SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - Two large bowls of chicken and rice and beef noodles lay on the table outside the family’s furniture shop for members of the community that have fallen on hard times.
“Do you want more?” asks Khuram Abbasi, proprietor of Omar & Son’s Furniture Inc., located across from the U.S. Postal Service on Liberty St. in Springfield. “Usually there’s more people (here). Last time all the food went.”
Seven people came this Friday to eat the food made by Sadia Abbasi, Khuram’s wife.
Khuram has always been involved in charity and wants to open a center for the homeless in the future but for now, he is content with setting up a kitchen twice a month outside his store with the help of his family.
As he dishes up the food on the plates, he recites the Arabic word “Bismillah,” which translates to, “in the name of Allah.”
Much like in other religions, charity is not just seen as a good thing to do but an obligation for those who have received their wealth from God to respond to those members of the community in need. It is one of the Five Pillars known as zakat.
Khuram is humble in receiving thanks from the individuals that come for food and makes a point of saying that he doesn’t do this work for praise. He has the means to help and he takes pleasure in doing just that.
One of the people that has been fed comes to thank him.
“No, thank you for eating the food,” Khuram said.
A homeless couple, both 19-years-old, Taina Lopez and Daisjha Davis sit down to enjoy their meals.
For the last year and a half, they have been living it rough, having to rely on soup kitchens and the Springfield Rescue Mission for a safe place to sleep.
Lopez tells MassLive that things will get better once she gets a job. She is waiting to hear back from a fast-food chain about a recent interview she had.
Another customer at the lunch is Justin Breitung who has been struggling to support his wife and two children. He works as a security officer but only part-time because they don’t have full-time hours for him.
The food provided by the Abbasi family helps relieve the financial difficulties that he faces even if only for a day.
A big part of Khuram’s life is dedicated to the devotion of God. He prays five times a day and attends the Islamic Society of Western Mass. Mosque in West Springfield every day for morning and evening prayer.
President of the ISWM, Mohammed Dastigir tells MassLive that it’s not at all uncommon for the Islamic community to be so charitable.
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Information from: The Springfield (Mass.) Republican, http://www.masslive.com/news/
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