By: Raina Rashid

I can honestly say I was deeply moved by Dian Alyan’s story as narrated by Hina Ghory during the fundraiser at Samina’s place in 2022. It was amazing to see the response of the ladies who came for a noble cause. I wanted to be able to give back to the community by hosting such an event at our home. Thankfully, it also drove me to make dinner rather than order out because of the reward in it and, besides, it was a size of crowd I could handle, so then I thought “why not?” Let me capitalize on the opportunity of philanthropy. I’m glad I did because the satisfaction it gave me wouldn’t have been as much if I hadn’t made the food with my own two hands.

When everyone left and I closed the door to the final guest, it was a deep sense of fulfillment and humility for where we are in the grand scheme of things. I was overtaken by gratitude for most things we take for granted and, above all, relief that there are some good humans out there still serving the community.

I am honored to have hosted the event. May God bless GiveLight with giving light to many more hearts and minds and putting a smile on these childrens’ faces.

Abu Hurairah and Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “When a group of people assemble for the remembrance of Allah, the angels surround them (with their wings), (Allah’s) mercy envelops them, Sakinah, or tranquility, descends upon them and Allah makes a mention of them before those who are near Him.”

Such was our night of inspiration with Givelight Founder Dian. The origin story of her purpose to the challenges of establishing the first home for orphans itself is soul-stirringly impactful that we found our faith get a fresh boost. There is a purpose in every one of our lives that contributes to the grand plan God has laid out – the underlying common factor almost always involves serving our purpose. It is our duty to find it, nourish it, and work hard towards it. As with every journey, it starts with the first step and in this case it is asking God that He blesses us towards reaching our potential and grants us ease. If one fails to plan, then we plan to fail and that is the essential second step in finding our purpose – planning to succeed and then go about detailing it out. Once plans are set, the final step is the implementation in a manner that pleases God.