“What one hand gives, the other hand should not know.”
The tradition of "zimem Notebook", which has become a tradition from the past to the present and intensified during Ramadan, is a method used by many charitable people.
So, what is the Zimem Notebook tradition?
In order to understand this, let's first take a look at the lives of people/families with low incomes and often lower-class incomes.
It is common for people in this class to have livelihood problems due to the lack of a regular income or the limited amount of income. Needs other than human life needs are not given much importance. Priority is always transferred to vital resources.
The obligation to borrow due to deficits in the family budget also manifests itself when it comes to vital needs.
It is customary to borrow money, especially in the purchases made from the neighborhood grocer and bakery, by writing it in the credit book and with the promise of being paid on the day of the payday.
This is where generous benefactors come into play and the act of kindness we call Zimem Notebook begins.
A benevolent person enters any grocery store or bakery in any neighborhood and buys the credit book in which the debts of the customers are written. After the mutual agreement with the tradesmen, the benevolent and generous person, who buys all the debts in the book, leaves with the credit book.
The debts of the residents of the neighborhood have been zeroed. When they go shopping, they learn this from the shopkeeper. Don't think that this is limited to these types of businesses just because I gave examples from the grocery store and bakery. Butcher, greengrocer etc. where this may be covered.
Our benevolent and generous person who pays off all debts has no idea who pays their debts because the purpose is only to do good. It does not matter to whom the favor is directed.
Likewise, the residents of the neighborhood whose debts have been paid have no chance to learn about the person who did this favor. The benevolent and generous person has chosen to remain anonymous.
This anonymity is the preferred way, both culture and faith. There is a good deed, but there is no information about who and by whom it was done.
There are several reasons for this. Not to offend the person you are doing a financial favor and to prevent the people you do the favor from being grateful to you by staying anonymous.
I must state again that this is primarily an Islamic tradition. The Zimem notebook tradition is a Turkish tradition.
The same act of kindness can be accomplished with a limited budget. Let's take it now.
Likewise, a benefactor who wants to pay off the debts of people in debt by entering a grocery store, bakery or town cannot buy the entire notebook if he has limited means. Instead, it says random numbers.
1 – 5 – 14 – 17 – 21 – 28 etc.
The tradesman collects the debts of the numbers said from the credit book and makes the benevolent payment. He tore up the pages from the credit book on which he paid his debts and leaves.
As in the first example, the person who pays the debts does not know who has paid the debts. Those whose debts are paid do not know who did this favor to them.
There is a person who does the good and there are the families who receive the favor, but they never meet each other except by chance. They are unaware of this exchange of favors with each other. Only an anonymous person paid the debt of an anonymous person.
In these days when we live the month of Ramadan, there will be an increase in the act of kindness that I mentioned above. Thanks to Fitre and Zakat, more people will reach more people and families who need help.
It is one of the most beautiful words that can explain the purpose of the adopted kindness movement;
"Do good and throw it into the sea."