"According to UNICEF, 30,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.”

Note that the statistic cited uses children as those under the age of five. If it was say 6, or 7, the numbers would be even higher.

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Louisiana is devasted. Thousands of people are left poor and homeless. Yet can we really compare thousands to billions...and how many billions of people are living poor and homeless in the world every single day?

Insha Allah, the families and citizens of New Orleans will recieve their share of the millions of dollars of aid being donated by the federal government, by foreign countries, and by other Americans. They will recieve welfare, unemployement checks, and emergency aid to get back on their feet. But when will the condition of the starving poor of India, China, Indonesia, South America & Africa ever change? When will they ever get a chance to live?

Let's take a look at the words of Amr ibn Al 'As:

Sahih Muslim
Book 041, Number 6926:

Mustaurid Qurashi reported: I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The Last Hour would come when the Romans would form a majority amongst people. This reached 'Amr b. al-'As and he said: What are these ahadith which are being transmitted from you and which you claim to have heard from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)? Mustaurid said to him: I stated only that which I heard from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). Thereupon 'Amr said: If you state this (it is true), for they have the power of tolerance amongst people at the time of turmoil and restore themselves to sanity after trouble, and are good amongst people so far as the destitute and the weak are concerned.

Louisiana will go on, but the rest of the world's people will continue to suffer. Children will be branded with suffering from the day they are born to the day they die. The will work when they start walking and retire when they stop breathing. For them this is not just a temporary trajedy, it is a fact of life. To ignore it, to cast them into this idea of 'that's their position in life' is like banishing them into a caste system.

Let's make this disaster in Louisiana a reminder to ourselves. How are we thankful for the blessings of comfort, peace and safety that Allah subhanna wa taalahas goven us? Some people worship and are thankful to Allah so much with only a fraction of the naama that we have. They have already been through the fitnas and trials. We call ourselves good Muslims now, but that is only because we live in comfort and peace. Don't you ever wonder how good and thankful a Muslim would you be if it all came crashing down? Civilized people turn savage from poverty and fear. If we have not been tried and tested, then we really don;t know what are true colors may be.

Now, as for man, when his Lord trieth him, giving him honour and gifts, then saith he, (puffed up), "My Lord hath honoured me." But when He trieth him, restricting his subsistence for him, then saith he (in despair), "My Lord hath humiliated me!" Nay, nay! but ye honour not the orphans! Nor do ye encourage one another to feed the poor!- And ye devour inheritance - all with greed, And ye love wealth with inordinate love! (Sura 89: 15-16)