that are fundamentally important to society have been financed and maintained through awqaf, some of which have even survived for more than a millennium, providing the needy with basic needs such as food, education, and shelter, and improvements like lighthouses, cemeteries, public baths, drinking fountains, mosques, bridges, roads, aqueducts and so on, enhancing peace and harmony.

Once established, the public aims of a waqf become binding, cannot be altered or revoked, even by the founder, and everyone, even the head of state, has to obey these deeds. Eliminating the waqf character of property entails a complicated process, and is restricted to an exchange of another property of equivalent value and equivalent service to the community, in addition to a local court’s approval. Diverting waqf revenues to other purposes is not within the authority of the waqf administration or a supervisory court. Should a waqf purpose becomes unfeasible, its revenue is spent on the closest purpose available, both conceptually and geographically; and if this is not workable, the benefits go to the needy, which is assumed as the default intent (Kahf).

Some examples: Historical data suggest that foundations were first observed as religious establishments where people worshipped together, followed by other applications in society; some believe that some awqaf were founded by Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, about 1860 BCE. The first waqf in Islam is the Mosque of Quba in Medina, built in 622 AD, upon arrival of God’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, who demonstrated the primary examples of awqaf in Islam. He had first donated seven orchards in Mukhairiq, then his share from date gardens in Fadak and Khaibar, all for charitable purposes.

Following these exemplary actions, his Companions, (may Allah be pleased with them all) and followers have continuously given to many various, worthy causes. For instance, many wells were bought from individuals and were designated for public service. As Uthman ibn ‘Affan reports, “The Prophet, peace be upon him, arrived in Madinah and realized that the city had very little drinking water, except the water of Bi’r Ruma (Ruma Well). He asked, ‘Who will purchase Bi’r Ruma to equally share the water drawn therefrom with his fellow Muslims and shall be rewarded with a better well in the Garden (of Eden)?’ Then I bought it from my own money.”

Another circulated tradition in Bukhari and Muslim, the two most authenticated collections of hadith, refers to what is considered the first Islamic land waqf. Upon his request, Umar ibn al-Khattab is advised by the Prophet, to retain the corpus [of the land] but dedicate its fruits [in the way] of God. Consequently, he dedicated the land, indicating that it should not be sold, given away as a gift, or inherited; and the revenue from the land should be used as the charity for the poor, for emancipating slaves, for wanderers, and for other social needs. Later, during Umar’s caliphate, Bilal suggested to divide the conquered villages and take the fifth for the treasury. Umar, however, refused and decided to make them waqf for the sustenance of warriors and for all Muslims.

Having been advised about its benefits, the Prophet’s Companions never stopped putting their wealth in bequests; they did this to such a degree that Jabir, another Companion, said, “Any of the Prophet’s Companions who could afford it made endowments”. It is remarkable that the Prophet advised one of his Companions, Abu Zarr, who did not have any belongings at all, to ‘add some more water in [his] soup, and offer'” (Muslim, Birr, 142).

Since then, awqaf have been one of the pillars of Islamic society. The establishment of different kinds of awqaf that serve as institutions of social cooperation and solidarity were utilized, which supported an array of activities from scientific movements to the protection of inlets, and they became a financial source for many socioeconomic sectors and for the beneficence of the needy. They were a model for the contemporary nonprofit sector.

To elaborate an illustration of the services offered, awqaf ensured that diverse services were supplied for free. Awqaf also allowed for huge innovations, such as mobile hospitals, which moved from village to village, as well as emergency teams. The revenue of certain bequests, which could include shops, mills, caravanserais, or even entire villages, would pay for the maintenance and operating costs, and sometimes would supply a small stipend to the patient upon dismissal. An example deed states that “The hospital shall keep all patients until they completely recover. All costs are to be borne by the hospital, whether the people are residents or foreigners, rich or poor, employed or unemployed, physically or mentally ill… There are no conditions of consideration and payment: none is objected to or even indirectly hinted at for non-payment. The entire service is through the magnificence of Allah, the generous one”.

Motivations behind awqaf Though the word waqf is not used in the Qur’an, there are many verses that constitute a foundation for its actions, such as “to lend willingly,” “to spend in the cause of God,” “to spend of your substance out of love for Him for your kin, for orphans, for the needy,” “to feed the poor,” “to give for charity,” and especially, “to compete in building hayrat (charitable acts).” Due to the extreme emphasis upon charity within Islam, as an act of devotion to God, foundations have flourished, displaying an exceptional development and performing comprehensive services to society.

It is stated in a heartening saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that, “The most auspicious person is the one who is of the assistance of others.” Hence, a contribution to the welfare of the community is considered an act that brings a person closer to God. Another hadith declares that launching an establishment for social gain would be beneficial for the founder, even after death: “Once a son of Adam dies, none of his deeds will be of him except an ongoing charity, a useful knowledge, or a pious child who prays for him.” The ongoing charity here is interpreted as waqf.

The waqf body is intended to prevent the temporary possessions of this world from vanishing, by withholding them in the name, and for the sake of, God as a continuous charity. There is no obligation of any kind behind this action stemming from altruistic behavior, but a sense of responsibility towards humanity, a conscientious sense of serving others, and competing in charity; in other words, such values as compassion, mutual assistance, solidarity, the pleasure of comforting a living thing both materially and spiritually, and the free will of a person embracing these values as principles, have been an element of Islamic culture, motivating a person to transform some or all of his or her personal assets into pious foundations to serve society.

Seeking proximity to God has been the main rationale of awqaf. In some cases, the founders named awqaf after themselves in the hope of being remembered by (and thus receiving prayers from) upcoming generations – though in general, anonymity is preferred. For instance, it was a common practice for the rich, especially during Ramadan, to pay debts of people in need, without revealing who they were, asking local shopkeepers to calculate the total balance on randomly picked pages of their records of receivable accounts. The overall purpose has been altruism rather than fame since it is believed that impurity of intention might spoil the dedication of the gift, whose sole purpose is to please God.

[rahbarfoundation-blog]

Donate Zakat For Orphan And Poor Girls Marriage

In this world, there are lots of people who lack money and resources to provide basic necessities i.e. house, food, and clothes to themselves and their families. It is even very hard to think about their condition and how they are spending their day to day life. They can’t even get basic facilities like health and education.

Rahbar Foundation is working in the upliftment of such people by providing them free education, assist in the setting of micro business, etc. We are US based 501 (C) (3) a non-profit organization that works for humanity regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, class, location, religion, color, cultural diversity, and social background. Donate your zakat for orphan and poor girl's marriage to build a better society.

Zakat

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is a religious obligation compulsory for those who are capable and fit in the norms. As per Islamic rule, a capable person has to take out 2.5% of the wealth of one lunar year for the poor. As per Islamic belief, it helps to purify the wealth.

Rahbar Foundation

We are dedicated to providing charitable assistance in the field of education, food, healthcare, and other social welfare for orphans, poor, and needy people. We provide free education and vocational courses to youth to empower the knowledge. We also help in getting the marriage of poor girls, upliftment of orphans by providing funds to start their micro business. In spite of all this, we provide service in emergency conditions like natural disasters. Our team provides them with basic necessities like food, clean water, and health service. We also help them in establishing houses. We work for riot victims also. Click on the donation link to know the process and also check our achievements. Become a part of our team by giving zakat to us and help the world to become a better place for living.

[herstorshe]

Why Catherine Howard Was Not Just a "Stupid Teenager"

TRIGGER WARNING: Discusses and mentions sexual abuse & harassment, r*pe, and childhood abuse

Catherine Howard, out of Henry VIII’s wives, is generally considered a stupid “bad girl”. In the last few years, this idea has come into question, partially due to the modern Me Too movement of women calling out men for sexual harassment and abuse.

Catherine usually gets this reputation from her series of sexual and/or romantic affairs, both premarital and not. This was the reason she was eventually beheaded on February 13, 1542.

There were three noted affairs that Catherine likely had. The first two were before she married Henry, while she was staying at her step-grandmother’s boarding house due to her being an orphan.

The first affair was when Catherine was about 13, with her music teacher Henry Mannox, who was at least in his twenties and probably in his thirties. We do not know if the two actually slept together, but there was definitely some sort of romance between them. It is unclear if this relationship was consensual or not, but we can guess that it probably was not, considering the fact that Catherine was so young and Henry was so old. This relationship occurred because the Dowager Duchess, Catherine’s step-grandmother, hardly supervised the many young girls who were in her care at all, resulting in men coming into their private chambers at night.

The second affair was when Catherine was about 16, with Francis Dereham, the Dowager’s secretary. Allegedly, they called each other “husband” and “wife”, and Francis entrusted Catherine with several wifely duties, such as keeping track of his money when he was away. Catherine and Francis both admitted later on that they did sleep together. Their relationship ended about a year later, when the Dowager Duchess found out. Francis was sent away to Ireland, and he and Catherine may have had intentions to marry once he returned. If they did exchange vows before sleeping together, they would technically be considered wed. Catherine later maintained that Francis had raped her, however.

Catherine’s uncle found her a place in Henry’s wife, Anne of Cleves’s, household, as he knew that Henry was losing interest in his fourth wife, and Catherine was known for her beauty. Henry’s eyes soon fell on her and he divorced Anne of Cleves.

Catherine married King Henry VIII in July 1540. She was probably about 17, and Henry was 49. During her marriage, Catherine may have been romantically or sexually involved with one of Henry’s courtiers, Thomas Culpeper. She may have considered marrying him before Henry proposed to her. The two were allegedly having secret meetings in Spring 1541, supposedly arranged by Jane Boleyn, one of Catherine’s ladies in waiting, as well as the widow of Catherine’s cousin, George Boleyn (brother of Anne Boleyn). Soon, all of this came to Henry’s attention and Catherine was sent to the tower of London and beheaded.

Here are the reasons that Catherine Howard wasn’t just a “stupid teenager.”

Women had very little power back then. Women were blatantly taught that they were inferior to men, and men were taught that they were superior to women. Women also had no legal rights.

Catherine especially had very little power. Catherine was a teenage orphan who had never had a good parental figure, and was not very well educated. She was noble, but poor. Until she was queen, men probably didn’t have hardly any regard for her, and so they would not feel guilty if they hurt her.

She was a child. What would we think of a 13-year old orphan having a romantic and possibly even sexual relationship with her much older music teacher today? Sounds pretty suspect, right? Catherine was quite young in all of her relationships, and was significantly younger than at least 2 of the men she had relationships with (Henry Mannox and Henry VIII).

Catherine said that she was raped by Francis Dereham. During Catherine’s trials, she quickly claimed that there had been no marital contract between her and Dereham, maintaining that he had raped her. Why don’t we believe her? The fact that many don’t believe this claim of hers would not be considered fair if this had happened in the modern era.

Sexual abuse and rape are still very common today, and women had even less power then. Even now, rape and other forms of sexual abuse are still very common, due to the continual systemic patriarchy. And then, women had even less rights. Of course sexual abuse was quite common then, even if the history books don’t call it that. People had different ideas of right and wrong back then, especially when it came to conduct with women. We need to take what men back then said with a grain of salt when it comes to sexual harassment and abuse. They did not have a fair understanding of what was fair in these cases.

Everyone says you can’t look back at the past with today’s eyes. But I argue that in some cases you do. If it is on the issue of sexism, racism, homophobia, etc, we need to consider it with today’s standards because primary sources from times in the past are often very prejudiced.

Catherine was a young girl who had gone through a lot before she was even 15 years old. Her mother died when she was very young and her father abandoned her soon after, sending her to an unsupervised boarding house where she was harassed and probably assaulted. She never had a good parental figure, and she was pushed around by men her whole life. She didn’t even make it to 20 years old, being executed for something that wasn’t even her fault.

Sexual Abuse & Harassment Resources

Sending love to everyone. You are not alone.

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673

Donate to Rainn, anti-sexual abuse nonprofit: https://donate.rainn.org/

The K Howard Project (anonymous forum + support group for survivors): https://thekhowardproject.weebly.com

Resources (Many of these include very triggering content!)

“Catherine Howard.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. URL.

“Katherine Howard: Vixen or victim?” The History Press. URL.

“Tudor women.” Geni. URL.

“The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Part 2.” History Tea Time with Lindsay Holiday. Youtube. URL.

[itshardtoactnormal-blog]

Math Teacher Who Donates Most of His Earnings Brought to Tears After Winning $1M Global Teacher Award

A math and science teacher from rural Kenya, best known for donating 80 percent of his monthly salary to help the poor, just earned himself the title of best teacher in the world.

Peter Tabichi, who teaches at school with just one desktop computer and other resources that are severely lacking, was awarded $1 million as part of the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize on Sunday. The award, presented by Australian actor Hugh Jackman during a ceremony in Dubai, recognizes Tabachi’s “exceptional” impact on his students at Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Kenya’s remote Pwani Village.

“His dedication, hard work and passionate belief in his student’s talent has led his poorly-resourced school in remote rural Kenya to emerge victorious after taking on the country’s best schools in national science competitions,” the foundation wrote.

The 36-year-old, who is also a Franciscan friar, beat out nine other applicants and 10,000 other candidates from 176 countries for the top spot, BBC News reported. 2018’s winner was Andria Zafirakou, an art teacher from north London.

“Every day in Africa we turn a new page and a new chapter,” Tabichi said. “This prize does not recognize me but recognizes this great continent’s young people. I’m only here because of what my students have achieved. This prize gives them a chance. It tells the world that they can do anything.”

For Tabichi’s students, life has has been far from easy. The semi-arid area of Kenya’s Rift Valley experiences drought and famine quite frequently, and many go hungry. Ninety-five percent of his pupils come from poor families, and almost a third are orphans or only have one parent. Issues of drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, young marriage and dropping out of school are also common, according to the Varkey Foundation.

The schooling situation isn’t much better, as classrooms with poor internet and a student-teacher ratio of 58:1 makes learning an uphill battle. The school’s lack of resources forces Tabachi to get much of his online educational content from internet cafes, which he uses offline during class.

The math teacher said part of the challenge has also been getting the local community to see the value of getting a good education, particularly families with daughters who would rather see their children married early than in a classroom. Over the years, he’s made a concerted effort to visit families whose kids are at risk of quitting school and encourages them to keep learning, instead.

“As a teacher working on the front line, I’ve seen the promise of its young people — their curiosity, talent, their intelligence, their belief,” Tabachi said. “Africa’s young people will no longer be held back by low expectations. Africa will produce scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs whose names will be one day famous in every corner of the world. And girls will be a huge part of this story.”

According to his profile, Tabachi’s efforts have doubled enrollment at Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in just the last three years. Achievement among girls has also seen a boost, with young women now leading the boys in all test sets in the last year alone.

What’s more, Tabachi has led the school’s Science Club to compete in both national and international competitions. The Mathematical Science team recently qualified to compete in the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair in Arizona later this year. His students also won an award from The Royal Society of Chemistry after using plant life to generate electricity.

“I feel great. I can’t believe it,” Tabachi said during his acceptance speech. “I feel so happy to be among the best teachers in the world, being the best in the world.”

The teacher said he plans to use the $1 million prize to help improve the school and feed the poor.

Black brother is an example to us. So inspiring.

[kanyadaan25-blog]

Kanyadaan

Kanyadaan Foundation is God’s gift to impoverished girls in our country who have to deal with evils such as dowry. These girls cannot even dream about having a beautiful wedding because their father will already be under debt due to insane demands made by the family of the groom. It often happens that the fathers of girls commit suicide as they cannot provide for their daughters’ marriage. Another equally devastating consequence is the murder of the bride by husband and in-laws for not meeting their dowry demands after marriage. Such young girls with dreams in their hands fall prey to the ruthless society and social evils!

Our founder, Mr Yaduvanshi was the head of a wedding management agency when it struck him that there are thousands of brides across the country who are so poor that they can barely pay for the wedding. On top of that, the lower rungs of society still believe in dowry. Therefore it so happens that the father has to give up everything he has to make sure his little girl is happy in her marital home! But in spite of that, the poor girl is harassed for more money by her greedy in-laws. When she fails to provide that, they kill her or send her back to her parents.

That is when he decided that he must do something for the brides who were not as fortunate as the ones he was working for. He started arranging mass marriage camps where he covered all the carriage costs for the bride (venue, food, dress and mangalsutra) and did her Kanyadaan. By doing this, he feels that he has managed to fulfil some of the dreams that girls see for their weddings, even though they usually do not have it their way.

But Sponsors for Poor Girl Marriage in Bangalore is determined to end this. We believe every girl had the right to get married to the man of her dreams without having to sacrifice every penny her father has earned throughout in life!

It is now a pan India presence as Kanyadaan camps are being set up in many states of India. Here you can register as a donor or a bride! If you are a bride, you have to state your financial condition and Kanyadaan will make sure you are united with the man of your choice. And if you are a donor we will let you know which bride you will help getting married. In that case, you can attend her wedding and do her Kanyadaan as her father or brother!

Our main centre of operation at the moment in Bangalore. Not only arranging marriages, we are also going to change the face of Sponsors for Girl Marriage.

That is why we implore you to help us in every way you can- we need people to donate for the marriage of poor girls in Bangalore, Donation for Poor Girl Marriage in Bangalore and for the education of poor girls in Bangalore. We need more Poor and Orphan Girls Marriages in Bangalore who will help us and donate to cover the Donate for Girl Education in Bangalore of a bride.

We may come from privileged families but there are girls who are not as lucky. It is our duty as members of the society and responsible citizens to make sure all girls our age get the basic amenities any normal girl can ask for in a wedding- a happy family and a loving groom. We function in Bangalore as an Donate Poor and Orphan Girl Marriages and would be overwhelmed if you or your acquaintances are interested in NGO donations for an impoverished girls wedding! Along with that, we have added girls’ education to our agenda. An educated mother is an educated child, right?

Also if they are educated they can contribute effectively to the family income and do a respectable job at the same time! They do not have to depend on their abusive fathers or abusive husbands for their upkeep!

Thus we are requesting you to think about this and try to contribute by donating for the education of such girls all over India! Our daughters are our pride and if the “ Lakshmi” of India are not happy, then India will never go on to be a successful and happy country!

Contact us:- info@kanyadaanfoundation.org

[kanyadaan06-blog]

Kanyadaan

Kanyadaan Foundation is God’s gift to impoverished girls in our country who have to deal with evils such as dowry. These girls cannot even dream about having a beautiful wedding because their father will already be under debt due to insane demands made by the family of the groom. It often happens that the fathers of girls commit suicide as they cannot provide for their daughters’ marriage. Another equally devastating consequence is the murder of the bride by husband and in-laws for not meeting their dowry demands after marriage. Such young girls with dreams in their hands fall prey to the ruthless society and social evils!

Our founder, Mr Yaduvanshi was the head of a wedding management agency when it struck him that there are thousands of brides across the country who are so poor that they can barely pay for the wedding. On top of that, the lower rungs of society still believe in dowry. Therefore it so happens that the father has to give up everything he has to make sure his little girl is happy in her marital home! But in spite of that, the poor girl is harassed for more money by her greedy in-laws. When she fails to provide that, they kill her or send her back to her parents.

That is when he decided that he must do something for the brides who were not as fortunate as the ones he was working for. He started arranging mass marriage camps where he covered all the carriage costs for the bride (venue, food, dress and mangalsutra) and did her Kanyadaan. By doing this, he feels that he has managed to fulfil some of the dreams that girls see for their weddings, even though they usually do not have it their way.

But Sponsors for Poor Girl Marriage in Bangalore is determined to end this. We believe every girl had the right to get married to the man of her dreams without having to sacrifice every penny her father has earned throughout in life!

It is now a pan India presence as Kanyadaan camps are being set up in many states of India. Here you can register as a donor or a bride! If you are a bride, you have to state your financial condition and Kanyadaan will make sure you are united with the man of your choice. And if you are a donor we will let you know which bride you will help getting married. In that case, you can attend her wedding and do her Kanyadaan as her father or brother!

Our main centre of operation at the moment in Bangalore. Not only arranging marriages, we are also going to change the face of Sponsors for Poor Girl Marriage.

That is why we implore you to help us in every way you can- we need people to donate for the marriage of poor girls in Bangalore, Donation for Poor Girl Marriage in Bangalore and for the education of poor girls in Bangalore. We need more Poor and Orphan Girls Marriages in Bangalore who will help us and donate to cover the Donate Poor and Orphan Girl Marriages of a bride.

We may come from privileged families but there are girls who are not as lucky. It is our duty as members of the society and responsible citizens to make sure all girls our age get the basic amenities any normal girl can ask for in a wedding- a happy family and a loving groom. We function in Bangalore as an Donate for Girl Education in Bangalore and would be overwhelmed if you or your acquaintances are interested in NGO donations for an impoverished girls wedding! Along with that, we have added girls’ education to our agenda. An educated mother is an educated child, right?

Also if they are educated they can contribute effectively to the family income and do a respectable job at the same time! They do not have to depend on their abusive fathers or abusive husbands for their upkeep!

Thus we are requesting you to think about this and try to contribute by donating for the education of such girls all over India! Our daughters are our pride and if the “ Lakshmi” of India are not happy, then India will never go on to be a successful and happy country!

Contact us:- info@kanyadaanfoundation.org

[superunfriendlyreminder]

Kenyan science teacher Peter Tabichi wins $1m global award

A science teacher from rural Kenya who donates most of his salary to help poorer students has been crowned the world’s best teacher and awarded a $1m prize, beating 10,000 nominations from 179 countries.

Peter Tabichi, 36, a maths and physics teacher at Keriko secondary school in Pwani Village, in a remote part of Kenya’s Rift Valley, has won the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2019.

Tabichi, a member of the Franciscan religious order, received his prize at a ceremony in Dubai hosted by actor Hugh Jackman.

Tabichi gives away 80% of his income to help the poorest students at the poorly-equipped and overcrowded school who could not otherwise not afford uniforms and books.

More than 90% of his pupils are from poor families and almost a third are orphans or have only one parent. Drug abuse, teenage pregnancies, dropping out early from school, young marriages and suicide are common. Students have to walk 7km along roads that can become impassable in the rainy season to reach the school and the area can be affected by drought and famine.

Award-winning teacher among staff needing charity to scrape by

Read more

Despite only having one computer, a poor internet connection and a student-teacher ratio of 58:1, Tabichi started a “talent nurturing club” and expanded the school’s science club, helping pupils design research projects of such quality that many now qualify for national competitions.

His students have taken part in international science competitions and won an award from the Royal Society of Chemistry after harnessing local plant life to generate electricity.

Tabichi and four colleagues also give struggling pupils one-to-one tuition in maths and science, visiting students’ homes and meeting their families to identify the challenges they face.

Enrolment at the school has doubled to 400 over three years and girls’ achievement in particular has been boosted.

Accepting the prize, Tabichi said: “I am only here because of what my students have achieved. This prize gives them a chance. It tells the world that they can do anything.”

The Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, said in a video message: “Peter, your story is the story of Africa, a young continent bursting with talent.”

Now in its fifth year, the prize was set up to highlight the vital role teachers play in society.

Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation, said she hoped Tabichi’s story would encourage others to enter the profession and “shine a spotlight on the truly inspiring work teachers do to make tomorrow brighter than today”.

Tabichi said Africa’s young people would no longer be held back by low expectations. “Africa will produce scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs whose names will be one day famous in every corner of the world. And girls will be a huge part of this story,” he said.

“I believe science and technology can play a leading role in unlocking Africa’s potential. It’s morning in Africa. The skies are clear. This is Africa’s time.”

Last year’s prize went to an arts teacher from north London, Andria Zafirakou. An assistant headteacher from Birmingham, Andrew Moffat, who made headlines because of a row with parents over LGBT lessons, was among this year’s top 10 finalists.

[narayan-seva-sansthan-blog]

An NGO Changing Lives for Differently-abled

                “Action speaks louder than words.”

An international NGO in Udaipur, Narayan Seva Sansthan (NSS)proved this in real.NSSis a non-profit charitable organizationfounded by Padma Shri awardee Mr. Kailash 'Manav' Agarwal in 1985.Mr. Prashant Agarwal is the Global President of the organization.Above the caste, creed, and religion, etc. Narayan Seva Sansthan is completely devoted to the physically challenged and by birth disabled people. Sansthan gives them a normal life to stand in society on their own. NSS helps underprivileged and physically handicapped people with free surgeries and rehabilitation. Hunger is also one of the major issues in India on which also NSS is working continuously. For its regular services in the past 35 years, Narayan Seva Sansthan got aprominent position in the Top 10 NGOs in India.

Responsibilities Towards Society

Not every person born with a disability but the person who born as physically disabled, life becomes difficult for them and if they are not from a strong financial background, it becomes more painful. To give them a better and normal life, several NGOs are working dedicatedly in this direction. Narayan Seva Sansthan is one of them as the best NGO who is serving to the society since 1985 in the field of physically handicapped backward people. Currently, Narayan Seva Sansthan is providing services with 480 branches in India and 49 in Abroad.

NSS serves in the followings ways to physically disabled:

Polio Patients / By Birth Disabled

In the Sansthan, daily 300 to 400 patients diagnosed and the number of corrective surgeriesis80 to 90 of the patients suffering from polio and other 'by birth' disabilities. 3,87,500 such patients have been successfully undergone corrective surgeries by Narayan Seva Sansthan till today.

Physical Rehabilitation

The Sansthan ensures physical rehabilitation for the persons infested of polio through the surgeries and operations and makes them stand on their own feet. Narayan Seva Sansthan has a chain of 12 hospitals.Between them,4serves in Udaipur city and 8 at Sansthan’s international headquarter ‘Loyara’.All are equipped with the necessary modern facilities. 1100 bedsare engaged tomake our missionsuccessful.

Economic Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation of the underprivileged,poor, needy and 'physically handicapped' people by providing them with skills through the trainingfor mobile repairing, computerclasses training, and sewing & tailoring classes. The data till today says 2391 people have been benefitted from this.

Social Rehabilitation

'Mass marriage ceremonies' are conducted twice a year for differently-abled people, young marriageable, and poor boys & girls. Till the date, data suggests that a total number of 2051 such pairs have been tied in the ‘lifelong knot’ of marriage.

De-addiction campaign, Blood Donation camps, Polio Pulse campaign, and Mobile Medical van are the other services provided by the Sansthan for Social Awareness.

Service Camps

Service camps are organized at the various places by Narayan Seva Sansthan where the free distribution of helping aids such astricycles,calipers,crutches, wheelchairs, hearing aids, blind sticks, artificial limbs,clothes, sweaters,blankets,school uniforms, sewing machines, etc. happen. More than 27456666 people have been benefitted with the same, till today.

Diagnosis and Surgery Selection camp

Artificial Limbs Measurement camp

Artificial Limbs Distribution

Aids & Appliance Distribution camp

Cloth/ Sweater/ Blanket Distribution camp

Food Distribution Camp

Blood Donation Camp

Caring for the Orphans

There is a “residential school” facility provided by Narayan Seva Sansthan for deaf & dumb, blind,and mentally retarded children. Hostel facility is available for orphans, tribal and rural children.As the data suggests, 3145 such children have been properly taken care of in different regions of India, till date.

[bezriorg]

What Is The Best Way To Donate Money?

Donating to an organization is the best way to donate money for a social cause. For example, if you want to help arrange the marriage of a poor girl, you can adopt a wedding that is an opportunity to help a poor family.

Arranging a wedding is an expensive affair. Also, it involves time. If you want to arrange a wedding of a girl from a poor family, you will need to invest your time and money. Giving money to the family won’t help as the family won’t know how to spend the money. Or it will be better to say that the family will spend the money on unnecessary things.

Donating to Jewish charity organizations is the right way to utilize your fund. An organization can do this job in the best possible manner. First, it will plan a budget and make the necessary arrangement. In this way, the organization will try to make maximum utilization of the fund. In other words, you can help multiple families by increasing the donation amount.

An organization will provide you with multiple opportunities to do charity. Or it will be better to say that you will get an opportunity to become a proud partner in a charity program. Your job will be to support a cause from outside as the organization will take the responsibility of making all necessary arrangements. The biggest advantage of joining hands with an organization is that it knows how to help the downtrodden and poor.

Helping an organization is the best way to donate money because an organization can make the most of your investment. Whether you want to fund the education of orphans or want to provide food to needy people, you can fulfill your objective by empowering an organization that works for the needy and the poor.

Doing charity is the best way to thank society for everything you achieved in life. With charity, you can share your achievements with others. In short, you will allow them to be happy with you. If you are able to take care of your family, you should consider helping others as well. You can make a small donation towards a bigger objective. Joining hands with Jewish charity organizations is the right way to make sure that your money is spent on the social cause you want to support. You can keep an eye on the organization to see how it is working and feel happy to see the organization helping others.  

[yetanotheremptypage]

Happy Fanfiction Writers Appreciation Day!

It’s another fic rec list! Here’s last years, which includes a link to my 2016 recommendations. They are all amazing, so you should definitely check them out, but in the mean time, here’s some more. I tried to tag most of the ships and/or fandoms, so if you ship any of those or are in the fandom, check out the recs below the cut. Of course, there are plenty more amazing fanfictions/writers out there, and to them, I give a huge THANK YOU! Finally, for the shameless plug, if you have any interest in any of my stories, links can be found here.

Arms Extended (Gen, Bandstand) AO3 [Complete]

a remix of “welcome home (finale)”

(or: the moments that inspired the lines of julia's poem)

Bandstand on the whole deserves more love, attention, and fanfiction, especially because the relationship these people build is so beautiful and there’s so much to be explored. This fic does it BEAUTIFULLY, and I can’t stress it enough. TW: I mean it’s Bandstand so anything that applies there applies here

Cut, Print, Moving On (Gen, Smash) AO3 || FF [In progress]

An imagined third season, starting approximately two years after the Tony Awards.

This fic is perfectly written and explores all of Smash’s complicated, messy, great relationships, romantic and otherwise, beautifully.

Epic Love (Han x Leia, Star Wars) AO3 || FF [Complete]

Here is what is believed: that Leia Organa has been abandoned by her husband and her brother, the two men who loved her best, in her time of greatest need. But things are not always as they seem. A TFA fix-it fic about family, the Force, and the love that could save the galaxy. Again. Also features Luke, Chewbacca, Rey, Finn, and mentions or cameos by several others.

I love the new Star Wars movies, I do. But this fic treats Han, Leia, and Luke so much better than TFA does. Please go read this pure perfection of a work and give it all the love it deserves. While you’re at it, check out... Everything else @lajulie24 has written; it’s all golden.

Everything I Never Knew (Emmett x Rosalie, Twilight) AO3 || FF [Complete]

Because sometimes a split second decision changes a life… One night, Rosalie Hale walked a different way home. Because of this, she didn’t meet Royce on the road and the worst night of Rosalie’s life happened to someone else. So what happened when Rosalie was never hurt, never turned vampire, and got everything she had always thought she wanted?

I love a good AU, and Rosalie and Emmett seem the best suited for one. Their connection is amazing and well-written and honestly, everything makes sense to me. I lowkey wish things could have played out this way for them, but alas, they didn’t, so let’s read fic instead. TW: Spousal abuse, bear attack so like blood and stuff

hey baby (i think i wanna marry you) (Donna x Josh, The West Wing) FF [Complete]

Josh goes to dinner with his old law school study group. He ends up defending the institution of marriage, before going home to Donna. Set in the Santos administration.

It’s just such a cute, fluffy little piece. How could I not, you know?

in a storm in my best dress (Percy x Annabeth, Percy Jackson and the Olympians) AO3 || FF [Complete]

"Point is, Percy's not used to being swamped in friends. So you can bloody well imagine his shock when he wakes up one morning and looks impulsively at his arm and there’s one, two, three, four, five, six, seven Marks on his line and holy crap the seventh is a soulmate mark."

or, Percy finds it difficult to make friends and Annabeth is the popular girl with a heart of steel. Soulmate AU.

Not gonna lie, this is a behemoth-- two chapters that come out at like 70k which like, damn, most of my one-shots aren’t even 1500 words, you get props for that alone. However, every word is perfect. There’s lot of pining, and hey, Percy Jackson with anxiety? Works. I saw my own anxiety reflected all over the place which... Was not the main reason I fell in love with this fic, but it’s nice to be recognized, you know? No, I fell in love with this fic because it’s about falling in love and making friends and growing up. And it’s beautiful, so go read it. TW: Anxiety attacks (Is that a tw? Oh well)

Miracles, etc. (Wanda Maximoff x Vision, Marvel Cinematic Universe) AO3 [In progress]

Wanda Maximoff’s life has been a set of frightening miracles: living in a war torn country as an orphan, escaping her anarchistic biological father, and surviving the American foster system with seven older foster siblings. Now 26 and working as a hotel waitress, Wanda has very distant plans for love and for a child. Unfortunately, her complicated life is about to get more complicated when a medical mix-up leaves her artificially inseminated with a stranger’s sperm. That stranger? Her boss, with an equally dark past.

Now pregnant- and possibly falling in love- Wanda finds herself with only nine months to rethink her entire future. Because the only thing more frightening than a miracle… is parenthood.

Did you know that a Jane The Virgin AU is EXACTLY everything you ever needed for this fandom, and specifically this pairing? My depression is cured, my skin is clear, and my crops are thriving, especially now that there’s new chapters again. Read this fic, please. It will not disappoint, especially if you enjoy JTV’s tongue-in-cheek style humor. Also dad!Clint.

My Beauty, My Baby (Gen, Downton Abbey) FF [Complete]

Cora and Sybil share a moment on the eve of the birth of Sybil and Tom's child. This story takes place in Season 3, sometime between Episodes 4 and 5. This is a bit of a departure for me, but the title words were an inspiration.

This is just so lovely. Sybil and Cora’s relationship is, I feel, kind of unexplored, so this was such a lovely treat.

people can surprise you (or not) (Anya x Dmitry, Anastasia) AO3 [Complete]

He's a poor joke of a journalist, she has something to prove to her family, and they're in here for a hell of a ride.

(“You’re asking me to be an asshole to some random woman just to prove a very sexist and offensive point like I’m some guy on Reddit who has no idea women are actually people?”)

(“Next Wednesday. I bet you can’t find a guy tonight, in this bar, and keep him until next Wednesday. Prove me wrong and introduce him to Nana during the gala. As your boyfriend.”)

OR, the reversed How to lose a guy in 10 days AU nobody asked, but everybody gets.

Angst, fluff, pining, misunderstandings, this has got it ALL. And it’s written flawlessly to boot.

Take Me Back To Me (Mary x Matthew, Downton Abbey) AO3 || FF [Complete]

When heiress Mary Crawley finds herself in the headlines for her third scandal of the year, Cora decides that it is time for Mary to turn her public image around. The solution? Hire humanitarian lawyer Matthew Crawley, whose new charity just happens to need a new donation, to play Mary’s boyfriend. (Modern Mary/Matthew!Fake Dating AU)

Were you aware you needed a modern fake dating AU for these two? No. But you do. It cleanses the soul with its perfectness. Go read it. TW: Descriptions of past not quite rape but I think it’s still classified as sexual assault

The Only Crime Is To Lose (Gen, Game of Thrones) AO3 [I think in-progress?]

The series doesn’t have a description, so here’s my attempt at one: The major houses of Westeros are crime families at war. This author expertly adapts the plotting and relationships into this scenario, which takes place after the Red Wedding-- which, in this world, involved Robb getting arrested and put away for life-- and most of the action surrounds the kidnapping of Jaime Lannister, though no one knows who did it. I’m not actually certain if this series is finished or not, but it leaves me reeling from unanswered questions and its overall beauty every time I finish the last story, so you should check it out so we can all share the pain. TW: I mean it’s Game of Thrones so like a lot of that stuff still applies

Treading Water (Annie x Finnick, The Hunger Games) AO3 || FF [Complete]

They don't tell you when you go into the arena that the lucky ones are those who die.

I don’t think I can state enough how amazing this fic is. The beautiful relationship between Finnick and Annie, the breathtaking way Catching Fire is woven into the story, and seeing the Games from the mentor’s perspective is fascinating. Go read this fic! TW: It’s the Hunger Games so anything from the books applies

we got the world (Jesse x Beca, Pitch Perfect) AO3 || FF [Complete]

"They say you're a freak when we're having fun, say you must be high when we're spreading love, but we're just living life and we never stop, we've got the world." Beca/Jesse, post-Kennedy Center flop. A series of missing Jeca moments from Pitch Perfect 2. COMPLETE.

Did you wish there had been more Jeca in Pitch Perfect 2? Then read this fic. It’s perfect in every way. (Written before PP3 though, so not canon compliant for that).

Willow (Anya x Dmitry, Anastasia) AO3 [In progress]

In a city by the sea, Anya and Dmitry find their footing.

Beautiful, happy Dimya, plus dashes of you know, revolution and angst and history. It’s gorgeous and perfect and go read it.

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: Muslim Culture and Character: Embracing The World: Part 3

CHARITABLE TRUSTS IN MEDIEVAL ISLAM

All over the vast Islamic world, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, various services that are fundamentally important to society have been financed and maintained through charitable trusts.

Godliness and virtue is not that you turn your faces towards east or west; but godliness and virtue is to believe in God and the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the Prophets; to spend of your substance out of love for Him for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the liberation of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts you have made; and to be persevering and patient in hardship and disease, and throughout all periods of stress. Such are the people who are true (in their faith), and those are they who achieved righteousness, piety, and due reverence for God. (Qur’an 2:177)

All cultures and religions instruct their followers to help the poor and leave behind an everlasting source of good deeds (Dallal 2004, 13-43). Originating from a desire to improve others’ well-being, charity is an altruistic behavior (Becker 1974, 1063-1091) of gift exchanges between individuals that encourages social order and stability (Mauss 1950). This essential principle comprises two main categories in Islam: Zakat, obligatory alms for Muslims with a certain level of wealth, and sadaqa, highly recommended voluntary donations, one of the most popular forms of which are philanthropic foundations.

Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta (d.1369) was struck by the dedication of the inhabitants of Damascus to all forms of countless foundations, such as legacies devoted by people who could not travel to Mecca to pay others’ pilgrimage; foundations providing girls from poor backgrounds with all the requirements for their marriage; foundations devoted to purchasing the freedom of Muslim prisoners; others for paying the maintenance of roads, and many more (Ibn Battutah 2006). Once, he saw a young boy drop a porcelain plate, which broke. The passer-bys told the boy to take the pieces to the foundation for utensils. Consequently, the boy got a refund, equal to the value of a new plate. The residents, in their great numbers, also provided endowments for schools, hospitals, and mosques. It was a city, Ibn Battuta tells us, where the social spirit was at its optimum.

The word waqf (plural awqaf), means to cause a thing to stop and stand still, to withhold, or to prevent; and the word applies “to endow the property rights of a good [while dedicating its benefits] to the public service perpetually, and to prevent others from obtaining its property rights”. Awqaf are considered an expression of piety, not because their activities are inherently religious, but because they are governed by a law considered sacred. In Islamic terminology, waqf is described as the detention of an entity from ownership forever, by considering it as the property of God, while devoting all its possible gifts of income to some charitable purpose for the community.

However defined, waqf institutions stand out as one of the greatest achievements of Islamic civilization. Although this was not a new concept introduced by Islam, the system to allocate, administer, and dispense the usufruct was unique. All over the vast Islamic world, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, various services that are fundamentally important to society have been financed and maintained through awqaf, some of which have even survived for more than a millennium, providing the needy with basic needs such as food, education, and shelter, and improvements like lighthouses, cemeteries, public baths, drinking fountains, mosques, bridges, roads, aqueducts and so on, enhancing peace and harmony.

Once established, the public aims of a waqf become binding, cannot be altered or revoked, even by the founder, and everyone, even the head of state, has to obey these deeds. Eliminating the waqf character of property entails a complicated process, and is restricted to an exchange of another property of equivalent value and equivalent service to the community, in addition to a local court’s approval. Diverting waqf revenues to other purposes is not within the authority of the waqf administration or a supervisory court. Should a waqf purpose becomes unfeasible, its revenue is spent on the closest purpose available, both conceptually and geographically; and if this is not workable, the benefits go to the needy, which is assumed as the default intent (Kahf).

Some examples: Historical data suggest that foundations were first observed as religious establishments where people worshipped together, followed by other applications in society; some believe that some awqaf were founded by Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, about 1860 BCE. The first waqf in Islam is the Mosque of Quba in Medina, built in 622 AD, upon arrival of God’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, who demonstrated the primary examples of awqaf in Islam. He had first donated seven orchards in Mukhairiq, then his share from date gardens in Fadak and Khaibar, all for charitable purposes.

Following these exemplary actions, his Companions, (may Allah be pleased with them all) and followers have continuously given to many various, worthy causes. For instance, many wells were bought from individuals and were designated for public service. As Uthman ibn ‘Affan reports, “The Prophet, peace be upon him, arrived in Madinah and realized that the city had very little drinking water, except the water of Bi’r Ruma (Ruma Well). He asked, ‘Who will purchase Bi’r Ruma to equally share the water drawn therefrom with his fellow Muslims and shall be rewarded with a better well in the Garden (of Eden)?’ Then I bought it from my own money.”

Another circulated tradition in Bukhari and Muslim, the two most authenticated collections of hadith, refers to what is considered the first Islamic land waqf. Upon his request, Umar ibn al-Khattab is advised by the Prophet, to retain the corpus [of the land] but dedicate its fruits [in the way] of God. Consequently, he dedicated the land, indicating that it should not be sold, given away as a gift, or inherited; and the revenue from the land should be used as the charity for the poor, for emancipating slaves, for wanderers, and for other social needs. Later, during Umar’s caliphate, Bilal suggested to divide the conquered villages and take the fifth for the treasury. Umar, however, refused and decided to make them waqf for the sustenance of warriors and for all Muslims.

Having been advised about its benefits, the Prophet’s Companions never stopped putting their wealth in bequests; they did this to such a degree that Jabir, another Companion, said, “Any of the Prophet’s Companions who could afford it made endowments”. It is remarkable that the Prophet advised one of his Companions, Abu Zarr, who did not have any belongings at all, to ‘add some more water in [his] soup, and offer'” (Muslim, Birr, 142).

Since then, awqaf have been one of the pillars of Islamic society. The establishment of different kinds of awqaf that serve as institutions of social cooperation and solidarity were utilized, which supported an array of activities from scientific movements to the protection of inlets, and they became a financial source for many socioeconomic sectors and for the beneficence of the needy. They were a model for the contemporary nonprofit sector.

To elaborate an illustration of the services offered, awqaf ensured that diverse services were supplied for free. Awqaf also allowed for huge innovations, such as mobile hospitals, which moved from village to village, as well as emergency teams. The revenue of certain bequests, which could include shops, mills, caravanserais, or even entire villages, would pay for the maintenance and operating costs, and sometimes would supply a small stipend to the patient upon dismissal. An example deed states that “The hospital shall keep all patients until they completely recover. All costs are to be borne by the hospital, whether the people are residents or foreigners, rich or poor, employed or unemployed, physically or mentally ill… There are no conditions of consideration and payment: none is objected to or even indirectly hinted at for non-payment. The entire service is through the magnificence of Allah, the generous one”.

Motivations behind awqaf Though the word waqf is not used in the Qur’an, there are many verses that constitute a foundation for its actions, such as “to lend willingly,” “to spend in the cause of God,” “to spend of your substance out of love for Him for your kin, for orphans, for the needy,” “to feed the poor,” “to give for charity,” and especially, “to compete in building hayrat (charitable acts).” Due to the extreme emphasis upon charity within Islam, as an act of devotion to God, foundations have flourished, displaying an exceptional development and performing comprehensive services to society.

It is stated in a heartening saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that, “The most auspicious person is the one who is of the assistance of others.” Hence, a contribution to the welfare of the community is considered an act that brings a person closer to God. Another hadith declares that launching an establishment for social gain would be beneficial for the founder, even after death: “Once a son of Adam dies, none of his deeds will be of him except an ongoing charity, a useful knowledge, or a pious child who prays for him.” The ongoing charity here is interpreted as waqf.

The waqf body is intended to prevent the temporary possessions of this world from vanishing, by withholding them in the name, and for the sake of, God as a continuous charity. There is no obligation of any kind behind this action stemming from altruistic behavior, but a sense of responsibility towards humanity, a conscientious sense of serving others, and competing in charity; in other words, such values as compassion, mutual assistance, solidarity, the pleasure of comforting a living thing both materially and spiritually, and the free will of a person embracing these values as principles, have been an element of Islamic culture, motivating a person to transform some or all of his or her personal assets into pious foundations to serve society.

Seeking proximity to God has been the main rationale of awqaf. In some cases, the founders named awqaf after themselves in the hope of being remembered by (and thus receiving prayers from) upcoming generations – though in general, anonymity is preferred. For instance, it was a common practice for the rich, especially during Ramadan, to pay debts of people in need, without revealing who they were, asking local shopkeepers to calculate the total balance on randomly picked pages of their records of receivable accounts. The overall purpose has been altruism rather than fame since it is believed that impurity of intention might spoil the dedication of the gift, whose sole purpose is to please God.

[vjm001]

Dharmada Seva

Vishwa Jagriti Mission

His Holiness Shri Sudhanshu Ji Maharaj – The visionary man, who truly believes in servitude to mankind is the true service to Divine, sprouted a small plant with the seeds of his thoughts and called it Vishwa Jagriti Mission (VJM – meaning Awareness of the World). With the unidirectional aim of true service to mankind, humanitarianism, brotherhood and benevolence were the founding aims of this mission.

There are various social programs conducted by Vishwa Jagriti Mission one of them is “Dharmada Seva” which includes various programs such as:

Promoting Orphans-

 As we know orphans have no resources for their livelihood they have to struggle so much for survival as they have no one to take care of and at the age of getting educated they work for their survival. This program is organised for promoting the orphan’s education, protecting them, showing them the right path and taking care of them. The more they get educated the more they contribute to the country’s future.

Treatment of Patients-

This initiative was commenced in the year 2000 to provide free medical aid to the poor and downtrodden.” Karuna Sindhu Charitable Hospital” which provides one of the best ophthalmology treatments where cataract operations are performed free of cost.

Vedic Education-

The program whose aim is to provide Vedic education to the young ones as this education is almost thousand of years old and will guide you to the path of enlighten.

Elderly Service-

An initiative for taking care of our beloved seniors and proving them free hospitality, support them, helping them to fight loneliness and taking care of their health & providing treatments for the diseases they are suffering from.

Anadaan (Bhandara Service)-

The program which is organised with a aim of feeding peoples who have nothing to eat. In this program free meals are distributed to more than thousand of peoples who can’t afford to have proper meals in a day.

Support to Yagya & Satsang-

As we know Yagya & Satsang is one of the oldest and most holy activity of our culture where we can obtain peace of mind, proper knowledge of life’s reality and purification of soul.

Temple Building-

One of the holiest activities in our culture is to built temples and provide the peoples the place for devotion where they can connect to God and worship. Temple is a place where we all feel so positive and forget all the problems in the life and just go deep in the devotion of God.

Blood Donation Camps-

Blood donation camps are one the most crucial activity because blood is essential to help patients survive surgeries, cancer treatments, chronic illness and traumatic injuries. This lifesaving care starts with one person making a generous donation. The need for blood is constant. So this camps increase the awareness among peoples and evoke them to donate blood.

Marriage of poor girls-

In our country marriage of poor girls is quite a big issue as the cost is very high for organizing a marriage ceremony and lot of peoples can’t afford it so this program aims at organizing marriage events of poor girls.

Disaster Relief-

This program aims at providing a relief after disaster not only sustains life, it maintains hope for the future and the potential for full economic recovery. Peoples lost everything including lives in natural disasters and as a victim they can’t do anything so proving them with essentials is really a big help to them.

Gau Seva-

An initiative for the cows where free shelter, food, medical facilities and their protection are provided.

Your valuable contribution will give this organization more resources to utilise them in these programs and make better serving to the society. Your small contribution can change someone’s future.

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Featured Post: The Fields: Our Journey through Medicine, Mission, Life and Faith by Manh Dang

"About The Fields: Our Journey through Medicine, Mission, Life and Faith: The Fields: Our Journey through Medicine, Mission, Life, and Faith is a Christian inspirational book written by a cancer doctor that discusses the challenges of life, especially from the medical perspective, the beauty of God's creations and human spirit and relationships, the need to care for the least among us through mission works, and appreciation for the simple gifts in life. 100% OF THE PROCEEDS OF THIS BOOK WILL BE DONATED TO: 1. The Russell Hill Cancer Foundation (to aid poor and/or uninsured cancer patients in and around North Alabama). 2. Project Abundant Life (a transitional housing ministry for single moms in Madison County, Alabama). 3. Bessong Ministries (to aid poor and/or divorced, downtrodden people in North Alabama, and hospital and cancer center chaplaincy). 4. Until They Know Ministry (a ministry for poor Haitians and Dominicans in and around Puerto Plata, the Dominican Republic). 5. Desert Rose Ministries (ministries to rescue girls from forced marriages, FGM, and to reach the unreached people in Kenya, Africa). 6. Kenya Relief (a ministry to rescue, house and educate orphans, and to provide medical care for the poor people in Migori, Kenya, Africa). Targeted Age Group: 21-100 Written by: Manh Dang Buy the ebook: Buy the Book On Amazon Buy the Book On Barnes & Noble/Nook Buy the Book On Kobo Buy the Print Book: Buy the Book On Amazon Buy the Book On Barnes & Noble/Nook Author Bio: Manh C. Dang, MD, author of the book The Fields: Our Journey through Medicine, Mission, Life, and Faith, is a medical oncologist at the Clearview Cancer Institute in Huntsville, Alabama. Manh is married to Karen and they have a daughter named Emily and triplet sons named Mark, Blake and Tray. Aside from a busy oncology practice, Manh’s passion is to work in the mission field, travel with his wife, dabble in photography, write inspirational blogs and Facebook posts, and drive through the countryside at dawn. Manh's works can also be viewed at www.authormanhdang.com and www.manhdang.com Follow the author on social media: Learn more about the writer. Visit the Author's Website Instagram Read the full article

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Bill Gates, what he has to about Indian people! India is richest country. "Even if you sell temple bells in India, it shall become a superpower" But funniest thing is people fail to understand that they are like Servants in their nation. Owing to which a farmer commits suicide cursing God and his misfortunes. Poor in this country fails to recognize true culprits behind his poverty. Youth is unaware of people responsible for his unemployment. Do you gather _Punya_ by offering hairs to God, really? Does prosperity come to you by offering a coconut? In realty... Hair and coconuts offered make a big business. What does one achieve by offering Gold/Silver? Infact these are just auctioned off. Of what use is such Charity. #Try to donate seeds to farmers. #Try to help in a poor girls marriage. #Try to adopt an orphaned child. #Try to feed a hungry person. #Try to help a handicapped person. #Try to donate to a village school library. #Try to donate to an old age home. Schools in villages have no shelter but temples have Marble flooring. Parents make hundred queries for donating Rs 200/- to a school but donate in thousands to a temple without any question. Will such a nation become a superpower in real sense. You call yourselves an agriculturist nation and your farmers commit suicides almost in every state. https://www.instagram.com/p/B2awM0Zpb0-/?igshid=1w8sh508v7pz9

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Kenyan science teacher Peter Tabichi wins $1m global award A science teacher from rural Kenya who donates most of his salary to help poorer students has been crowned the world’s best teacher and awarded a $1m prize, beating 10,000 nominations from 179 countries. Peter Tabichi, 36, a maths and physics teacher at Keriko secondary school in Pwani Village, in a remote part of Kenya’s Rift Valley, has won the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2019. Tabichi, a member of the Franciscan religious order, received his prize at a ceremony in Dubai hosted by actor Hugh Jackman. Tabichi gives away 80% of his income to help the poorest students at the poorly-equipped and overcrowded school who could not otherwise not afford uniforms and books. More than 90% of his pupils are from poor families and almost a third are orphans or have only one parent. Drug abuse, teenage pregnancies, dropping out early from school, young marriages and suicide are common. Students have to walk 7km along roads that can become impassable in the rainy season to reach the school and the area can be affected by drought and famine. Despite only having one computer, a poor internet connection and a student-teacher ratio of 58:1, Tabichi started a “talent nurturing club” and expanded the school’s science club, helping pupils design research projects of such quality that many now qualify for national competitions. His students have taken part in international science competitions and won an award from the Royal Society of Chemistry after harnessing local plant life to generate electricity. Tabichi and four colleagues also give struggling pupils one-to-one tuition in maths and science, visiting students’ homes and meeting their families to identify the challenges they face. Enrolment at the school has doubled to 400 over three years and girls’ achievement in particular has been boosted. Accepting the prize, Tabichi said: “I am only here because of what my students have achieved. This prize gives them a chance. It tells the world that they can do anything.” The Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, said in a video message: “Peter, your story is the story of Africa, a young continent bursting with talent (at Great Rift Valley, Kenya) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2FcjQXnsoM/?igshid=buh600bznhdb