Pakistan Floods Appeal

A Personal Account from a former student at the University of Madeenah
- Abu Hudhayfah Farhan Safdar

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Account Details:
I am currently using my personal bank account to collect funds. This account is separate to my main account and is not being used for anything else except for this purpose.

Donations can be sent to my account via the following PayPal account:

adnansafdar10@hotmail.com

...and be sure to mark the donations as "Flood Victims"

Whatever funds I receive in this account, I will then give to family/friends who have funds in Pakistan, so as to access the equivalent to that amount in Pakistani currency (rupees), and hence reducing the amount of money lost by way of currency exchange. If this is not possible, I will simply convert the money and utilise for the people here in Pakistan, inshaa.-Allaah.

.....

Bismillaah, wassalaatu wassalaam 'alaa nabiyyinaa Muhammad wa'alaa aalihee wa ashaabihee ajma'een.

As salaamu'alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh

The difficult roads make it a longer and more tiring journey than it should have been. It is still the early hours of the morning and were not it not for the blasting AC in the car, we too would have felt the scorching heat of this hot Summer day. Today, we are travelling to Tangi, a village almost 60 km north of Peshawar. Assessments have already been made and the results have not been good. People there are waiting for our arrival in great anticipation. They have been told a medical team is finally arriving.

Many of us have already heard about the floods in Pakistan on the news, in the newspapers and through the casual conversations that take place whenever we come together. However, experiencing these situations in person goes that extra distance in allowing you to fully contemplate just how serious the situation is out here. The aftermath of the floods that I experienced during this journey was unbelieveable. At one point during the journey, I saw the rooftop of a building just above the water level. The brother pointed out that it was a hotel, now beneath the water. This was the case with entire villages, shops and every other building. Everything was under the water. In other areas, the level of water had resided and it had left behind nothing intact. As a result, in this region alone, 11 thousand people have died and approximately 5 million people are left homeless. People are now living in graveyards, on roadsides...anywhere they can. They have no food, no water, no shelter and no medication. Their entire livestock has been destroyed...and they wander from place to place in dirty muddy clothes; all that they have left now of their possessions. Many roads and bridges have been blocked by the floods, making it very difficult for people to move around. There is water and mud everywhere and at one point I wonder how we will ever make it to the village of Tangi.

Alhamdulillaah we finally arrive and from the car window I see there are a lot of people waiting in the distance. Too many.

We were given a few tables to work from. The medications were laid out before us and amidst the background noise of anxious people wanting medical treatment, I hear someone say 'this is all we have'. There was hardly anything there. The people began to shout, push...and volunteers who had arrived earlier, were working hard to keep some order amongst the people. We were each given one bottle of mineral water which was the only drinking water we would have for the day, and no food. The weather was hot but that was the least of anyone's worry. Men were gathered on one side of the table and the women on the other. These were all local Pukhtoon people. Children were everywhere; barefoot and dirty. We worked continuously until just passed Dhuhr time. We prayed and then continued until the evening. Almost 400 people plus were seen, most of whom were women and children. They presented with many different ailments and we just did not have sufficient amounts nor the correct forms of resources to attend to their medical needs. These destitute people had nothing left except hope that some help would arrive.

I arrive back home in Islamabad and receive another phone call from a place called Layyah in the Punjab region. Thousands of people have been made homeless, they have no food, water, nothing. A similar story, only...no one has been there or even has any plans of travelling down to that region to professionally assess the situation and arrange relief because all their resources are being utilised in other areas. For the people of Layyah, they are left to help themselves in whatever ways they can. It is a huge and worrying struggle.

This is just a minor account of what I experienced to give you all an idea of what is going on out here in addtion to what you already know inshaa'Allaah. One of the brothers who is in charge of assessing and providing emergency relief and who worked to provide emergency relief for the people of Swaat and also in Muzaffarabad during the earthquakes, said, "in the 13/14 years I have done this work, I have never seen anything as bad as this."

My second purpose of emailing everyone is to make an appeal to each and every one of you to donate whatever you can to help these people for the sake of Allaah. We need to raise whatever we can, however we can, to purchase much needed medication, food and the neccessary equipment for these people to have clean water to drink. We also need money for shelter, but right now, this probably comes as a secondary requirement. It is extremely difficult to appreciate truly what Allaah Ta'aalaa hs blessed us and our families with until we come face to face with the reality of what so many people, like the people of Pakistan who have been hit by the floods, are experiencing. At the end of the day, I came home to a hot meal and a bed to sleep on and it made me realise just how much Allaah has blessed us with, how many favours He has bestowed upon us, and just how little we thank Him for them. Many of us are totally oblivious to this fact because we have become too accustomed to a life of ease and comfort.

In many cases when we donate, we will give a certain amount when in reality we are capable of giving more. My appeal to everyone in this case is to please open your hearts and give that extra more. It will go a very long way in helping our brothers and sisters here. Many of you have your own children and will spend every penny you have inorder to help even one child of yours in need. These people have children suffering from multiple health problems and they can do nothing except wave off the flies from landing on their infected wounds which have caused their health to become much worse.

Inshaa'Allaah this appeal will be continue until next weekend (08/08/10), afterwhich we need to utilise that money urgently. Ramadhaan is fast approaching and we continue to remain in the month of Sha'baan - a month in which the deeds of the people are taken up. I would urge everyone to make the most of this opportunity, hastening to increase your good deeds in this life and hence, preparing for the Hereafter, and secondly to help your brothers and sisters in dire need. If anyone has oustanding Zakaah to give, then please also give that to this cause. Anyone who wishes to donate, please email me individually and I can provide details of how to donate inshaa'Allaah. There are plans of opening mobile medical clinics which will cost in the region of 20,000-30,000 dollars. Even if what we raised was used generally for food, water and medical supplies, if we truly came together and gave from what Allaah has blessed us with, sincerely and whole heartedly, we could raise this much money and much more inshaa'Allaah.

Allaah says in the Qur'aan, in surah al-hadid:

"Who is he that will lend Allaah a goodly loan: then (Allaah) will increase it manifold to his credit (in repaying), and he will have (besides) a good reward (i.e. Paradise)"

Al-Tirmidhi (2470) narrated that they slaughtered a sheep at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and gave it in charity except for its shoulder. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked ‘As’ishah, “What is left of it?” She said: “Nothing is left except the shoulder.” He said: “All of it will remain except its shoulder.”

Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

What this means is that whatever a person eats is that which is gone and no longer remains, but that which he gives in charity is what will remain for him with Allaah and he will benefit from it on the Day of Resurrection. This hadeeth is a reference to the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Whatever is with you, will be exhausted, and whatever is with Allaah (of good deeds) will remain” [al-Nahl 16:96]

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that every man will be shaded by his charity on the Day of Resurrection, the day on which the sun will be brought close to people’s heads until Allaah passes judgement between them. Narrated by Ahmad, 16882; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4510.

"The most beloved of people according to Allah is he who brings most benefit, and the most beloved of deeds according to Allah the Mighty, the Magnificent, is that you bring happiness to a fellow Muslim, or relieve him of distress, or pay off his debt or stave away hunger from him.

It is more beloved to me that I walk with my brother Muslim in his time of need than I stay secluded in the mosque for a month. Whoever holds back his anger, Allah will cover his faults and whoever suppresses his fury while being able to execute it, Allah will fill his heart with satisfaction on the Day of Standing. Whoever walks with his brother Muslim in need until he establishes that for him, Allah will establish his feet firmly on the day when all feet shall slip.

Indeed, bad character ruins deeds just as vinegar ruins honey." [Tabarâni, Hasan]

"Whosoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allah will remove from him one of the griefs of the Day of Judgment. Whosoever alleviates [the lot of] a needy person, Allah will alleviate [his lot] in this world and the next. Whosoever shields a Muslim, Allah will shield him in this world and the next. Allah will aid a servant [of His] so long as the servant aids his brother. Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, without tranquility descending upon them, mercy enveloping them, the angels surrounding them, and Allah making mention of them amongst those who are with Him. Whosoever is slowed down by his actions will not be hastened forward by his lineage." [Muslim]

Please make a lot of du'aa for your brothers and sisters in need and let others know about the appeal.

Jazaakumullaahu khayral jazaa'..aameen

Was salaamu'alaykum wa rahmatullaah

Farhan Safdar

Account Details:
I am currently using my personal bank account to collect funds. This account is separate to my main account and is not being used for anything else except for this purpose.

Donations can be sent to my account via the following PayPal account:

adnansafdar10@hotmail.com

...and be sure to mark the donations as "Flood Victims"

Whatever funds I receive in this account, I will then give to family/friends who have funds in Pakistan, so as to access the equivalent to that amount in Pakistani currency (rupees), and hence reducing the amount of money lost by way of currency exchange. If this is not possible, I will simply convert the money and utilise for the people here in Pakistan, inshaa.-Allaah.