a slice of bread

living in a sunny part of the world where morning sun is sheer pleasure is indeed a geographical fortune of mine. hence i love stepping out for a walk, anywhere will do, friends accompanying would be just perfect :)


but there are times when you get cornered by vagrants or beggars when you're eating, or maybe shopping. 

like everywhere else in the world, beggars often approach strangers for money. as a girl i am always a little fearful of this and tried to shorten the experience as much as possible. i avoided eye contact and quickly drew change from my pocket for them or shook my head in decline if i had none. i felt unfairly targeted and yes, some of them were bothersome. 


i do feel sorry for their poverty and wanted to help like anyone else would. but i felt annoyed and bothered by them especially when i really don't have change on me and they still persist.


i remember one day my big brother and i walked past a foreign, mid east looking man, carrying his daughter back and forth in KLIA. as soon as i saw him looking at us, i averted my gaze pretending not to see him. he approaches us though and i got puzzled. he told us that he was stuck for days in KLIA with no money and no food. all his belongings were taken by some stranger, guess the word 'robbed' would be appropriate. but who knows if he's cheating? explanation went on, my big brother took out RM50 and gave him away. 

that man conveyed his gratitude, so sincerely but i kept questioning my brother if he was cheating as we walked away. "Allah knows if he's cheating.", my brother answered. 


then a sudden thought popped into my mind - Allah knows everything and He creates everything. Human beings, animals, plants; it doesn't really matter, for all of them are the creations of Allah. 


think again, 2:43, muslims are encouraged to emulate the messenger of Allah, that is to assess and pay their zakah, ever ask why? 

i'm pretty sure you've heard of Bill Gates, one of the richest men in the world. imagine, if he gives away 2.5% of his money to the poor people in the world. you can roughly calculate how much of his wealth that is contributed for good to the world, soon improve the HDI of the country hence increases the national income, GDP, GNP, NNI and so on. not to mention, the reduced crime and better opportunities for all.


learning economics simultaneously seeking the truth in Islam makes me realize so many things. subhanallah, the beauty of zakah; it's more than just a tax, it's more than charity. it's a tool that fosters justice and harmony. even though we're not connected, even though our skin color or maybe religion, or race is different, it's still a life that Allah has granted to them.


what if we start with a little alms (sedekah)? instead of paying RM5 for unhealthy junk food and beverage, why don't we give it away to those who can't even afford a slice of bread?

"While earning your daily bread, be sure you share with those less fortunate,"

- P.S I Love You

p/s: sorry for the very-late-update. IB is currently inducing overexertion in schoolwork, violently impedes my already-non-existent social life. but no worries, i'm surviving it! kbye ;)

assalam alaik! :D