Goodness changes the world

“And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.”
(Surah No. 41.Fussilat, Verse No.34)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Goodness does not mean to work towards one’s own interest; and nor does it have a narrow scope only to be confined to association with financial aid. Goodness comes in countless ways. Goodness means being a friend to the lonely, something to rest on to the exhausted, a shelter to the wretched, and help to the needy; it means making the world livable. It means being able to fondly pat on the heads of the Ummah’s destitute orphans. It means making the downtrodden happy, and being like the Ansar to the immigrants of the Islamic world who have become refugees. It means removing the handicaps in front of our handicapped brothers and sisters who have to shoulder the heavy burden of life. Goodness means lending a helping hand to those in need and to the stranded, offering company to the abandoned, and help to the helpless. Sometimes it means smiling at our brothers and sisters, and sometimes it means meeting in prayers for one another in difficult times.
Goodness is the primary goal of existence in the civilization of Islam. Allah Almighty created human beings on Earth to make goodness, benevolence, beneficence, and charity prevail. The humankind is in this world to perform good, right, beautiful, beneficial, and serviceable deeds. We are in this world to avoid bad, wrong, and shameful deeds and prevent them. It is the most important quality that Islam wants to see in each one of us to be a good servant, a good son/daughter, a good parent, a good spouse, a good neighbor, a good friend, and in short, a good person.
Then come! Let us build bridges of goodness and mercy between our hearts. Let us spread waves of goodness across our houses, our homeland, our country, and our world. Let us not forget that goodness changes the world.
Jobayer Al Mahmud, Student, Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey.