Dubai: When her car broke down in Ramadan last year, Gulf News reader Fatima Suhail found that kindness added a new dimension to an old friendship.
The Pakistani national said: “My car had gone for repairs following a minor accident. I was told by the company that this would take up to two weeks. As a result, I was unable to commute. The sweltering heat made it worse. Not only was I suffering due to this, my sister had to walk long distances and use public transport since I was no longer able to pick her from her workplace.”
It was an acute inconvenience, but Mohammad Ashfaq, a friend, came through for Suhail, in ways she did not expect.
The Sharjah-based resident said: “During this difficult phase, a friend of mine offered to drive me around and even pick up my sister from work. However, this idea soon failed since my sister did not have fixed timings. I was then offered his car for a week, until my car was out of the garage and ready to use.”
Not everyone goes out of their way to share their possessions so generously, Suhail said. They have been friends for eight years.
“I was so grateful and touched by his kind gesture, because many people are reluctant to lend their cars even to their relatives.”
It taught her lessons for a lifetime.
“This experience was very humbling for me and made me a better person. It made me value relationships more than materialistic possessions. It made me more generous and considerate towards others. They say ‘difficult times are the greatest test of friendship’. But I am glad that I have friends who are generous, kind and do not shy away from helping those in distress.”
For Suhail, many acts of kindness have come in the shape of friends and family members.
She shared another incident that affected her deeply.
“When I was in school and was unable to read or write in my mother tongue, my father was extremely worried about this and could not afford a tutor. He would often say that I would have been better at the language and academics in general, had my mother been alive.
“My performance in language exams declined drastically, and I lost hope of being able to read and write independently, until my aunt noticed me struggling in the subject. She was not very qualified but was an expert in Urdu. She taught me for free for a couple of months and today, I can speak, read and write like a professional and I owe it to her. It was because of her kindness that my issue was solved.”
