When finally my eyes open
Friday, October 10, 2008
WHEN I first started University I had met another Muslim brother. We had become very good friends.
During our last year of University, this brother of mine announced that he was engaged and that he was to be married after he graduates this year and finds himself a job. I was glad for him.
He talked non stop about getting married, I was sort of getting jealous of him because the brother had it made for him, finishing school, getting married, and especially coming from a wealthy family.
One day this brother was to meet me at the coffee shop. He showed up, but astonishingly he wasn't smiling and wasn't talking about his fiancee.
I asked him what was wrong, he asked if we could talk somewhere privately and we did. Finally I knew why he was upset.
He had told me that he found out that he had a brain tumor which was malignant, which meant it had become cancerous. When he told me the news his voice was quivering and tears were streaming down his cheeks.
I had never seen him like this before. I kept thinking how could have this happened? A man who had everything made and had everything perfect.
I saw this brother slowly go down. He had to drop out of school at his last year because he began to lose his memory and he started to repeat himself over again.
He did not have a chance at school without his memory.
He had told his fiancee and her family and her parents did not want their daughter to marry him, because he had no job and basically no future.
This was hard for him, I remember he would cry to me about her and how he cared for her and how hopeless he felt.
Later the brother had problems writing and his right eyesight was fading. The tumor was on the left side of his brain so it affected everything on his right.
Because of his memory loss the brother soon forgot surahs of Al-Quran and he even forgot how to pray.
A year later his right arm was paralysed and his eyesight was taken away from him.
It was the hardest thing for me to see. I began coming over everyday helping him recite surahs.
When I was reciting surah Al-Fatihah to him and he was slowly repeating after me. I looked at him and I thought, this was the same brother who was so intelligent and was to finish school, this was the same brother who came from such a wealthy family, this was the same brother who talked for days about getting married and raising a family, this was the same brother who had everything.
But now he can barely remember what I said to him ten minutes a ago.
This man was now turning towards Allah, he dropped everything and turned towards Allah. Allah gave him everything and Allah could take everything away just as easily.
A month ago, I had gotten a call saying that the brother passed. I washed his body with a couple of other brothers and I saw his lifeless body. He was buried and after I returned home.
The next day I sat down wondering to myself about the power of Allah. My brother's death made me realise that we forget what our purpose of being here is for: To serve Allah. You could have everything, but do you have anything that is important?
Islam Can
During our last year of University, this brother of mine announced that he was engaged and that he was to be married after he graduates this year and finds himself a job. I was glad for him.
He talked non stop about getting married, I was sort of getting jealous of him because the brother had it made for him, finishing school, getting married, and especially coming from a wealthy family.
One day this brother was to meet me at the coffee shop. He showed up, but astonishingly he wasn't smiling and wasn't talking about his fiancee.
I asked him what was wrong, he asked if we could talk somewhere privately and we did. Finally I knew why he was upset.
He had told me that he found out that he had a brain tumor which was malignant, which meant it had become cancerous. When he told me the news his voice was quivering and tears were streaming down his cheeks.
I had never seen him like this before. I kept thinking how could have this happened? A man who had everything made and had everything perfect.
I saw this brother slowly go down. He had to drop out of school at his last year because he began to lose his memory and he started to repeat himself over again.
He did not have a chance at school without his memory.
He had told his fiancee and her family and her parents did not want their daughter to marry him, because he had no job and basically no future.
This was hard for him, I remember he would cry to me about her and how he cared for her and how hopeless he felt.
Later the brother had problems writing and his right eyesight was fading. The tumor was on the left side of his brain so it affected everything on his right.
Because of his memory loss the brother soon forgot surahs of Al-Quran and he even forgot how to pray.
A year later his right arm was paralysed and his eyesight was taken away from him.
It was the hardest thing for me to see. I began coming over everyday helping him recite surahs.
When I was reciting surah Al-Fatihah to him and he was slowly repeating after me. I looked at him and I thought, this was the same brother who was so intelligent and was to finish school, this was the same brother who came from such a wealthy family, this was the same brother who talked for days about getting married and raising a family, this was the same brother who had everything.
But now he can barely remember what I said to him ten minutes a ago.
This man was now turning towards Allah, he dropped everything and turned towards Allah. Allah gave him everything and Allah could take everything away just as easily.
A month ago, I had gotten a call saying that the brother passed. I washed his body with a couple of other brothers and I saw his lifeless body. He was buried and after I returned home.
The next day I sat down wondering to myself about the power of Allah. My brother's death made me realise that we forget what our purpose of being here is for: To serve Allah. You could have everything, but do you have anything that is important?
Islam Can
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