The clocks are about to go back. The heating’s coming on. Somewhere in the house someone’s already asking where the thick blankets went.
For most of us in the UK, winter is an inconvenience. Darker mornings, colder walks to the car, a bigger energy bill. We grumble and get on with it.
For a lot of people, winter is something else entirely.
Who feels it first
It’s always the same people. The elderly, whose bodies can’t hold heat the way they used to. Small children. People living in tents or damaged buildings. Families who have to choose between food and fuel.
In the north of Pakistan, temperatures drop well below freezing. In Gaza, many families have spent recent winters in tents and broken homes. And older people living alone, with no pension and no children nearby, can struggle quietly through the coldest months with nobody noticing.
Our elders deserve better
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“He is not one of us who does not show mercy to our young and respect to our elders.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1919)
Respecting elders isn’t only about standing up when they walk into the room. It’s making sure they’re warm. Fed. Seen. Not left on their own.
Think about it from a traveller’s point of view, too. The elderly are simply further along the road than we are. They’re close to the end of their journey. One day, if Allah wills, we’ll be where they are. How we treat them now says a lot about the kind of world we’ll be growing old in.
Something warm for the road
It’s narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said a Muslim who clothes another in need will be clothed by Allah from the green garments of Paradise, and one who feeds a hungry person will be fed from its fruits. (Sunan Abu Dawud)
A blanket here. A coat there. A hot meal. Small things, with a very large reward attached.
What you can do this month
- Check on an older neighbour or relative. Make sure their heating works and they aren’t skipping meals to save money.
- Go through your wardrobe. Good winter coats you no longer wear can go to a local shelter.
- Support our elderly support work, which helps older people in Pakistan with food, healthcare and dignity.
- Give to our Gaza emergency appeal so families facing winter without proper shelter aren’t forgotten.
Winter is a test of who notices. Let’s be the ones who do.