بسم الله الرحمَان الرحيم

 

Al-Bukhari reports from Usamah ibn Zayd [رضى الله عنه], that the Prophet [صلى الله عليه و سلم] said, "I stood by the gate of Paradise and saw that the majority of those who entered were the poor and wretched. The rich (Muslims) were detained, while the people of Hell were ordered to be taken to Hell".

[Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab Al Riqaq, Baab Sifat Al-Jannah wal-Naar, Fath al-Bari, 2/345]

For the poor, pillows, mattresses, blankets and duvets are a luxury, not a necessity.

The trash we get rid of, from our homes, is ceremoniously ploughed through by these paupers, who try to extricate any useful scraps from it.

Yes – this is a man asleep on the pavement in Saddar (downtown).

There is a satirical irony in this photograph, with that particular graffiti on the wall behind these youths.

When we handed over some leftover food to this boy, he immediately sat down to eat it.

That is sewage just below his feet on the road, but he didn’t seem to care.

For them, the pavement serves as a bed for a night’s sleep.

Falling asleep “on the job”. 

Someone gives out free food in our neighborhood, for which the poor line up like this, opposite Zamzama Park’s main gate.

The poor kids enjoy some cricket while they wait for ‘lunch’.

It looks like simple lentils (daal) with naan bread.

Next time you have a meal with two or three types of meat at your dining table in an air-conditioned room, you’ll realize how fortunate you really are!