Lulua
04-02-2002, 11:22
THE ROAD TO DUBAI
By Um Yaqoob
On the road to Dubai, my husband stopped at a small masjid to make the
asr prayer. As I sat in the car, I saw a figure approaching from
the direction of a small group of houses. It took some time before
I realized it was a man, crawling toward the masjid.
He wore rubber sandals on his hands. His lower body dragged on
the hard, rocky ground. The 110-degree temperatures had beaten sweat
out of his entire body. By the time he reached the masjid courtyard I could
see he was soaked and his face was flushed.
Many men passed him on their way to the prayer, perhaps accustomed
to seeing him. One man came out of a shop and watched him for awhile.
He went back into the shop and came out with a cold drink. He opened
it for the crawling man and they sat together for a! minute. I heard
them talking, the one man offering to help the man and the other insisting
he could make it up the stairs to the masjid. He was concerned about
making it on time, so he excused himself and continued his slow, labored
journey to the prayer.
I did not watch him as he mounted the stairs. I could not imagine
how to help him. I was crying by then, remembering the hadith of
the Prophet (pbuh): "The hypocrites find fajr and isha prayers in
congregation very oppressive. If they could know the virtues of these
two prayers, they would certainly join them, even if they had to go
crawling." (Bukhari, Muslim)
This man, who literally did crawl even in the heat of the day,
did not find the congregational prayer oppressive at all. May Allah
reward all who strugg! le to please Him and may He always remind us of our
own weaknesses through such people.
» Oh Allah! You are forgiving, and You love forgiveness. So please forgive us! «
================================================== ===========================================
"Only those who are patient will receive their rewards in full without reckoning.”
(39:10)
And Allah gave them a reward in this world, and the excellent reward of the Hereafter. For Allah Loveth those who do good.
Sura Imran Verse 148
By Um Yaqoob
On the road to Dubai, my husband stopped at a small masjid to make the
asr prayer. As I sat in the car, I saw a figure approaching from
the direction of a small group of houses. It took some time before
I realized it was a man, crawling toward the masjid.
He wore rubber sandals on his hands. His lower body dragged on
the hard, rocky ground. The 110-degree temperatures had beaten sweat
out of his entire body. By the time he reached the masjid courtyard I could
see he was soaked and his face was flushed.
Many men passed him on their way to the prayer, perhaps accustomed
to seeing him. One man came out of a shop and watched him for awhile.
He went back into the shop and came out with a cold drink. He opened
it for the crawling man and they sat together for a! minute. I heard
them talking, the one man offering to help the man and the other insisting
he could make it up the stairs to the masjid. He was concerned about
making it on time, so he excused himself and continued his slow, labored
journey to the prayer.
I did not watch him as he mounted the stairs. I could not imagine
how to help him. I was crying by then, remembering the hadith of
the Prophet (pbuh): "The hypocrites find fajr and isha prayers in
congregation very oppressive. If they could know the virtues of these
two prayers, they would certainly join them, even if they had to go
crawling." (Bukhari, Muslim)
This man, who literally did crawl even in the heat of the day,
did not find the congregational prayer oppressive at all. May Allah
reward all who strugg! le to please Him and may He always remind us of our
own weaknesses through such people.
» Oh Allah! You are forgiving, and You love forgiveness. So please forgive us! «
================================================== ===========================================
"Only those who are patient will receive their rewards in full without reckoning.”
(39:10)
And Allah gave them a reward in this world, and the excellent reward of the Hereafter. For Allah Loveth those who do good.
Sura Imran Verse 148