‘Put your feet into the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).’
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It was the second week of October, and it brought with it a surprise…thankfully a good one.
The phone rang and I was a little surprised to see a video call from Mujeeb. He was sitting outside in the courtyard near the Haematology unit, and sitting next to him, was Yaseen.
Yaseen was sitting outside? How did this happen? Just a few days ago he was in an operating theatre, presumably to have a portion of his stomach cut away. But yet, there he was, for the first time in nearly two and a half months, sitting in a courtyard and breathing in fresh, outside air.
Reflecting back, it’s amazing how much we take for granted something as basic as being outside, breathing. But that moment, that blessing of Yaseen having an opportunity to feel the sun on his skin and take a breath of fresh air, to sit in the shade of a tree and feel the cool breeze, that basic blessing had the value of being priceless.
My optimism was starting to build, but I was still cautious. We’d been through too many tough moments, too many ups and downs, for me to let my guard down completely.
Yaseen was still barely eating, and I was wary of any new complication that could be lurking quietly around the corner. But it felt good, for a change, not to have to deal with dire issues and to have some of the anxiety ease away.
The video call happened a few days before 16 October, which would be Yaseen’s birthday. And we then started hearing some tentative talk of Yaseen being discharged – or at least to be given a temporary discharge – by his birthday.
We were working hard toward that deadline of 16 October. Mujeeb was motivating him from inside the hospital room and I was doing the same from outside. And Yaseen, for all that he struggled to eat and battled with the discomfort caused by the physiotherapy, tried to do better from his side too. There was a tangible goal. And we were intent on attaining it.
I felt emotionally wrecked from the crises over the last few months, but my son had endured so much more emotionally and even more physically. It’s amazing how, though, when you face tough situations, your true character comes to show.
Impatient me, wanting-to-be-in-control me, was being given a master class on how to practice patience and maintain trust in a plan that was far greater than ours. And the master who was teaching me the class, was Yaseen.
For gold to be pulled from a rock, the rock needs to go through extremely harsh conditions. Like that, in the midst of all the hardship, Yaseen’s character shone. He chose to resemble the gold.
Allah SWT had selected him to bear the banner of a warrior – he would bear heavy burdens and face difficult tests. And Allah SWT had blessed him with good character before the test, then bettered his character during the test, so that he would face his challenges head on. Without complaining – not against his illness, nor against his Lord’s decree.
Words like ‘life-threatening’, ‘risky’ or ‘another procedure’ could not break, or even dent, his beautiful character. His smile, even in the worst of moments, was still infectious. He was still showing us those casual thumb-ups, so that as parents, we wouldn’t become too stressed witnessing all that he was going through. He was still calm, not raising his voice, not throwing tantrums, no matter what news the doctors brought that day. Or what procedure, test, scan or surgery was booked for that day.
As a mom, I could not be grateful enough to Allah SWT for what was about to happen next.
Like most days, I stood outside Yaseen’s room window visiting him, but the scene inside the room seemed a little different that day. Yaseen was looking at me with this happy expression on his face, the kind of expression that had me wondering: ‘What’s up?’
And then, Yaseen made the very best of intentions. He said it, words that I hadn’t expected to hear, least of all at that moment with him sitting on a hospital bed and me standing at a hospital window.
I had applied to do my holy pilgrimage of Hajj and was still waiting to be accredited. On that day, Yaseen told me that he wanted to accompany me on my Hajj, and he made his intention to perform his own Hajj.
How amazed, surprised and happy was I! But what’s even more amazing about that moment, is that Yaseen still chose to plant seeds of goodness regardless of where he was, what the future held for him, or if there even was a future for him.
The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) advised us to do whatever good we can, before calamity overtakes us.
Plant that seed in your hand, even if the Final Hour is approaching. Give charity, Fix broken family ties. Take care of an orphan. Speak kind words.
And if you’re struggling to put forward some good, then at the very least, protect people from your evil…this is a charity from you, to you.
My teacher used to emphasize this message of following the sunnah, repeating it to us students every now and again, as if he wanted to ingrain it into our hearts and minds, and even into our souls…
‘Put your feet into the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). If you walk in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), you will end up where he is.’