Zakat is an Arabic word meaning 'that which purifies'. If money is filthy lucre, then it certainly does. More so, generosity imparts a sense of well-being.
Does this sense of well-being from charitable giving translate into happiness? It so happens the 2020 World Happiness Index rankings (Figure 2.1) were published on March 20. Pakistan's ranking rose from 75 to 66 while India fell further from 125 to 144 out of 153 countries in total. This
year the Happiness Report also ranks cities for happiness (Figure 3.1). Again the Pakistani major cities of Karachi (ranked 117) and Lahore (122) are far above India's capital Delhi (180) scoring close to #186 at dead last.
It seems we must always be wary of emotional distancing. Unlike Cain, we are our brothers' keepers.
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