POWER OF SADAQA

A little background: I live in Kuwait; alone as a bachelor; my parents are in Pakistan and my brother studies abroad. In short, the whole family is scattered in different places. As you all know about the current pandemic; the situation is different in different countries and I am not just talking about infections or deaths but the impact on living conditions. Some countries are heavily locked down and some have ease restrictions. I won’t get into the debate whether a strong lockdown is required or no but the situation in Arab countries is much more strict than Pakistan and other Asian countries. You all must know that the Arab countries are not democratic and are heavily controlled by the royal governments. I am not saying that the governments are bad; they indeed are very generous but one can’t ignore the fact that the life is very much controlled – which has its own pros and cons.

And we have seen in the pandemic that the entire world gave priority to their citizens; migrant workers living away from home especially in Arab countries are worst hit by the pandemic. They are either laid off or not paid and buying food and groceries have become very difficult in those countries. There are long queues outside supermarkets. If I talk about Kuwait; a partial curfew is placed since almost two months; people are not even allowed to sit in front of the house from 4pm to 8am. And now – from 10^th may – Kuwait is going under a complete curfew for 20 days. Everything is shut except for basic necessities; and to buy groceries, you have to make an appointment and one person is allowed to shop once in six days only. In short, life of an expat in Arab countries is badly hit; especially the bachelors. Most of the bachelors don’t even have cars and public transport is closed so they have to walk miles and then wait in long queues to buy basic food and necessities.

I gave this little information so that you can understand and compare the situation with Pakistan and we should really feel blessed for the freedom of being in our own country with our families. I know Pakistan is not a heaven either; there are lots of issues but being with your family during such crisis is a blessing and moreover, life is not heavily impacted in Pakistan as compared to Arab countries. I am talking in terms of access to basic necessities. Here you can still buy good food without any heavy trouble of standing in queues for hours under scorching heat. Restaurants are operating too. You can still go out for a walk. In short, except for social gatherings, life is not impacted much in Pakistan and many other countries in the world. Even in Europe or America, things are not as strict as in Arab countries.

Now, I want to share a personal experience. And the intention behind sharing this experience is simply to spread a positive message. I never openly share about any good deeds that Allah blessed me to do. Good deeds or charities should be done in discreet manners; but sometimes it is ok to share experiences with others so that more people can follow the footsteps.

My annual vacation was planned in February; my brother was also coming on vacation; it was supposed to be a family re-union after a long time. Somehow, I was going through ups and downs and was not ready for this vacation. Our plans changed a few times but finally we decided our vacation to be from the end of February. Then there were some hurdles in my brother’s plans as well as his flight was via China and due to the virus outbreak; his flight also got cancelled but somehow I managed to get him into another flight and he eventually joined us.

In short, Allah planned for us such beautifully that the whole family united under one roof during this crisis situation. I can’t be thankful enough to Allah for bringing us back home where conditions are much better as I mentioned above. Although we are stuck due to flights ban and we don’t know when will we be able to resume our jobs but right now, being with family and in our own country is way more important than money; Allah is the provider and He will indeed ease the path; He is the best planner; He provides what we need rather than what we want.

I don’t know whether I am right or wrong but I think Allah blessed me in this crisis situation due to a small act I did a few months back. One night, I went to a mart to buy some food and on my way back, I saw a cat which was hit by a car. The cat was in very bad shape and was hardly breathing. The problem is that in Kuwait, Animal rescue is not organized so I didn’t know who to call and what to do. I googled but found nothing. My heart was heavy looking a poor soul in such painful condition but I couldn’t do anything. I came back home, had my food but I was impatient thinking that Allah has blessed me with this food and the comfort and right in front of my apartment building, a soul is battling for its life without any support. I tried to search for help online again and found a page; an independent lady working as animal rescuer. I messaged her and got a reply after a couple of hours. I told her the situation and she asked me if I have a car so that I can deliver the cat to her and she will then take it to the hospital next morning as there is no emergency pet service.

I told her that I don’t have a car and it was two in the morning. She told me to get a taxi and she will pay for the both sides. I put the cat in a box and went to her place; I handed over the cat to her but I refused to take the taxi money. Next morning she sent me the pictures that the cat is admitted to the hospital and is being taken care of.

NOTE: I didn’t know about the hospital and even If I did, there was probably no emergency service which is why the lady had to wait until the morning. And moreover, the hospital bill was too expensive but the lady was running an organization so she had donors.

It was a very small deed. I did practically nothing other than putting a cat in a box and delivering it to that lady. I just prayed to Allah for the cat’s recovery and to bless the lady for her noble work and I asked Allah to just accept my deed. And I think Allah rewarded me in the best possible way which I could have never thought. I picked a cat in pain and sent her to a comfort place; Allah picked me up even before any pain and sent me to a comfort zone during this hard time. Allah has blessed me so much that my isolation days are actually better than my normal days. I am in my own house with my family; I am eating well; I am not facing any hardships of the pandemic. All just because of this one small deed. I can’t thank Allah enough and I keep praying Allah to accept my deeds and forgive my sins. Indeed He is the only one who can help us.

So dear brothers and sisters, charity is one of the best deeds a person can do. Picking up a stone from a path for the comfort of others is also a charity and Allah loves the most when we help our fellow beings and do something for their comforts. Be a source of pain eliminator for others; be a source of comfort for others and trust me, Allah will reward you in ways that one can’t even dream of. Even the smallest of deeds count. Give charity as much as you can; help people as much as you can; be it physically or financially. We are sinners, we sin intentionally and intentionally. Even our prayers are weak. Give charity to come closer to Allah and have your hearts enlightened with the rays of Imaan because this world is temporary and the life hereafter is eternal.