Five acts of kindness that’ll enrich your Eidul Azha experience

Let’s not make this Eid only about food, as much as we love our barbecue

KARACHI: Eidul Azha is just around the corner. Of course, we are all looking forward to the break, spending time with family and eating delicious food.

But while these are obvious things to enjoy during the holy celebration, there are many other acts that will get us and others more into the Eid spirit. Since Eid is all about embracing the more wholesome side of life, focusing on feeding the soul more than just our mouths will only lead to holistic benefits.

From a simple smile to spending time with those who are alone, here are some suggestions to fill this religious festival with all the good vibes to make your Eid experience even richer.

Meet your neighbours

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Eid is the time to share food and what better way than to give a home-cooked meal to our neighbours. In the midst of our busy schedules we can often forget to meet those who live closest to us, even if it's just to say hello, or greet them for the occasion, let’s make it a point to knock at our neighbour’s door. Apart from that, not only Islam but every other religion emphasises on being kind to neighbours, so might as well do it as a religious obligation if not a social necessity.

Smile, its charity

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We often focus on giving out money or materialistic items when it comes to charity. While this is a noble thing indeed, we can't forget that a simple smile is also considered a charity. To get others more into the Eid spirit, consider giving a stranger a smile and patch up with those who have hurt or you who you may have done any harm in any way. It’ll do wonders.

Spend time with those who are alone

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Eid is a collective celebration of love and kindness, which is why it can be an extremely difficult occasion for those who are alone. Consider inviting an elderly person, a single parent or maybe a student who couldn’t go back to his/her family for Eid to embrace them as a part of your celebrations. It can make someone's day, quite literally.

Clean your neighbourhood

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Eidul Azha entails sacrificing an animal and distributing it to the poor. But quite often, the remains are not disposed of properly which creates a dirty environment for everyone around us. While it is undeniably the government’s duty to ensure cleanliness and hygiene in the surrounding of its tax-paying public, playing our part as members of the community doesn’t hurt either. Let's do a small part by keeping our cities clean by making a conscious effort to correctly get rid of animal wastage. A collective effort can make all the difference.

Donate to the needy

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While we are sure many of us already do this during this holy time, there are more ways than one to help those who have little. Giving away our clothes we no longer wear or visiting an orphanage makes a huge difference to someone else’s life. Colouring pads or story books for children without parents is a great initiative; all the way to giving mithai to your local traffic police are little but beautiful gestures.

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