Being a food delivery rider is already tough enough during the circuit breaker, when most of the population have been ordering in their meals.
It’s a little bit harder to be one during the circuit breaker and Ramadan, when Muslim workers have to juggle increased delivery tickets while also fasting from dawn to dusk with no food and water in between.
A local mum knew this perfectly well and thought it to be a perfect opportunity to simultaneously spread some kindness and instil some exemplary ethos in her kids. Posting on Facebook after iftar (the evening meal to break the fast) yesterday (April 29), Aneesa Mahamud shared her good deed to encourage others to do the same for other couriers who need to break fast in the middle of their tasks.
According to Aneesa, a GrabFood deliveryman arrived at her home last night to pick up an order five minutes after the evening call to prayer, the time when Muslims can break their fast.
She found out that he had yet to break his fast, so she gave him a pack of epok-epok and a bottle of green tea. Through her home’s CCTV clip, which has since been taken down, one can see how he was more than grateful to have a few sips of the drink before moving on.
The reason why the food delivery rider squatted down was that he was practising the teachings of prophet Muhammad, who discouraged Muslims from standing while eating or drinking.
PHOTO: Video screengrabs
“Life is not always easy. Look at how [busy] his work schedule is. He [has] to [break his fast] anywhere,” Aneesa wrote. “You all get to be home [and break fast] as a family,” she added as a lesson of gratitude for her kids.
Muslim netizens were heartened by the kind act, which is strongly encouraged during the month of Ramadan. Watching the video even drove Aneesa and others to tears, according to the comments section.
“I started crying when he sat down to drink”, “I couldn’t eat also. Was just in tears.” PHOTO: Facebook screengrab
Enhanced safety distancing measures have prohibited everyone from eating in public spaces, but the rules exclude taxi drivers and food delivery riders, whose job requires them to be constantly on the move — it’s just not practical to make them go home to have their meals.
This post was first published in AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
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