“Rafique is fighter and he will never give up ” (Rafique’s Mother)
Rafique would always struggle against the odds. He always put every effort into everything he did. Despite coming from a poor family, he worked and studied relentlessly in his home country so he could apply to a top university in the UK. An exceptional student and an exceptional person. His friends and family all believed that Rafique would be successful and go on to achieve great things.
When he arrived in the UK he was devoted to his studies. He became consumed with them that even when he got ill, he thought nothing of it. Over time his illness got worse. He was no longer recovering and there was no explanation.
His health started to deteriorate. It started to affect his eyes until eventually he lost his sight. Losing his eyesight brought an end to his education.
Within a few weeks things had taken their toll on Rafique, his wife saw a different man standing in front of her. She loved him regardless and promised herself she would stand by him, but she didn’t know what would be instore for them.
The doctors diagnosed him with a terminal form of cancer, it was a shock to them both. Salma now had to deal with the looming loss of her new husband whilst having to deal with the pressure of financial constraints.
Rafique had been moved into palliative care and Salma had to make do with handouts from foodbanks. Without him, Salma could no longer afford a place to live.
Salma struggled to deal with her daily fears, the possibility of losing her husband and having nowhere to live. She saw an advert for a Zakat workshop at her local masjid and got into contact with the National Zakat Foundation. All she requested was some money to travel to see her husband – with your Zakat NZF could provide much more.
Rafique is still in palliative care, he has lived longer than doctors had expected. Salma now has a place to stay, money for food and can travel to see her husband in his remaining days.
