Penerima sedeqah.

Assalamualaikum and hola

Hope it's not too late to welcome Ramadhan too. And the best part is, I'm finally home :)

Alhamdulillah. Hola, ciao, and bonjour, I went backpacking around 3 european countries (well, four including dublin since Ireland is still under the EU) in 19 days. Okay I admit it wasn't so much of a backpacking trip because I carried a four-wheeled hand luggage with no backpack whatsoevah. It was an eye-opening trip, and a very demanding one, because we need to brave ourselves under the blazing summer heat everywhere we go. It was 41 degree Celcius in Venice, draining out all available fluids from my poor body. Those 19 days were the days I drank the most amount of H2O in my whole life.

One thing I've been dying to talk about, is that one similar thing you'll get to see when you travel around Europe, or anywhere else for that matter; the street musicians, the beggars, the homeless. People who play beautiful musics to the delight of your ears, or greet you with smiles, in return for the small changes in your pocket.

We saw quite a number of homeless and beggars throughout the trip. I don't like calling them beggars, I find it very condescending when we're actually the ones who should be giving. Whether it's a scam or not, who cares. Passer-bys will normally ignore them, rushing about their daily errands. As if there's an invisible opposing magnets pushing them away.

I can never forget the day I saw that little boy from the train station. I think it was in Italy. Most of them would hop into any underground train, and play their classic accordion, hoping for sincere donations or at least a smile, listening to the music they played. But most of them were adults. When the next train came, I saw a little boy in a shabby tshirt and torn shorts, playing his accordion with the sweetest smile. He was around my little sister's age, 12 maybe.

When the train started moving, he struggled to play beautifully without falling. It was the most heartbreaking sight I've ever seen. He was so young, probably trying to help his family at home..I can never forget that sweet little face.

So this Ramadhan, instead of looking at all the people on the streets as 'peminta sedeqah', look at them as 'penerima sedeqah'. God is trying to help you do good through these unfortunate people. At least give them a smile when you don't have any small change, a disgusted look won't win you anything. Trust me, I accidentally cringed when I was passing by a homeless man who couldn't afford a nice hot shower due to his conditions, and it doesn't feel great at all. I felt guilty all the way home, what if he noticed. huhu

Salam Ramadhan semua :)