BANG! BANG! BANG!

BANG!!!! BANG!!!!! BANG!!!!!

A little boy, who doesn’t seem to be older than 10, bangs on the window of a cool brand new ACed Honda accord while being beaten by the cruel 120F sun. He sticks his hands out and puts on this sad, innocent face in hopes of getting a few rupees out of the rich people. He is wearing torn and dirt-ridden clothes, with dirt and beads of sweat on his little face, topped off with broken shoes (an AC for his feet he jokes). All he wishes for is to be inside the car and out of the cruel sun or at least get a few rupees.

The rich people stare at him with a face of sheer disgust, wanting nothing more than to get rid of this pest who has just disturbed their peaceful cool ride. They blast Audiosalve louder in hopes of drowning out the annoying boy’s voice and bangs. They shoo him away with a swift hand whip in the air as if there was a fly bothering them.

The boy persists; he has to get that money. He stares inside the car: leather seats, iPod blasting some foreign music, ac. The girls are holding purses that look expensive and are wearing the latest name branded clothes. Their hair is down and straightened. A guy sits driving, he is wearing a white uniform and a driver’s hat, he’s their driver, he guesses…He envy’s them.

The rich people hope the light quickly changes so they can blow the dust in this annoying pest’s face. They talk about how these pests are really rich and don’t deserve their hard earned money. They start to ignore him and laugh about some classmate, their latest backtalk victim.

The poor boy keeps at it; his family is counting on him. He hopes they do well today too. He puts his hand on his stomach while it growls. The growl pushes him to stick out his hand again and bang on the window, begging.

The rich get annoyed; the lights isn’t changing fast enough, and give him 10 rupees (nothing in their eyes) just so he can get lost and they can return to their mindless banter of gossip and backtalk.

The boy is glad to get something; it is another 10 rupees in his pocket. He moves on to the next car before the red light changes and hopes to get a little something else.

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The poor boy is someone who you see commonly on the streets of Pakistan, he is a beggar. There are many theories about them and what they “truly” are. Some say they are rich and do this because they get more money than working a regular 9 to 5 job. Others say the boy has a “chief” who is watching him who beats him and has kidnapped him from his family. So because of that we shouldn’t supply the kidnapper money. Some also say they’re too lazy to get a “real” job (I would consider it a job…..an unjust job yes but a job none-the-less).

Whatever the reason for the little boys banging on the window disturbing the cool peace, we need to be grateful for what we have and treat them with respect. The rich people could have been in his position as easily as he could have been in theirs. It is all about kismat and what Allah swt has thought you can emotionally sustain. Do we really deserve those ACed cars or huge homes? What have we done for Allah swt to deserve those? Everything that Allah swt gives us is a test from him. If we are those “accorded” people, the poor boy is a test. He was a test to see how well we treat him among other things (even if you think he is deceiving you). And the rich were a test for the poor boy, most likely seeing if he could be grateful for the little he has. A person should ALWAYS be polite, no excuses, and grateful.

A hadith says, “Among the believers who show most perfect faith are those who have best disposition and are kindest to their families.” (Tirmidhi). That is something I need to work on. I’m sure many of you are also at times impolite to your family members. That is something that will tell you about your character. Think about it, who are you the MOST comfortable with, your family, no? They are the ones you can sit around without taking a shower for days (as gross as that is) and not care what they think/say. That should also mean that you could be the rudest with them the easiest. You will always second guess being rude to a friend, but never a family member, admit it or not.

While here in Pakistan I’ve seen many people being rude to those beggars. I don’t know it might be the fact that I have never lived in Pakistan, but I always felt horrible by being rude to one. I would always tell them politely that I don’t have anything to give to them (if I didn’t want to give them anything…I can’t supply the whole poor of pak can I? As much as I’d love to that, but then I’d go broke lol). But of course sometimes I would get annoyed and be mean, but fell utterly horrible about it afterward.

One thing I’ve wondered about is why do they REALLY do that? Isn’t begging emotionally and mentally degrading? You are always looked at with such disgust and spoken to rudely. Why would anyone want to put themselves through such an experience? Not only that, but they have to “work” in the heat. Why would anyone do that without having a GOOD reason TO do it. I would never do it no matter how much money I got (if I supported the theory of them making good money out of it). I’ve never really understood it, maybe I’m looking at it from a perspective of someone who has alhumdulillah never had to do it, and inshallah will never have to.

The point I’m trying to make is no matter who/what a person is (be that a millionaire or a beggar) you should ALWAYS be patient and polite with anyone. Always try to keep a calm voice. And always be grateful for what you have, because you never know when the world will be snatched from under your feet (be that by death or you losing everything).