A university student from Kuantan, Pahang, Mohd Zulfiqar, was elated to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri with his family in Sabah, after a kind stranger sponsored his flight tickets back home.
Photo via TikTok (@fikazry)
On 18 April, Mohd Zulfiqar took to TikTok to express his sadness that he wouldn't be able to go back to his hometown for the celebration this year. The video shows him and a friend eating dinner together in their dormitory.
"I would be lying if I said I'm not sad to see my friends going back to their hometowns for Hari Raya," he expressed. He also wrote in the captions embedded in the video.
"But what can we do, the flight ticket home is too expensive and not everyone is from the T20 or M40 group. It's okay, it's a small sacrifice for the future," said the medical student.
Days later, a good Samaritan who saw his video on TikTok offered to buy him and his friend flight tickets back home.
In a TikTok video on 22 April, the first day of Hari Raya, Zulfiqar showed that a kind TikTok user had reached out to him on the platform and bought both of them flight tickets from Kuantan to Kuala Lumpur, and subsequently from Kuala Lumpur to Sabah on 21 April.
"Since we thought we weren't going home for Raya this year, we bought a week's worth of groceries. But Allah is the best planner," wrote the grateful student.
"I wasn't expecting a kind stranger to be willing to sponsor us flight tickets home for Hari Raya. Only Allah knows how happy we were at that time," he added.
In the video, Zulfiqar can be seen breaking into tears as he told his mother in Sabah the good news that he was going home. The clip also showed Zulfiqar boarding a plane and being welcomed by his family at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA).
The student confirmed with mStar that he and his friend arrived safely in their hometowns to celebrate Hari Raya with their families. He also said that he shared the videos in hope that they would inspire others to spread good deeds.
Zulfiqar's TikTok has since garnered over two million views, with netizens thanking the anonymous sponsor for their kind heart…
"Hi ticket sponsor, may your traffic lights always turn green and may you get rewarded back in abundance," wished a TikTok user.
Meanwhile, other netizens wished the students the best in their studies and to pay the favor forward in the future. A user commented, "Study well and when you're successful, help others too."
This act of kindness has shown how empathy and generosity can make a big difference in someone's life.
It is a reminder that even small acts of kindness can bring immense joy and comfort to others, especially during difficult times. We should always strive to be kind to one another and help those in need, just as this kind stranger has done.
