A homeless man was riding a Vancouver bus alone and barefoot over the weekend. As he sat with nothing but plastic hairnets covering his feet, most of his fellow passengers ignored or avoided him.
But one caring observer was so overtaken by compassion for the man’s plight that he removed his own socks and shoes and gave them to him.
The benefactor, who could have simply joined his peers in ignoring the man, subsequently exited the bus and walked home barefoot.
Bus driver Surjit Singh Virk observed the the incident, telling reporters that it truly warmed his heart. The driver also took pictures of both the homeless man and the donor, which have since been shared on social media.
Image source:
Image source: Salim Jiwa’s Facebook page
“It made my heart melt,” Virk told QMI Agency. “He just took his shoes and socks off and said, ‘You can take these, don’t worry about me — I live close by and can walk.’”
The generous 27-year-old man, who was apparently on his way home from worshiping at a local mosque, asked to remain anonymous when contacted by QMI Agency about the story.
“I felt bad for the guy. He was wearing plastic hairnets on his feet,” he said. “I was only about a two-minute walk from home, so I thought I could give him my shoes.”
The man said acts of charity in the Islamic faith should be done anonymously and so didn’t want to have his name released publicly. This caring act would likely be counted as “sadaqa,” or voluntary giving that is a part of the Muslim faith.
Virk said the recipient of the shoes was entirely surprised by the act of kindness.

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