It is said that there was once a man who was in possession of a piece of meat, when he came across three hungry children. He offered the meat to the children but asked them how they would like it divided among them – should he divide the meat in the manner he saw most fit, or should he divide it in the way that Allah divides resources among people? The children answered that they wanted the meat divided in Allah’s way. So the man gave the first child a large chunk of meat; he gave the second child a very small piece of meat; and he gave the third child nothing. The children were surprised and upset to see their portions, but the man replied that this is how Allah divides resources among His creations. He doesn’t give us all the same amount of resources (food, water, money, opportunities, and so on) but this is a test for us and He watches to see what we do with the blessings we receive. Do we share what we are given, or do we think only of ourselves and forget our sisters and brothers who do not have what we have?

Think about how you feel when you’re thirsty, when all you want is a nice glass of cold water. Now think how you would feel if you had to walk miles to get to that water and when you got to it, it was dirty – green and brown with dirt, insects, and animal waste floating in it. Now think, what would you do if that water were the only water you had access to?

That’s a reality for ONE BILLION of our brothers and sisters around the world. They don’t have access to a lot of water, and the water they do have is DIRTY and DEADLY. It’s estimated that 4,100 children die EACH DAY from water-related diseases – and what are we doing about it?

“O you who believe, when it is said to you, Make room (for others) in the sittings, then make room, and Allah will make room for you (in the Hereafter). And when it is said, Rise up, then rise up, and Allah will raise those, in ranks, who have believed and are given knowledge. Allah is well-aware of what you do.” (58:11)

It’s not in our tradition to sit aside when people are in need, people who were created by the same Creator. We are supposed to be people who rise up to the challenges, who rise up to fix what needs to be fixed – and we need to fix this water crisis. So please make a donation and make dua, not only for the success of our campaign, but also for all those people who are suffering because of unsafe water. InshaAllah, we can make a difference!