Your Smile is Charity

There's this interesting domino effect with smiling. People respond more positively when you smile, and that positive response makes you feel better. On top of that, smiling genuinely improves both your mental and physical health, and helps you build stronger relationships.

Cheerful Expression, Brighter Life People with cheerful faces are like broadcasting positive signals to everyone around them. They come across as friendly, helpful, caring, and trustworthy. That's why it's no surprise that people who are consistently cheerful tend to be happier, have longer-lasting marriages, and even live longer than those who rarely smile. As an illustration: Ever had a moment when you're in a bad mood, and then a friend shows up with positive energy and a big smile, and suddenly your mood lifts? That's because smiles are contagious. So if you want to brighten someone's day, just start with a smile :) That's why in Islam, smiling is even considered charity. Because when you smile, you're already doing good and spreading positive energy to others.

Beyond that, being able to smile even during hard times is actually a sign that our mental state is strong and resilient. It doesn't mean we're turning a blind eye to the problems we face, but rather that we still hold hope and believe everything will get better. The ability to stay positive in the midst of difficulty also reflects character maturity and sincerity of heart, that we don't want our burdens to become others' burdens, and we keep trying to spread good energy even while struggling with our own problems.

Narrated by Abu Dharr: Rasulullah (ﷺ) said: “Never underestimate any act of kindness, ven if it's just meeting your brother with a cheerful face!‎"