WE all give to charities. We all give to the one's that ask. We all pay someone somewhere for something. And, there are countless charities and welfare funds that millions of people donate to. These funds and charities give to the poor of the world. The ones they know about.

A few days ago, I was sitting with a very dear friend of mine Abdul Hakeem. A man of few words and a very dear brother, Abdul Hakeem sometimes says things that makes one think. What he said that night is something I have thought of many times. But, that night, I found out that someone else also thinks about this. We sat in a lobby of a hotel, discussing various topics. Then, as we sipped our coffee, and after a brief silence, Abdul Hakeem pointed at the two bellboys that stood at the entrance of the hotel opening doors for customers that walked in. He said, "I wonder how they do this all day. I don't even know if they get paid on time. Makes me thank Allah for what I have. They don’t have family here. They cannot bring their wives here. They go on vacation after years!" We talked about how these men stand there during their duty hours and just open doors, carry bags and smile at people.

I told him about the time I went to New York. I went to the Rockefeller Center. There is a nice little restaurant there, near the skating rink. If you go to the gent's room, you will find a man standing there handing out towels and keeping the toilets clean. He is the attendant.  Just like there was an attendant at this hotel, I told Abdul Hakeem. But, there is a difference. The attendant in New York  goes home to his family. He has dignity. He has rights and when he leaves his job and walks or drives home, he is as good as the guy next to him. The attendant here is tied. He cannot be more than an attendant. He cannot do other things. He cannot meet his family. He cannot do what any other attendant in any other part of the world can. That's what is sad. That attendant in New York gets a tip from everyone that walks in; these attendants just get a low salary.

That is the expatriate attendant here. But, this article is not about the rights of expatriates. There are Saudis like this too.

A lady called Umm Rayan at the King Faisal Hospital is an attendant. She is Saudi. She has eight children. She is divorced because her husband was a drug addict. She supports her eight children alone. Lives in the old town and she did not receive her salary for four months because her expatriate boss did not like her for some reason. She is Saudi. She is a respectable woman. And, respectable and silent women do not show their needs. They do not tell people they need help. The world is not kind to such people.

We experience this sort of thing here because people are so very absolutely occupied with appearances, illusions and competition.  Many people, both Saudis and non- Saudis, have stopped being human. I, myself , was so lost in business talk that I did not stop to think of those two attendants Abdul Hakeem pointed out to me. We don't even give it a thought. We don't stop to think that we belong to the family of mankind. And that charity is not about donations or declared payouts. Charity is also about giving to that attendant the respect you think you should get. Charity is paying Umm Rayan's rent. Charity is paying for her children's school fee.

We have stopped noticing or searching for people who need yet remain silent.  We wait for someone to come and ask. We have stopped working on the priorities of life and have started to focus on only things that actually mean nothing.

Every time I used to drive to anywhere and stop at the traffic light, I would see some municipality worker pass by and say salaam. I used to just return the salaam until one day I gave one of them five riyals. The smile on his face and the look in his eyes told me that this is why he used to say salam. He cannot go to a charity. He does not get paid enough. He needs. And we ignore.

There are many people amongst us that seem to be living okay. But they are not. And we never find out. They are too shy to tell us and we are too busy to find out. Charity is not just about giving money to someone. Charity is also about giving time to someone. Giving enough time and listening enough to know that they may be in need. Charity is then resolving their issue. Charity is not easy, dear friends. It is work.

This work is what we all need to start doing.

In Pakistan, there is a known trust, EIDHI TRUST. Anbdul Sattar Eidhi helps people and does a lot of work in Pakistan. The whole country honors and respects him. Once he was invited on stage during a TV program to talk. He said only one sentence: “After Allah and His Messenger, one should love Allah's creation.”  Then he left.

Let us search for those that need yet choose to remain silent.