A teenager’s act of kindness towards an elderly man, escorting him as he went to Friday prayers, has inspired netizens across the country, after a passer-by managed to capture it. The incident occurred outside of Masjid Al-Falah in USJ 9, Subang Jaya.
Rakan Muslimah Al-Falah II uploaded the photos to Facebook, where they have now been shared and liked over 1,500 times.
The teen, believed to be Chinese, is seen holding the old man’s hand while shielding him from the rain, as he leads him towards the mosque.
The social media response was overwhelmingly positive, with users praising the teen. One user, Amie Jafaar, wrote, “a healthy mind is a mind without prejudice, discrimination and fear as shown by the teenager.”
Wei Ji wrote, “good to see this, we should have more people like this.”
Many users echoed the same sentiment – that this is what truly represents Malaysia – a country of varied races and religions, living together in harmony.
Mohd Zuwairi Mohd Yusof, the imam at the mosque, identified the elderly man as Pak Ali, and said that he is a regular. He added he occasionally asks for help from passers-by to send him to the mosque.
The mosque’s nazir (guardian) is Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, Petronas’ marketing vice president. He told New Straits Times that the teen’s act of kindness was “a very good example of what Malaysian can be and should be, which is to care and respect one another.”
He added that the mosque’s community ties were strong and that they believed “that if we were to show good values and respect to one another (regardless of background), it will encourage other to behave the same way.”
