A Muslim man named Umar Patel's tweets have gone viral after he shared the way his Jewish coworker treats him each day at the office.
Let's just say that in a world with a 24-hour news cycle that seems to trumpet bad news on a loop, we could use a little bit of a pick-me-up and a reminder that the world is, in fact, populated by many kind, caring people.
We don't blame you if you thought Umar's first tweet indicated this story might veer off in the opposite direction.
So the guy that sits next to me at work is an Israeli jew. He knows I'm a Muslim. Here are some things he's said to… https://t.co/hJ0ASlcj3o— UMAR (@UMAR) 1541970800.0
But let your fears be allayed.
Instead, we were presented with a story about consideration...
A month into my employment, my work put us in a resort for a week for our semi-annual sales conference. The days ar… https://t.co/y7zsQXsMF7— UMAR (@UMAR) 1541971001.0
...and kindness for others.
More recently, I had a headache and I asked him if he had painkillers. He had Advil Liquigels and said, "these are… https://t.co/UdUBLmPlNh— UMAR (@UMAR) 1541971105.0
Umar closed out his story with the following:
While you're here, may Allah protect our brothers and sisters that are suffering and my he raise those that have fa… https://t.co/9u0MQ5CsPq— UMAR (@UMAR) 1542029629.0
If you guys have any messages you'd like me to send him, kindly message me and I'll be sure they're passed on 😊— UMAR (@UMAR) 1542039141.0
People certainly had messages they wished to relay.
@PBLXV This was so heart warming. When I started reading, I thought it might end up with how he judged or hated but… https://t.co/zL5cF55Q5c— Fatima. (@Fatima.) 1542032329.0
@PBLXV @razonater Thank you for sharing this. Now is definitely a time when we all need positivity, especially rega… https://t.co/xzlPnAyYYb— K-Hanif (@K-Hanif) 1542049366.0
@PBLXV @ghoste_face The world doesn't need more of him, we all can learn from him and the world will be filled with… https://t.co/j5inxWIQqh— Inioge™ (@Inioge™) 1542046986.0
@PBLXV @halimapatel_ This is so refreshing to read. There’s so much animosity and hatred out there and it’s nice to… https://t.co/vCNo087kU2— tasneem 🦌 (@tasneem 🦌) 1542033259.0
@PBLXV Thank you for an eye-opening story! This shows that we can’t generalise everyone. Thank you for this story!🙏🏼— #1 Mendes Minaj Stan🖖🏼 (@#1 Mendes Minaj Stan🖖🏼) 1542105419.0
@PBLXV @JaclynHStrauss In every group, every place, we can find people who don't go with the stream. It's very hear… https://t.co/IpZlmxzUkz— Hussein Zeitoun (@Hussein Zeitoun) 1542128025.0
"I first noticed Elliot was nicer than others when I'd mention halal/haram (lawful/unlawful) and he knew exactly what I meant. Even times when a few of my coworkers would go to a meat deli at lunch or for beers, he knew not to invite me because he knew I'd say no."
Umar Patel toldBored Panda in November:
"Elliot was knowledgeable on Islam to a high degree. Over time, it became more apparent that he genuinely cares about others and looks out for their best interests."
We know we've definitely come away from this story with a smile on our faces!