Afghanistan’s disabled – What does Allah (swt) say about disability?

Unfortunately, many disabled people in Afghanistan feel excluded from the society because they can’t take part in regular activities like voting in local elections, attending school, and having a stable job. Many persons with disabilities do not even have access to a national identity card (taskera) because they can’t physically travel to an official issuing centre.

Due to this imposed isolation, sometimes, the disabled are incorrectly labelled as “punished by God”, which only adds to their social stigma and feelings of guilt.

What disability really means in Islam

But seeing disability as a form of punishment from the Creator is inaccurate. There are many examples in the Quran and Hadiths of support for the disabled.

“After all, God has promised us that our lives are a test for us. Degrees and forms of our trials vary from person to person, even family to family. However, it is up to us to have fortitude, accept our fate, and then actively work to make the best out of them. Indeed, God has promised us that “with every hardship there is relief,” (94:5) and that “no person shall have a burden laid on him greater than he can bear” (2:286).

Disability is a test of Faith from Allah (swt). At Aryana Aid, we help our disabled brothers and sisters meet this challenge with dignity and ease through our Wheelchair Project.

In another Hadith, when a man with weak limbs and a talent for teaching the Quran was mocked by a group of people, the Prophet (pbuh) exclaimed: “What makes you laugh? For the legs of Ibn Masoud [the man] are heavier on the scale on Judgment day than the Mountains of Uhuhd”.

In the eyes of Allah (swt), your worth is measured only by your actions and behaviours.

Changing the way we see disability.

Being disabled is not easy on anyone. Being disabled in a war-torn country like Afghanistan gets even more complicated. Nowadays, more than 33% of the Afghan population suffer from some sort of physical disability. Sometimes, their biggest challenge is to participate in usual activities like attending school or buying groceries. At Aryana Aid, we aim to help most of these people re-integrate in the society.

High levels of poverty are preventing people from getting access to mobility equipment. This also means the disabled are often denied positions in the Government, get excluded from schools, have their access to healthcare denied, and, sometimes, can end up abandoned in their own homes.

Discrimination against disability in Afghanistan is often institutionalised. Unfortunately, because of extreme poverty, many practical reasons stop the disabled from leading a normal life, which leaves them vulnerable to abuse.

This could change significantly if more disabled people had access to wheelchairs and other essential tools for mobility. One wheelchair can change someone’s entire life. Disabled children are often unable to attend school and get qualified for better jobs because of their disability. By donating a wheelchair, you give a child access to education, which leads to a brighter future for them and their families.

What is next for the disabled in Afghanistan?

There is still a long way for the disabled in Afghanistan, but the hopes are high, and some significant progress has been made over the past 18 years according to the UN.

The biggest step is giving more disabled access to wheelchairs. Last year, thanks to your donations, Aryana Aid improved the lives of 350 disabled children with wheelchairs.

Essentially, we want to reduce the exposure of the disabled to abuse. In more extreme cases, Afghan families abandon their disabled children or relatives, because they cannot afford to care for them. This is almost a death sentence for the disabled, which we can avoid.

Something as simple as a wheelchair can save a human life. A wheelchair gives people the gift of mobility and independence. It allows them to go back to school, work and stay close to their relatives.

Aryana Aid’s work and impact

At Aryana Aid, we have been improving the lives of poor Afghans, the disabled, widows and orphans for 19 years. Our projects range from emergency relief to long-term sustainability through orphan sponsorships, widow empowerment schemes and water and electricity projects. We are a volunteer led charity and use our first-hand knowledge of Afghan local communities and culture to provide help where it is most needed.

Thanks to your support and Allah’s (swt) will, we have recently provided sponsorship to 1560 orphans and 20 widows; 350 wheelchairs to Afghan disabled children; medical aid supplies for 5470 patients; emergency shelters for 65 refugee families.

You can donate here today to help thousands of Afghans reclaim their lives. Find out more.