Saudi citizen "Muneera Saleh Al-Qahtani," known as Umm Talal, exemplified one of the most beautiful instances of kindness characteristic of Saudi society. Every day, she prepared food and drinks for her Egyptian neighbor and her husband after they both contracted the COVID-19 virus. The Egyptian woman noted, according to Al-Ajl Saudi newspaper, that she was surprised by her neighbor, Umm Talal, who had only been living next to her in the Al-Yarmouk neighborhood of Riyadh for two months. Umm Talal knocked on her door to deliver the meals she had prepared upon learning about their illness.
She added that Umm Talal sends a variety of foods and drinks daily, including fresh fruits, juices, ginger, and anise tea, even asking her to choose which dishes she and her husband would prefer. The Egyptian woman stated, "My neighbor Umm Talal sends us daily mixed dishes such as kabsa, soup, rice, meat, and pasta. She and her husband Abdullah do this out of love for us and for the sake of God, especially since we are far from our families. Just today, she sent us lunch, and her husband communicated with mine to see if we needed anything. They haven't left us alone for a moment since we contracted the virus; they even brought us our medications."
The Egyptian woman shared pictures of the food and drinks provided by her neighbor on her Facebook page, which received widespread interaction and admiration in Egypt and on other Facebook pages. She mentioned that Umm Talal was unaware of the pictures and the praise she received for her noble actions, and she was surprised when informed that she had become famous in Egypt. She received comments and prayers from people addressing Umm Talal and was delighted that her actions embodied the Prophet's teachings about looking after neighbors.
She concluded by saying, "I want to tell everyone how much I love Umm Talal, even though I have known her for a short time; she has been a wonderful sister, friend, and possesses a very pure heart. I will never forget her support during this difficult time, and even though I do not have children yet, her children are like my own, and I hold great affection for them."
For her part, Muneera Al-Qahtani revealed that her Egyptian neighbor had moved into the same building two months ago, and upon getting to know her, she became a wonderful neighbor. Fate had it that both she and her husband contracted the virus a week ago. Umm Talal stated, "I fulfilled my duty as a neighbor, which is a neighbor's right to another. I provided them with their medication and everything they needed, preparing meals and drinks for them, checking in on them daily. I did this for the sake of God because I genuinely love helping people as much as I can."
Umm Talal continued, "My neighbor used to take pictures of everything I did without my knowledge, and I was surprised to see her publish those pictures on Facebook, where many people admired this humanitarian act and my honorable stance with my neighbor."
She emphasized that her intention was to seek reward and blessings from God while trying to bring joy to her neighbor's heart, making her feel that she is among her family. Umm Talal expressed her hope that her actions would encourage others to understand the importance of being a good neighbor, as recommended by our Prophet (peace be upon him), and to serve as a good example in doing good and helping others. She also expressed her happiness with the impressions and praise received from her Egyptian brothers and Facebook users for her humanitarian stance.
