ICNA Relief Dallas Food Pantry

"Innalaha Ma'as Sabireen" our beloved creator Allah SWT is with the patient people. So exercise patience.

Assalamu Alaikum WRH,

Jawaani Sirf 4 Din Ki, (Youth is just for 4 days) so make the most of it they say. People take pride in celebrating their birthdays, not realizing for the fact that they are inching their way towards their ultimate end. Everyone has their start and end date prescribed the day they swim out of their mother's womb crying that their tick tock, tick tock, tick tock time has already begun.

From the begin to the end, what important is how one has lead his /  her life. Were they treading their path of life on a straight path ordained by our beloved creator Allah SWT, or were swerving from it time and again, satisfying their worldly lusts.

Taking upon this new job (of 3 months) as an operational manager for a relief organization (www.icnarelief.org) where I interact with lots of refugees on a day to day basis across the world (Burma - Afghanistan - Iraq - Somali - Ghana - Eriteria - Sudan - Nepal - Bhutan .... ), and hearing their stories, leaves one with numbed senses. You get overwhelmed with the kind of calamities they've faced in their lives, and your huge problems looks like a tiny ant before an elephant.

I used to lived with 2 somali refugee teenagers Abdi Mohammad* , Jamal Mohammad* in Houston working for ICNA Relief helping families impacted by

Hurricane IKE. First night of my stay, the elder one Abdi Mohammad shrieks in his sleep , runs amok with eyes closed in deep sleep crashing his way to the hall. It takes nearly an hour for him to come back to normal. His troubled past was haunting him. His younger brother lost his speech, after viewing the murder of his father before his eyes. It took 2 years of speech therapy for the younger one to regain his speech. They were packed in a container from Somalia to Istanbul, Turkey and were rescued by Red Cross to come and sleep in my adjoining room. The trauma they underwent still haunts them. Their mother and 6 other brothers and sisters are still in Yemen refugee camp.

When faced with such clients, I let them open their hearts and make them talk to their heart's content and I listen patiently jotting notes. When done, I tie back their tattered hopes to the strong rope thrown by our beloved creator Allah SWT. I work on building their hopes. I request them to start their prayers again, if they've left it out of anger towards our beloved creator Allah SWT. And I do my best to fulfill their needs.

I came across an Iraqi lady name Hayah* from Iraq, currently working as a cleaner in Walmart. She and her husband Abu Saad* once belonged to the rich and famous publishing group of Baghdad. She related her story to me while I was filling her intake form. She never was exposed to any kind of difficulties in her life. And whenever she had to experience little pain, she used to complain to her husband. And smilingly he used to utter in Arabic, "Innalaha Ma'as Sabireen". our beloved creator Allah SWT is with the patient people. So exercise patience.

Gulf war occurred, and they lost everything. Life forced them to move out of Baghdad to settle down in the refugee camps of Jordan. Abu Saad got a job as a teacher, and she used to live in the camp with her 2 sons. And whenever she would burst out complaining, Abu Saad will repeat the Arabic phrase, "Innalaha Ma'as Sabireen" our beloved creator Allah SWT is with the patient people. So exercise patience.

One day, Abu Saad fell sick and was paralyzed to the bed. She took his job as a teacher. She was also pregnant with her 3rd child. When the 3rd child born, it was diagnosed to be suffering from Down's syndrome. Again Abu Saad uttered the same Arabic Phrase, "Innalaha Ma'as Sabireen" our beloved creator Allah SWT is with the patient people. So exercise patience.

They were picked by Red Cross to travel to Dallas. The family was given a single bedroom dwelling, and they got support only for 3 months. Abu Saad fell severely ill. On his last day, an hour before passing away, seeing his wife crying overwhelmed with problems and pain, he, with much difficulty uttered ""Innalaha Ma'as Sabireen" our beloved creator Allah SWT is with the patient people. So exercise patience.

I noticed there were tears in her eyes narrating her part, yet she was smiling uttering, "Innalaha Ma'as Sabireen" our beloved creator Allah SWT is with the patient people. So exercise patience. She is doing her best to make both ends meet. Her sons aged 14 and 12 are regularly going to school. The last one suffering with Down's syndrome is at home, and she regularly goes to work as a cleaner woman at Walmart.

I am currently working on her case to pay her rental / utility / food assistance. There are several cases similar to Hayah* and Abu Saad* needing all kinds of assistance.

Please be thankful of whatever beloved creator Allah SWT has ordained for you and your family. Don't lust for more. Do your best to help others. My dad used to describe ways to help, one can do in 4 different ways. Help through monetary funds, help through your knowledge, help through your strong physique, If you have nothing, do your best to hook the needy to those who are willing to help.

ICNA Relief Dallas needs your help. Your volunteer hours, your in-kind contribution and your monetary contribution. ICNA Relief Dallas will soon be opening a Food Pantry in the place which is surrounded by 400 refugee families from all parts of the world. The place is booked, work is going on to setup the pantry.

We need 2 refrigerator (freezerless) and an upright deep freezer. One of the brothers who closed down his grocery store donated the whole store for the food pantry. Pray to our beloved creator Allah swt to accept his services and give him in many multitudes in both the world. Aameen.

Please do your best to help tattered souls, and exercise patience, never lose hope with our beloved creator Allah swt, as only He can relieve all our burdens, pains, difficulties.

Thanks for your patient reading.

* Names has been changed for privacy purpose.

Your humble brother,

~*Zahid Hussain*~

ICNA Relief USA ~ Dallas Chapter

Operations Manager - DFW Area

220 E. Spring Valley Rd

Richardson, TX 75081

Office: (972) 669 9625

Cell: (214) 298 5857