Umm Aysha
*Strive for Jannah*
A story from a brother...
This is something that is very personal and important to me. I hope
that you will learn and benefit from it. Let me begin by saying
"Bismillah".
When I first started University I had met another Muslim brother. We
had become good friends, but this
friendship was not like any other ordinary friendship, I would have
done anything for him, he was like my real brother.
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 and so was he.
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 tried keeping in my tears and
I tried not to show that I was hurt also. I was burning up inside and
things were racing
through my mind. I kept thinking how could have this happened? A man
who had everything made and had everything perfect. I kept it inside
because I did not
want him to see me upset.
I saw this brother slowly go down. He had to drop out of school at his
las year because he began to loose his memory and he started to repeat
himself over
again. He did not have a chance at school without his memory. This
brother was intelligent, but after he became lost.
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
suras and he even forgot how to pray. A year later his right arm was
paralyzed and his eyesight was taken away from him.
It was the hardest thing for me to see. The brother I loved so much was
going through so much. I began coming over everyday helping him recite
suras.
When I was reciting sura Fatiha 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, he can't get
married, and now he is struggling to read Qur'an, he was not much of a
practicing Muslim so
it was harder for him to recite the Qur'an.
This man was now turning towards Allah, he dropped EVERYTHING and
turned towards Allah. Allah gave him everything and he could take everything
away just as
easily.
A month ago, I had gotten a call saying that the brother passed away
and that his janaza is today. 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 realize 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? I spent six years knowing this
brother, and caring for him. I never once shed a tear when he was alive
and not even when he passed away. But the day after his death I did
cry because I though about the power of Allah.
I thought about my brother. We always say that we will
return to Allah, but we never really believe it. If we did then we
would struggle to read Qur'an and pray to Allah like my brother did. My
brother had his eyesight taken away from him, his arm was paralyzed and
his memory was lost but he still got up every morning and he insisted,
and I repeat insisted on reciting the Qur'an. But we are able, but we
still do not struggle to read the Qur'an. We do not really believe that we
will return to Allah or else we would struggle for Allah. My brother
had love for materialistic objects, but when death approached him those
things were no use to him because he knew those things were not going to
lead him to Jannah without his Iman.
Allah can give and takes things easily whenever and wherever. I love my
brother and I pray that Allah will accept him, and I humbly request
that prayer be made
for him.
I do pray that you have a true belief of Allah and our return because
if you do have this fear, you will struggle for your Islam to the best
of your ability
before you can say it is too late. May we all be rightly guided.
(AMEEN!)
This is something that is very personal and important to me. I hope
that you will learn and benefit from it. Let me begin by saying
"Bismillah".
When I first started University I had met another Muslim brother. We
had become good friends, but this
friendship was not like any other ordinary friendship, I would have
done anything for him, he was like my real brother.
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 and so was he.
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 tried keeping in my tears and
I tried not to show that I was hurt also. I was burning up inside and
things were racing
through my mind. I kept thinking how could have this happened? A man
who had everything made and had everything perfect. I kept it inside
because I did not
want him to see me upset.
I saw this brother slowly go down. He had to drop out of school at his
las year because he began to loose his memory and he started to repeat
himself over
again. He did not have a chance at school without his memory. This
brother was intelligent, but after he became lost.
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
suras and he even forgot how to pray. A year later his right arm was
paralyzed and his eyesight was taken away from him.
It was the hardest thing for me to see. The brother I loved so much was
going through so much. I began coming over everyday helping him recite
suras.
When I was reciting sura Fatiha 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, he can't get
married, and now he is struggling to read Qur'an, he was not much of a
practicing Muslim so
it was harder for him to recite the Qur'an.
This man was now turning towards Allah, he dropped EVERYTHING and
turned towards Allah. Allah gave him everything and he could take everything
away just as
easily.
A month ago, I had gotten a call saying that the brother passed away
and that his janaza is today. 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 realize 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? I spent six years knowing this
brother, and caring for him. I never once shed a tear when he was alive
and not even when he passed away. But the day after his death I did
cry because I though about the power of Allah.
I thought about my brother. We always say that we will
return to Allah, but we never really believe it. If we did then we
would struggle to read Qur'an and pray to Allah like my brother did. My
brother had his eyesight taken away from him, his arm was paralyzed and
his memory was lost but he still got up every morning and he insisted,
and I repeat insisted on reciting the Qur'an. But we are able, but we
still do not struggle to read the Qur'an. We do not really believe that we
will return to Allah or else we would struggle for Allah. My brother
had love for materialistic objects, but when death approached him those
things were no use to him because he knew those things were not going to
lead him to Jannah without his Iman.
Allah can give and takes things easily whenever and wherever. I love my
brother and I pray that Allah will accept him, and I humbly request
that prayer be made
for him.
I do pray that you have a true belief of Allah and our return because
if you do have this fear, you will struggle for your Islam to the best
of your ability
before you can say it is too late. May we all be rightly guided.
(AMEEN!)
