“I was not a practicing muslim, I had bad friends. I enjoyed going out with them. I was almost never home, but always at gatherings with friends, in these gatherings we backbited, gossiped and made fun of ppl. I was especially known among my friends to make jokes and ppl were impressed by the way I was so good at it.
One night (at the time I was 30 and married and my wife was pregnant with our 1st child) I was as usual gathered with my friends and talking useless talk. I was telling them how I was at the market one day and I saw a blind man and I put my leg out in front of this man and the blind man tripped and fell on his face. My friends laughed and so on. When I went back home that night, my wife told me ‘were have u been?’ ‘I am so tired and sick and I think I am in labor.’ A tear dropped down her cheek. I felt guilty, for I hadn’t cared about my wife properly. I quickly took her to the hospital. She was in pain for a long time and could not give birth, I waited patiently, but eventually I left and told the hospital to call me when she gave birth. An hour later, they called telling me my wife had given birth to baby boy named Salem. I quickly went to the hospital. I askedwhich room my wife was in.They told me I 1st had to see the doctor. I got mad at them and said “What doctor? I want to see my son!?!” they insisted that I see the doctor first. So I went to the doctor, she first talked to me about calamities and that one must accept the will (qadar) of Allah.
Then she told me, ‘your son is blind!’ My lowered my head and remembered the blind man I tripped and made fun of. I didn’t know what to say, I thanked the doctor for her kindness and went to see my wife. My wife was not sad, rather she accepted the will of Allah (swt). She had always advised me not to make fun of ppl and not to gossip and backbite. We left the hospital. I did not care about Salem, I did not like him, I pretended that he wasn’t even in the house. But, my wife loved Salem very much and cared for him.
Salem grew and he began to crawl, he wasn’t crawling properly. When he began to walk, we discovered that he was handicapped. This was too much for me. Later, my wife gave birth to 2 boys, Omar and Khalid.
Years passed, salem and his brothers grew. I continued to hang out with my bad friends and did not like to be at home. However, my wife was patient with me and she always made Dua that Allah guide me.
One Friday, I woke up at 11 am (which was early for me) and was getting ready to go to a walimah (I did not go to Jummah). I got dressed, put on 3tter, and was about to head out the door when I saw Salem (who was 10 yrs old) crying very loudly in the living room. So, for the first time in 10 years I cared and went to ask him why he was crying. When salem felt me coming near, he stopped crying and pushed me away as if to say, “Now you care, where were you for the past 10 yrs!”
Salem was calling his mother and brothers, but no one was answering him, so he went to his room. I followed him. At first, he would not tell me why he was crying.Do you know why he was crying? His brother Omar, who normally took him to the masjid, was late. Salem was afraid that since it was a Friday, he would not be able to get a spot in the front row at the mosque. I said, “is that why you cried salem?” salem answered positively.
I, out of disbelief from what I heard, forgot about my friends and the walimah. I then told salem that I would take him to the mosque. Salem could not believe what he had heard. He thought his father was mocking him. He then began to cry. I wiped salem’s tears and took him by his hand to take him to the car. Salem refused. He said the mosque is near, and he wants to walk there by foot. I could not remember the last time he went to the mosque. The mosque was full, but I was able to find a spot for salem in the first row. After prayer was over, salem asked me to get him copy of the Quran. I thought, ‘how can he want a Quran if he is blind!!!!’ so I gave him one anyway so that his feelings would not be hurt.
Salem then asked me to open to surat al-kahf. So when I opened it for him, salem began to recite. He had memorized the entire surah. I felt embarrassed and ashamed of myself. I took a Quran and began to read. I asked Allah for forgiveness and guidance. I then began to sob like a child. There were still people in the mosque, so I tried to hide my tears. I couldn’t. I began to sob loudly.
I felt a small hand wiping his tears away. It was salem. He hugged me and I thought, ‘you aren’t the blind one, for I am, because I ran after the evil people who would drag me into hell-fire.’From that day on I never missed a prayer at the mosque. My wife was really happy.
I left all my bad friends and tasted the sweetness of eman. I went to halaqas. I became closer to Allah and to my family. I thanked Allah for this great blessing. One day my pious friends decided to go to a far away place to make dawah. I hesitated about going, I made istikharah and asked my wife, to my surprise she encouraged me to go. She was so happy, for before I used to travel w/o asking her. I told Salem that I would be traveling, he hugged me with his tiny arms, bidding me farewell.I was away for 3 months and I would call my family and I missed them greatly, especially Salem. Whenever, I called I would ask for him but he was either at school or the mosque.
Everytime I told my wife how much I missed him, she would laugh cheerfully. Except for the last call, she did not laugh but her voice had changed. I told her to say salam to Salem and she said “Insha Allah” and was quiet.
I finally came back home and hoped Salem would open the door for me, but Khaled did. Then I saw my wife, her face had changed. I asked her “what’s wrong?” she replied “nothing.” Then I remembered Salem, and asked “where is he?” My wife lowered her head and did not answer. A tear dropped down her cheek. I screamed at her, “where’s Salem, where is he?’”
My son Khaled (4 yrs old), said “Daddy, Thalem went to Jannah, he is with Allah.” My wife could not handle it and she broke down in tears and left the room. I found out later that Salem had got sick with a fever and went to hospital 2 weeks before I arrived. The fever worsened and his mother stayed by his side and until his soul departed his body.”
-Rashid, a muslim man
Source : The Global Islamic
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