salam
here is something that i wrote
The Beggar
It is the season of summer now in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Warm? No, I think sizzling is the right word to describe today’s temperature. It is a particularly hot summer and each year as far as I can bear in mind the heat is significantly increasing in the city of Makkah, I have been suffering in this sweltering heat as I have many people to see and socialize with today and usually walk through the beautifully yet jam packed streets to go to my friends houses. As I stroll through the congested streets full of locals and pilgrims from abroad celebrating the blessed day of Eid, I encounter one of my close friends and we decide to retire to a café to talk about life and have a cup of tea.
As we sat down outside the café in the hot sunshine I call the waiter over, “Can I have two cups of tea please? Thank you”. Seeing as we were in the café I thought I might as well get something to eat as I have work to go to in an hour’s time and it is going to be a long shift. As I pick up the menu I notice there is many to choose from that I am spoilt for choice, after observing many delicious choices such as rice and chicken curry, chicken and chips that I could purchase to eat I then order to the waitress who was clearly not happy waiting for some time for me to order, “Can I also have two sandwiches please? Thank you”. While the waitress walked off to prepare our order I glanced over to the building that was opposite me and the café, the Grand Mosque of Makkah.
“The city looks simply stunning, don’t you think? Especially the Grand Mosque it looks so splendid!” my friend just nods his head in agreement, “Yes I agree; it is a joy to watch and mix with people who come from outside this Kingdom”
I was amazed as to how many people come year after year to visit this Mosque and how busy the streets of Makkah and the congested streets were so amazing to me. Although it is the summer period and many people suffer in the heat, people still find the strength to come and stroll through the beautiful city of Makkah.
As me and my friend sit there talking and laughing someone’s mobile starts to ring. It is such a melodious ringtone and it is really loud too, very similar to my mobile phone’s ringtone. I got my phone out and check if it was my mobile that is ringing. It isn’t my mobile. I love my phone because it is such a thin, sleek design and it has all the essentials such as camera and video recording, but it was very expensive to buy too. I then see that it is my friend’s phone that is ringing and he picks up and then indicates that he has to go, I presume maybe home to his wife and kids.
As I bid farewell to my friend my eyes caught a man who is disabled and he is a lonely beggar in the busy streets, he looks severely disabled and begging in front of me on the other side of the street. This man looks very desperate and looked very poor, just by looking at him, made me feel bad. He is wearing a shirt that is tattered and its buttons hanging off it and he is wearing a light colored trouser which seems much worn out. As I observed his clothes I noticed that he appears to be wearing a sandal which had seen its better days and the other foot seems bare. I look down at my sandals, proud of them as they are tailor made and cost a few hundread riyals. I deserve a treat anyways. The man had rummaged through the dustbin on the street in desperate hope to find food which to his joy he had found a few bones that he could chew on.
Just as he joyfully chews on a bone a rich looking man most likely to a local Arab, clad in the traditional silky white thobe and red scarf on his head, walked towards his parked car nearby the beggar. Many Arabian men wander through the streets wearing thobes which is aloose, long-sleeved, ankle-length garment. The summer thobes are white and made of cotton and it is perfectly suited for the hot desert climate of Saudi Arabia.
Just as the beggar was chewing on his dirty old bone, the Arab man who has parked his tinted Mercedes excessively close to the Grand Mosque in a designated VIP parking area walked passed the beggar on his way to his car. As he pulls the keys out and the alarm did that familiar electronic sound 'whup whup', the man enters his car but the beggar put his hand on the Arab man’s shoulder in a desperate attempt to grab his attention and pulled him back. The beggar raised his finger to the sky and says, "Please, for the sake of your Muslim brother!”. The beggar to my astonishment is speaking perfect English, not bad I think to my self, I could hear his speech clearly and I thought that isn’t bad for a beggar who could speak such clear and fluent English in this country. The Arab man appears to be taken by taken aback at the fact that such a poor beggar had the nerve to touch and even ask such a rich man himself who is in such a high status in terms of social hierarchy compared to this ugly filthy looking tramp who is very much so at the lowest point of the social status order.
“Do not touch me!” The voice is loud and raised, even I across the street could hear, in anger the Arab man pushes the beggar to the floor in such force that the beggar does not move from the ground for a while, his bone was thrown away from him as he landed on the floor on such impact. Trying to end the moment and avoid a dip into the pocket, the Arab man said back,
"The Government will provide you!" The beggar now on the floor in obvious pain screams back, "What! Did you at any moment think that I thought YOU were my provider! I'm not asking for your provision, I KNOW God will provide for me."
As the beggar staggers and picks himself up from the floor, the two stood there staring at one another for a moment and then the Arab man walks back and into his Mercedes and rolls up the tinted windows and then he drives away. Seeing him drive off, and leaving the amount of fumes, just makes me think, people these days don’t know what damage they are doing to the Ozone Layer.
For me it is shocking sight of course, to see so many people around, yet everyone is oblivious to the misery of this poor man. Why don’t the local community help the poor out more regularly? I try to donate as much money as I can generously but why can’t people align themselves with the poor and support them? I felt so emotionally overwhelmed by the incident that occurred right before my very own eyes. As I watch on in disbelief at such egotism of the Arab man the waiter delivers me my food. “Sir you have seemed to order two sandwiches but there seem to be only you here, do you want me to cancel this order?” I turn my back around to face the waiter, who has kindly put the sandwiches down the table.
“No leave them with me, leave both sandwich”.
The waiter seems a bit surprised as to why I have kept an extra sandwich but little did he know my intention as to why I intend to keep the extra sandwich. I look at the sandwiches on the table, it looks very delicious, a toasted chicken sandwich with mayonnaise and lettuce. “Waiter hold on, will you give this sandwich to the beggar over there?” The waiter who has such neat combed hair and clean shaven face looked confused by my request.
“The beggar just across the road, he is wearing a light grey shirt that has its buttons hanging off and he is wearing cream trousers, go give the sandwich to him” then the waiter explains to me that he is not allowed off premises during work hours as it is against the work regulations. Looks like I will have to give him the sandwich myself. I might as well finish my delicious sandwich first and then I will give it to him. As I sat there eating my sandwich and also observing the beggar the thoughts of poverty and misery filled my mind. Here I was, someone to whom had been given so much. I had wealth, family, home, and so much more. Yet for the most part of my life was spent being unaware of the misery of the people around me. I have a well paid job, status in my community and money, but I feel ungrateful sometimes.
I thought, "As I sit here eating this sandwich, safe and secure, how many people in this world are suffering from lack of food? How many people don’t have decent or any home to go to? I felt really ashamed of myself compared to this beggar because those who are blessed with such luxuries only think of buying bigger houses, better clothes, new mobile phones and faster cars while the poor only want some decent clothing and an adequate shelter to live in. people don’t give charity because they fear that it will lessen their riches but in fact it will help others and it will give you a moral boost.
As I eat my sandwich I notice that the beggar starts to make a move.
“Waiter quickly give me the bill for these sandwiches” as I drop my half eaten sandwich on the table. I felt guilty knowing that my sandwich which I have not eaten will be thrown away in the rubbish tip. Yet how precious could they have been to the starving people in the country and around the world.
As the waiter hurriedly walks toward me with the bill I notice that the total amount is only 65 Riyals.
“Here is a hundred Riyals, keep the change”. It isn’t much, I can afford to buy food at such prices I think to myself, but these poor people can’t afford it. As I run out of the café I frantically search for the beggar. I really can’t see him, especially in these busy streets. I run toward the hotel at the end and by such chance I manage to see him in my sight.
“Hi I noticed what happened back there, and I am really sorry for what happened before with that egotistic man”, as I gasp and struggled for my breath because that was a fair amount of running I did back there.
“What would you know?” the beggar says in a harsh and angry tone of voice. “Listen you just go back to wherever you came from, I don’t need you or your sympathy”
“I just want to give you this and I hope you accept this from me” As I show him the sandwich his scrawny face lights up and he is overjoyed. I feel really happy to be giving him such happiness.
“Thank you so much, this is probably the best food I will have in years” I feel so happy and proud to have been helping out the needy. I flick my wrist and glance at my Rolex watch and notice that I have not got long left until work. Better dash I think to myself.
“Brother I am going to have to go now, I am late for work” as I run off toward the end of the street to catch the bus to work.
As I wait for the bus feeling so happy and good about myself, I notice my bus was approaching. Oh I hope I get to work on time. I notice the gentleman in front of me reading a newspaper and on the back it read,
‘
CHARITY DOES NOT DIMINISH WEALTH’
wasalam