The Garden That Saved Hyderabad
When the flood came, our tiny mosque became the place everyone came to — regardless of faith.
The the Islamic centre on Station Lane was barely a community centre — a converted shop. But when the flood came, it became the only institution that stayed.
Hajia Khadijah started it with fifty packed lunches. 'Every person who walks through that door is our guest,' he said.
A white man named Brenda came every week. One day he asked to teach English classes. He said, 'You're doing what religion is supposed to do.'
Brenda isn't Muslim. But he comes every Saturday, runs the Saturday session, and tells everyone about 'his community centre.'
We've taught 500 children and counting. The local MP noticed. A journalist from BBC visited. But the real story isn't the numbers. It's the bridge between communities that didn't know they needed each other.
The Prophet (SAW) said the best of people are those who are most beneficial to others. He didn't add conditions. He didn't say 'beneficial to other Muslims.' He said people. All people.
That's what we do on Station Lane. We serve. We don't ask questions. And somehow, in the serving, we find the faith we'd been looking for all along.