For the Love of God
“And they feed, for love of Him, the poor, the orphan and the prisoner, assuring them: ‘We feed you to win Allah’s pleasure only. We desire no reward nor thanks from you. Verily, we fear from our Lord a frowning, distressful day.’” (Al Quran 76:9-11)
Adan has been homeless since he came to London, sleeping rough on the streets of London.
“I just tried my best to find somewhere warm to hide rather than sleeping on the cold streets. The winter nights are the worst,” he says.
There’s a significant number of homeless individuals and families living on London streets who suffer from health problems and drug abuse issues.
Lastly, there’s so much more work to be done!
“I don’t think people realise, actually, how bad the homeless crisis is. When you see someone on the streets, you assume that person was too lazy to get a job. When realistically, someone may have gone through so much trauma in their early years and growing up. That’s why they have been led into these circumstances.”
Adan is saddened by the homeless crisis and by the opportunities that these people are missing out on. And also, what dangers they may face by becoming homeless.
He further says, “Homeless people seem to be getting younger. The ages are dropping. There are so many terrible things on the streets that they can turn to. At a young age, if you turn to different things, if you’re left on the street, it can lead to very bad circumstances. No one chooses to be on the street. You don’t make those decisions; you go through situations.”
Another person mentioned: “I was homeless for a couple of years, shoplifting to get by. Every day I would end up in prison. It felt like an endless loop with me constantly going in circles.”
Adan further narrated;
“For me, homelessness is dear to my heart. I’m Adan Nawaz, 24 years old, an expatriate from Pakistan in London, living on the streets. Three squares a day, a bed, a stove and other amenities were not readily available. I, along with a few friends, started feeding the homeless. Initially, I wanted to feed, but didn’t have enough food, so I drove past. That made me feel bad because it wasn’t enough. There was never really enough.”
“Here are a few things I learned,” Adan said.
Be grateful for what I have. The smallest acts of kindness sometimes make the greatest impact. Never assume. Next time, I will try to bring more food. Be consistent. People are in need all the time.
Yesterday, I walked into the kitchen where I met Adan and his friends preparing meals for the homeless. An elderly gentleman, unmarried, had dedicated his life to serving as a cook and a chef. He was busy preparing the meals. When asked, he said, “I’m preparing both rice and dal curry for 100 homeless persons.” The aroma of boiled rice and dal had filled the room.
Soon, three other youngsters entered the room—all volunteers from Humanity First who came to help.
We have to do more to help homeless people, but nothing will change while we have a government that introduces policies that make life impossible for people who are living hand to mouth
I sat close by, watching, as they worked like a well-oiled machine. One person filled the foil boxes with steaming hot rice (these boxes are designed to keep the meals hot), the next person poured dal curry over the top of the rice, and the third person closed the boxes and arranged them in rows of three.
As they worked, they talked and loved what they did. They were doing this voluntary work for years.
One volunteer said, “I’ve just returned from my gym to feed the homeless.”
The second person said, “I’ve just dropped a passenger and have rushed here for my mission – to feed the hungry.”
The third person has taken time out and said: “… to win God’s pleasure and cheer the poor on the streets.”
Having prepared nearly 100 meal boxes, they were carefully placed in two cartons and off they went. I accompanied them. They stopped in at ASDA (Shopping Mall) to buy mineral water bottles and chocolates for all.
On arrival in central London, street of Westminster, a huge crowd of homeless people had lined up to receive their hot meal, water bottles, and chocolates. I joined the volunteers in the distribution task.
There were men, women, young and old, children and teenagers, people in wheelchairs, and crutches.
As I stood distributing the boxes, I thought: “Homelessness can affect anybody. It’s not just people that we believe may have fallen off the edge of society. It can be you or me, or someone we once knew. Please do not look away.”
I grew up in Pakistan, which boasts some of the greatest income inequality in the world, and experiences breathtaking levels of poverty. And the country is warm. To be homeless in Britain brings with it a punishment of the harsh cold and material want. There can be no greater cruelty in this country.
We have to do more to help homeless people, but nothing will change while we have a government that introduces policies that make life impossible for people who are living hand to mouth.
There was an awful incident in Lahore, a few months ago, where young hooligans, laughing, filmed their families kicking an elderly homeless man onto the floor in broad daylight. We have a government that has no empathy, so perhaps it’s no surprise that young kids get off being like that, too. I have heard stories across the UK during my journey of homeless people having their tents set on fire, being urinated on, and being physically abused.
One elderly woman asked for two boxes of meals, two bottles of water, and two bars of chocolate! When handed over with a smile and reassured pat on her back, she burst into tears when she got it
Adan, along with his colleagues from Humanity First, UK, led them to the conclusion:
“Help yourself, keep moving, you are poor in the wealthiest city of the world, the crumbs fall downward, so you will be given a chance to get up again. There is an awful lot of patronising which sees the homeless as almost blind or comatose, but if sleeping on the street doesn’t sharpen you up and get you active, nothing will.”
I spoke to a woman who had been homeless for over two months. Lucid, articulate, she had experienced a set of horrible circumstances – the loss of her father recently, plus one of her children had recently recovered from pneumonia and lost her home. She said she felt awful when people looked at her in the street, as if it was nasty and judgmental. She told me she wanted to get back into doing what she always did as a housemaid.
Talking to quite a few homeless people on the street, I realised: “The problem came from all the other stuff that comes with homelessness. A large majority of people on the streets, in most of the countries at least, are experiencing physical and mental issues. And to deal with that requires another level of social care and full-on support. All of which costs a lot more than simply feeding the hungry.”
On a more positive note, I have experienced the kindness and generosity of these young Humanity First volunteers whom I accompanied. Driven by their faith and a will to help, we drove at night in the slums of the inner city of London. As we approached, hundreds of men, women, and children swarmed around us. They extended their hands to receive rice and dal, bottled water, and a bar of chocolate. Their faces lit up, and they expressed comforting words of gratitude with prayers. Quite a few shook my hands – not letting them go!
I realised, no matter where you are in life, the only thing that should matter in showing kindness with sincerity to one another and extending a hand instead of a foot.
One elderly woman asked for two boxes of meals, two bottles of water, and two bars of chocolate! When handed over with a smile and reassured pat on her back, she burst into tears when she got it. These are human beings at their lowest ebb; a little humanity can mean the world to them.
When asked by Adan Nawaz and his team of Humanity First about their mission, Adan replied:
“At Humanity First, our mission is to restore lives and build resilient communities through compassion, innovation, and action. We build bridges of kindness, each supportive act; ‘like feed the hungry’ we take creeds lasting connections that not only strengthen our communities but also enrich our lives in meaningful ways.”
He further added:
“Giving alone is more than an act. Through Humanity First, helping the homeless becomes a bridge to hope, an opportunity to brighten the future. We ensure that feeding the homeless is not a privilege; it delivers life-saving care, transforming suffering into hope. We tackle poverty and disaster by empowering individuals with the means they need to thrive. By providing clean water and food, we are committed to creating a world where every person can live with dignity and hope. We bridge the gap between despair and opportunity, ensuring no one is left behind.”
Our motto, “Love For All, Hatred For None”, is our core value. It resonates all over where we work.