What is the definition of Arab generosity, especially as all of us wish to be characterized as having this noble trait? Is it slaughtering an expensive Najdi lamb to host guests whether they are relatives or friends or acquaintances and serving 15 men food sufficient for 50 people and throwing the leftovers into the trash? Or is it ordering several times more food than is actually needed by the guests at wedding parties and letting the leftovers go to waste? Is it exorbitance and spending more than one can afford on the pleasures of living, recreation, holidays and extravagance? We see, for example, that some people who buy two or three animals to host a dinner banquet for a friend or relative are forced to borrow money because of financial difficulties. Should we call all of this generosity? Generosity, in its true sense, must include kindness and compassion toward guests living in our country. It is only poverty that has forced many of these guest workers to come here after leaving behind their families and children to work in different kinds of jobs under difficult climatic conditions. They earn low salaries and often suffer harsh treatment at the hands of their sponsors. An example of this is the plight of contracted cleaning workers who do not earn more than SR400 a month. These workers are merely trying to support their families and children back home and to save enough to pay back the money that they borrowed to come to the Kingdom. Needless to say, they are often subjected to – and I say this with deep regret – the inhuman treatment of sponsors in terms of wage delays, in addition to the attitude of some members of society who view them with arrogance and contempt as if they were inferior. These poor workers indeed deserve our respect, compassion, mercy and generosity as well as our appreciation for their situation and the work that they do. They are the ones who most deserve our alms. They are equivalent to neighbors to whom we must give charity as commanded by the Holy Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Most members of society do not realize the obvious fact that these poor foreigners with a low income are watching with their own eyes the blessings which we enjoy and are witnessing our deliberate extravagance not only in front of them but also in front of God. It is enough for them to see various types of luxury vehicles standing near the doors of our homes, and it is not a secret to them that each of these vehicles costs hundreds of thousands of riyals while they earn only a few hundred riyals a month. They watch our movements daily – intentionally or unintentionally – and they know the extravagant way that we live and that we throw large amounts of food in the garbage every day. There is no doubt that this may trigger in them feelings of envy about who we are along with feelings of sorrow because of their own poverty even though we are all God's creation. Should we ask ourselves what we can do to help them so that we can put out the fire raging in their hearts? Or is it better for us not to worry about their feelings and to close our eyes to them as we continue our luxurious lifestyle? Our religion urges us to be merciful among ourselves, i.e. with all people living together with us. Therefore, we should not run away from those for whom we must do righteous things, giving them alms, treating them well, showing them kindness and not looking at them contemptuously because of the nature of the work they are doing. We have to say to them “Salam,” following examples from the life of the Prophet (pbuh). And we must not forget the words of our Lord, the Almighty, who said in the Holy Qur'an: “Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you” (Surah Al-Hujurat: 13). God never said that the most noble are those with the most money and that the most honorable are those with the best lineage. We are all from Adam and Adam was from the soil. Our major duties toward these workers include providing them with what we can, from a bottle of drinking water during the hot summer to leftover food. The highest level of charity that we can show to them, no doubt, is to put in their hands what we can afford to give without having any feelings or display of arrogance or superiority. I saw some brothers, on whom Allah has bestowed guidance and much blessings of wealth, who used to set aside part of their Zakat and Sadaqa (voluntary alms) for this purpose by keeping money in ten riyal denominations in their cars. When one of these people passes by an individual worker or groups of them, he says “Salam” to them and then stretches out his hand to give them what Allah has given him in abundance. Perhaps many of us do not realize how much peace of mind and self-satisfaction we can have when performing such good deeds and works of charity. Needless to say, such acts will have a positive impact on our children in their treatment of others. These duties and responsibilities also apply to drivers and housemaids as they are also close to us and live together with us. With regard to domestic workers, we have to think about the way we treat them. We require them to work long hours that may exceed 15 hours a day, seven days a week, without any extra compensation. What justice is this? Are we not afraid of God? We should show them compassion and should give them charity in accordance with the degree of our generosity.
