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A shared theme

Generosity & Charity

Giving is obligatory in Islam (zakat), Sikhism (dasvandh and the langar kitchen), Judaism (tzedakah) and foundational in Buddhism (dana) and Hinduism (dana). The traditions agree that what is given quietly, without display, is worth most — and that the giver gains more than the receiver.

Buddhism

5 verses

Christianity

6 verses

Confucianism

4 verses
Analects 12.9
… Yu Zo answered, "If the people have plenty, their prince will not be left to want alone. If the people are in want, their prince cannot enjoy plenty alone."

Hinduism

3 verses
Rig Veda 10.117.5
Let the rich satisfy the poor implorer, and bend his eye upon a longer pathway. Riches come now to one, now to another, and like the wheels of cars are ever rolling.

Islam

9 verses
Quran 2:263
Kind words and the covering of faults are better than charity followed by injury. Allah is free of all wants, and He is Most-Forbearing.

Jainism

2 verses

Judaism

6 verses

Sikhism

4 verses
SGGS Ang 26
In the midst of this world, do seva, and you shall be given a place of honor in the Court of the Lord. Says Nanak, swing your arms in joy!

Sufism

1 verse
Bustan, ch. 2
Give now of thy gold and bounty, for eventually will it pass from thy grasp. Open the door of thy treasure to-day, for to-morrow the key will not be in thy hands. If thou would not be distressed on the Day of Judgment, forget not them that are distressed. Drive not the poor man empty from thy door, lest thou should wander before the doors of strangers. …

Taoism

0 verses

No passage in the collection yet.

Where the traditions differ

In Judaism tzedakah is justice, not charity: the poor have a right to it. Islam fixes zakat as a calculable duty and adds voluntary sadaqah. Christianity stresses secrecy in giving and the widow's mite. Buddhist and Hindu dana accrue merit and purify the giver's attachment. Sikh langar makes giving communal and radically egalitarian — all eat together on the floor. Jain aparigraha (non-possessiveness) goes further than charity: limiting what one owns at all.