Mein akela hi chala tha janib e manzil, magar,
Log saaath aate gaye aur karwan banata gaya.
Breakfast at TATA Hospital
These lines are pertinent for the social organization of Muslim women of Mumbai – Al- Mussaddiqati (The women who give charity). All women organization was founded in the year 2014 by Naseema Abdul Aziz Khan to help the deprived section of the society.
Talking about the organization, Naseema, President of the organization, said, “During my visits to hospitals for regular check-ups, I was saddened to see the plight of the outstation patients coming to Mumbai to treat their family members. They were unable to spend on food due to their poor financial condition. They had to survive in extreme circumstances with no proper living space, sanitary, or food facilities. So, this made me think about them, and my conscience compelled me to help these people in some way.”
Naseema’s little concern for these people was shared and understood by her few friends, who agreed to pool in money to help these people. Initially, the help was extended to the poor people attending their relatives at the hospitals. Naseema explained, “ The name of the organization is itself taken from one of the verses of the QURAN, so the main inspiration to help these people came from QURAN, where it says to feed people. Feeding people is the most liked act by our CREATOR. The verses from QURAN are still the motivating force to keep us moving forward.”
One of the founder members, Jabin, informed, “The work was started by distributing rations to seven people and food to fifteen people for one month.”
Water Coolder Installation at Byculla Jail
The task that few women initiated is now taking the shape of a bigger organisation with numerous women joining hands together to fulfill their duties towards humanity and the Creator’s sake. “It is an independent non-profit organization. After discharging all their daily household duties, we devote spare time to serve the needy and poor brothers and sisters,” said Salma Rizvi, one of the organization’s founding members.
Elaborating further on their activities, Joint Secretary, Rubina Siddiqui, informed, “Our focus of activities revolve around the poor suburbs of Mumbai. With the sole intention of pleasing the Creator, we feed food to the needy, the orphans, and the prisoners.”
The organization focuses mainly on women and children. The present activities undertaken by the organization are arranging breakfast for the Cancer patients and their relatives. Explained Jabin, “It arranges monthly ration for deserving families. The arrangement of ration is made on an adoption basis. An individual woman can shoulder responsibility for providing ration to a single-family or more.”
Al- Mussaddiqati plays the role of bridge between the helpers (donors) and the needy ones. It has set up a Dress Bank, which distributes the old, neat, and clean clothes among the needy ones in various areas of Mumbai. It supplies cold and clean water in Hospitals and Jails. The organization has donated watercoolers to G.T Hospital, J.J. Hospital, Byculla, and Arthur Road Jails for male and female sections.
The selfless work of the organization members towards humanity further motivated Naseema’s daughter, Nikhat, a lawyer by profession, to contribute towards the welfare of needy people. Naseema revealed, “ My daughter Nikhat counsels the juvenile prisoners, and we plan to open a counseling centre where we will train girls to counsel others.”
In January 2022, the organization is also planning to begin pre-marriage counseling. The organization would suggest that the marriage hall owners recommend the newly married couples attend pre-marriage counseling sessions. `These sessions would be free of charge from our side. The hall owners may charge nominal fees for it if they wish.”
Naseema, President
Said Naseema, “At children’s home, we counsel underage girls who become prey to different social illness, commit a crime and are brought to children home, and those who become victims of human trafficking and are put in the children home. Through counseling, we make sure that they become responsible citizens to serve the society fruitfully and participate in nation-building.”
Dwelling on the sources of financial aid, Rubina said, “Al- Mussaddiqati takes help individually and collectively from women only.”
Naseema concluded by urging other women folk to come forward and join hands for this noble cause by paying Zakat and Sadaqat (charity).
(Address:P.T. Mane Garden, Mirza galib marg, Nagpada, Mumbai 400008, +91 86578 67273/ +91 86578 67275, [email protected], https://almussaddiqati.com/)
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