Alhamdulillah, its all for the good

Hana was a very active person in the community. She was never seen sitting at a place. Always involved in something- be it dropping somebody home, doing errands for a needy, giving her service to the masjid etc. She was that cheerful person, always ready ready to give someone her helping hand, an ear to listen to. She would never go unnoticed because of her heart-warming smile, her long strides (as she was always in a rush to complete her task at hand, so that she can jump to do the next one) and her greetings (Salam Alaikum) to anybody she passed by.

Nine months back, she met with an accident which caused her to become paralysed. She was in the hospital when we went to visit her. As we waited at the door for the nurse to come out, we looked at each other with anxious faces. We were wondering what we would tell her, how we could console her.

But, as we entered the room, we immediately fell at ease as her warm smile as ever, lit the room. After greetings between her and us, she commented, "Alhamdulillah, He gave me a chance to sit and relax, so that I can spend more time reading and memorising the Quran!" SubhanAllah, we were dumbstruck for a moment. What trust in Allah, what submission to the Lord Azza Wajal, what sincere acceptance of Qadr of Allah!

And today, she is a Hafidha-al-Qur'an. Allahu Akbar! Allah is Al-Hakim, The Wise. He took away her ability to walk and work, but He will inshAllah make easy for her, her walk to Jannah because she is a carrier of the Quran now.

(True story changed; details changed a little bit)

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Another friend of mine, a true story too.

Within 2-3 months of marriage, she was diagnosed with cancer. It had spread to the whole of her leg, medication and chemotherapy wouldn't help and her whole leg had to be amputated. Anybody would have fallen into extreme depression with this and her new husband's decision to divorce her. (Can't blame him as he was also very young and he was starting his life....what good would a wife in this situation so early in marriage be?)

But she stayed tough for Allah SWT says in the Quran: Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. (Surah Al-Baqara: 282) and so, Allah gave her strength to bear this ordeal. She knew that Allah wouldn't test her without bestowing upon her the ability to bear it.

Today she is single, she is studying; she is happy. And most of all, she has turned more to Her Lord in submission. She is learning her deen more, and appreciating Allah's wisdom. She prays Allah purifies her soul and expiates her sins for her. (Aameen)

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These sisters are amazing people mashAllah. How many people, at the strike of calamity/ difficulty turn away from their Lord, cursing their qadr. How many people actually appreciate the bounties from Allah more when something relatively bad happens to them? Or even if they are patient, how many of us take advantage of such a situation to make more dua' and become religious.

We might become religious while we are tested, and when all goes well again, we forget. We forget how feeble we are, in comparison with everything else that is happening to us, around us. We forget how helpless we are and how much in need of Our Creator, Our Sustainer we are. We forget the true essence of "Allahu Akbar"- that nothing in this world is greater than Allah. That nothing in this world is worth dying for, other than for the sake of Allah. (I don't mean, dying in the literal sense- rather, running behind worldly pleasures even though it might be against what Islam teaches.) We forget that this duniya is like the water retained on a needle when dipped in the ocean.

May Allah make us among the inhabitants of Jannathul Firdaws. May Allah make us steadfast in our religion.