Jamal, 46

As a New York native from the Bronx, Jamal has had to overcome many hurdles in life, not only in his own personal life but as well as the daily challenges that that arise from simply living in New York City. Jamal has learned how to find the beauty in any given situation and he thanks his Islamic religion and Allah for keeping him going, saying: “there is something magnificent about the beauty of submission”. He wasn’t always subservient to the Islamic religion, Jamal actually had a revelation about ten years ago that shifted his beliefs. There was one particular night that began his spiritual transformation. Jamal spent this night just like any other, with some cheap wine and some decent weed. Jamal told me he smoked so much that night that he actually ended up falling asleep and had this insanely vivid dream where a voice directed him to a Muslim center. The dream was so intense that it woke Jamal up out of his deep sleep and he had to splash some water on his face to try and process what he just saw in his dream. Since he believe in signs from the universe, Jamal took this vivid dream into account that this may be a sign for his life. The very next day Jamal went to the Bronx Muslim Center and began his journey to fully submitting himself to the will of Allah.

The journey hasn’t always been easy since he converted to Islam; Jamal’s parents didn’t approve of his decision because they are Christians and wanted Jamal to follow their beliefs. Since his decision, Jamal has faced the hardships of being homeless in New York. He tries to hop the subway, when he can, to go to Brooklyn or back to the Bronx but Jamal came in Manhattan because he was out of options and needed people to help support him. Since coming to Manhattan, Jamal has received enormous love from some very giving people who have provided Jamal with some occasional hot meals and some blankets. Jamal currently relies on the people of New York to help him find food since he spends most of his money traveling to police stations trying to find his other family members. When I asked Jamal how he deals with the New York winter he pointed out that he always wears multiple layers: two pairs of socks, two pairs of pants, a t-shirt, and two jackets to ensure some level of warmth. Jamal said that on the nights that his layers aren’t enough, he knows a few places where he has previously stored some blankets that he can retrieve at any time of day. Jamal has tried to stay at some shelters but hasn’t found the right fit yet, so he will continue to retrieve his blankets so he can stay warm while sleeping on the sidewalks of Manhattan. Jamal loves to talk to anyone that is willing to have a conversation with him so if you see him walking around Manhattan stop and buy him a cup of coffee. The conversation that you will get in return will be more beneficial to your day than that cup of coffee could ever be.

Story by Dawson