Following the Prophet’s (ﷺ) hadith on calamity, with your support, Penny Appeal is helping impoverished people in Syria, Gaza, Jordan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uganda, Mozambique and South Africa prepare and protect themselves from COVID-19.
Following the Prophet’s (ﷺ) hadith on calamity, with your support, Penny Appeal is helping impoverished people in Syria, Gaza, Jordan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uganda, Mozambique and South Africa prepare and protect themselves from COVID-19.
The coronavirus outbreak has affected us all; it’s a global pandemic and people from all walks of life are suffering. Millions of ailing and elderly people are unable to leave their homes for fear of falling ill, poor communities are struggling with hunger now more than ever, and people from all corners of the globe are vulnerable to the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with quarantine.
So far, there have been over 5,596,550 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide and sadly, 353,373 of our sisters and brothers have lost their fight against this terrible virus (statistics as of May 28th, 2020). We fear for our futures, we fear for our lives, we fear for our loved ones -but in this frightening time we must remind ourselves that we are in Allah’s (SWT) hands. He has created us and knows the path ahead, so we must take this global pandemic not as a nightmare but as an opportunity to strengthen our faith, and persevere and extend our charity to those among us who are struggling.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity’ [Tirmidhi], and this hadith on calamity could not be more relevant than it is right now. The Prophet (ﷺ) reminds us in this hadith on calamity that if we are going to put an end to the spread of the coronavirus, we must attend to the poor and those in our ummah who are suffering the most at the hands of COVID-19.
How do Muslims respond in times of calamity?
So how exactly do Muslims respond in times of calamity, such as the COVID-19 pandemic we are all going through now? Simple, we rise to the occasion and come together to stand against destruction and devastation. Every act of charity we give for those affected by the coronavirus could stand in the way of hunger, illness, and even death – so we give generously and without hesitation.
Let the Prophet’s (ﷺ) hadith on calamity help guide your actions and inspire some beautiful acts of charity for the most vulnerable people in the world right now. You can help protect your sisters and brothers here in the UK and all over the globe by giving generously to an appeal with one goal at its heart: preventing the suffering of others.
Penny Appeal’s Coronavirus Emergency is helping people who are at extreme risk of coronavirus, by delivering essential aid and expanding public awareness of proper hygiene practices to prevent the spread of the virus. Our teams are on the ground in Syria, Gaza, Jordan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uganda, Mozambique, South Africa, and here at home in the UK working to prevent the suffering of those affected by COVID-19.
The Prophet’s (ﷺ) hadith on calamity is a call to action for Muslims everywhere during this difficult time and with our Coronavirus Emergency appeal action can be taken. A global pandemic requires a global response, together we can make that happen.
A global coronavirus response
Countries already facing crisis have now fallen on even harder times because of COVID-19. Dealing with the fallout of war, conflict, and natural disasters, many of our international neighbours now have the coronavirus sweeping their nations and there is little they can do to prevent it alone.
Following the Prophet’s (ﷺ) hadith on calamity, with your support, Penny Appeal is helping impoverished people in Syria, Gaza, Jordan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uganda, Mozambique and South Africa prepare and protect themselves from COVID-19. A small donation of just £50 could provide someone in need with a hygiene kit and food pack, or £100 could provide them with a food pack and coronavirus testing kit. The support of our amazing donors is helping us stand in the way of calamity for thousands of vulnerable people around the world, Alhamdulillah.
In Asia, widespread poverty and the new coronavirus have devastated communities who were already struggling to make ends meet. Pakistan and Bangladesh have both been put in lockdown in an attempt to slow the spread of this deadly disease, but poor families are struggling to put food on the table as a result. We’re working with local partners in each country to distribute food and hygiene packs to these struggling families.
In Pakistan, we are working to deliver important personal protective equipment (PPE) to doctors and medical staff so they can continue to treat patients with care and confidence. In Bangladesh, our partners are making use of their hospital facilities to help care for the public and set up quarantine areas. We are also running health and hygiene sessions for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and setting up hand washing stations at all our camp healthcare facilities.
In Africa, the coronavirus is quickly spreading but with your support, we can act quickly to help people who are most at risk. Our teams are running public health sessions in Uganda, Mozambique and South Africa to educate people on the best practices for limiting the spread of COVID-19, as well as improving medical facilities by supplying hygiene kits and coronavirus testing kits where they will have the most impact. We are also delivering vital food packs to poor families and frontline workers.
In the Middle East, people everywhere are struggling to handle the spread of COVID-19 but we’re on the ground in Syria, Jordan, and Gaza providing improvised families and refugees with food packs, hygiene kits, and coronavirus testing kits. In Syria, we have been able to provide eight hospitals and nine public health centres with testing kits, protection kits and facemasks to help staff and patients better protect themselves.
In Gaza, we are setting up quarantine centres and a field hospital to treat those infected with COVID-19, as well as providing PPE, antiseptics, disinfectant, and other hygiene essentials to frontline staff. In Jordan, we’re helping impoverished families and refugees by distributing cash vouchers, which they can use to buy groceries and medicine – not only helping struggling families but also helping to stimulate the local economy.
A local coronavirus response
We all know the struggles many families are facing here in the UK because of the coronavirus, and we have certainly all felt the worry for the health of our family and friends. Now you can do something to stand in the way of the coronavirus calamity and help our vulnerable brothers and sisters here at home.
Penny Appeal’s UK Coronavirus Emergency Response is providing essential services for the elderly, helping the homeless and raising funds for disadvantaged communities. With the help of our local partners, Age UK Bradford, we’re working with churches, mosques, and temples to support our elders by delivering food packs to them while they are in isolation. These food packs are filled with items such as rice, soup, pasta, and tea and a donation of just £45 could provide them to 3 elderly people.
For people struggling to make ends meet during this pandemic, our hardship fund is there to help them get by through means-tested grants. People who have had to stop working to care for their children or who are unable to keep working because of isolation can apply to our hardship fund for support. You can embrace the Prophet’s (ﷺ) hadith on calamity and help these struggling families by making a small £20 donation to the hardship fund.
Finally, you can help the homeless here in the UK by providing someone in need with a £20 hygiene kit. Penny Appeal is running street distributions of our hygiene kits for homeless people throughout the UK to help prevent them from contracting the coronavirus. With your help, we can try to prevent the spread of COVID-19 throughout the homeless community here in the UK.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity’ [Tirmidhi] and in these times of coronavirus, we should truly heed his words. It is up to us to help our sisters and brothers, both abroad and at home, stay healthy and protected because, without our support, many of the less fortunate members of our global ummah are undeniably susceptible to COVID-19.
Be the one who stands in the way of calamity by making a donation to our Coronavirus Emergency appeal. We can work together to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect the vulnerable members of our ummah.
To learn more about Penny Appeal, click here.
