Thanks To You, Sadaqa Welfare Fund!!

“Whomsoever provides a well will be rewarded till the day of Qiyamah whenever any thirsty Jinn, Human or bird drinks from there”…..

This is an authentic narration concerning the virtue of providing a water well by way of donating money towards the building of a well — or physically helping in the actual construction of one.

Whenever I think of water wells, my mind immediately harks back to late 2017 when I visited Bangladesh on a mission with that amazing charity, the Sadaqa Welfare Fund.

This was one of the most memorable weeks of my life as we were there to help, nurse, feed and as it turned out, otherwise entertain the Rohingyan orphan children, who were among those who fled to Bangladesh in their masses to escape the genocide which took place under the Myanmar regime in 2016/17.

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Orphans invariably lead sad lives, but these kids were truly a gift from Allah!! 

I can still see them laughing, smiling and singing when I close my eyes and think about them….even three full years later!! 

Every time they saw me, their eyes would light up – and another thing I will never forget….they always repeated what I said when I was with them….and even mimicked my singing voice!!

So you can see why such an unfortunate group of children still bring tears to my eyes when I think about them!!

And speaking of tears, I was reduced to crying yet again the other day when the Sadaqa Welfare ‘crew’ showed me the photos you can see accompanying this story…..of a water well in the village of Ghola in the Satkhira region of Bangladesh.

It’s been built next to the local masjid and as you will notice, is not only beautifully painted but is named after my family and myself!!

I cannot remember when I’ve been so lost for words as when it dawned on me exactly what the Sadaqa team had done for me, I was just numb: completely humbled and speechless….and in tears, of course!! 

The geographical area I’ve described was hard hit by the devastation of Super Cyclone Amphan in May of this year, which left houses, schools and water wells completely submerged if not totally destroyed.

So let us pray that the waters which flow from this well quench the thirst of its users for many years to come and may Allah always reward those who go out of their way to help the sick, the poor, the homeless….and of course, the orphaned.