Charity and Care for the Poor
Matthew 25:35-40
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me. Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Deuteronomy 15:11
“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”
Quran 2:177
“Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but righteousness is with one who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the prophets and gives wealth, despite love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask, and for freeing slaves.”
Bhagavad Gita 16:1-3
“One who gives in charity, controls anger, and is forgiving is blessed. The divine gift is charity, and the demonic gift is meanness. What is given as charity must be given in good faith to a worthy person at the right place and time.”
Dhammapada 177
“Happy is the arising of the Buddhas. Happy is the teaching of the true Dharma. Happy is the harmony of the Sangha. Happy is the ascetic practice of the harmonious ones. To give is good; to abstain from evil is good; restraint of the senses is good; moderation in eating is good.”
Guru Granth Sahib (Seva - selfless service)
“The greatest happiness is in serving others without expectation of reward. By serving humanity, one serves God. Seva, selfless service, is the highest virtue.”