A Wake-Up Call!

[ummtaalib]

A Wake-Up Call!

 

By Umme Ammarah

Life is a journey with important lessons that are learned along the way. It’s full of surprises encompassing moments of happiness and sadness. During this journey we need to be mindful of our ultimate destination.

Often in pursuit of our material objectives, we are so absorbed and obsessed that we become oblivious about those important people that are near and dear to us and forget about our greater and real purpose in life.  

There was a very successful executive, Mike, traveling down a busy neighbourhood street. He was speeding in his sleek, black, two month old BMW Coupe. A brick sailed out and - Baaangg! - it smashed Into the BMW's shiny black side door! SCREECH..!!!! Brakes slammed! Gears ground into reverse, and tires madly spun the car back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. Mike jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?!" Building up a head of steam, he went on. "That's my new BMW, that brick you threw is going to cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?"

"Please, mister, please. . . I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do", pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother, mister," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's really hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk towards their home.

It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, BMW -a long and slow walk. Mike never fixed the side door of his car. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. It was indeed a real wake-up call!

A brick thrown at us is not always a tragedy and could be blessing in disguise as it brings a deep realisation within us that we need to do some serious introspection and to become more conscious about our greater purpose and objectives in life. Allah says:

'...and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.' (Qur’an:Surah Baqarah: 216)

In life there is always another dimension to a tragedy and in all situations one can find goodness and reward from Allah Ta’ala provided one endures patiently.  Sure it is not easy to undergo a difficulty and remain unhurt, but know in your mind and believe in your heart that it is indeed better for you.

We need to be positive as traverse this journey of life and each difficulty or problem that we encounter can be medication for our soul and a preparation for the onward journey. Allah Ta’ala says:

“Verily, with hardship there is relief” (Qur'an 94:6).

We have absolutely no control over what happens to us in life but what we have vital control over is how we respond to those events. How we respond to them defines our character and the quality of our life. We can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of the loss, or we can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift we have – life itself!

A crisis creates the opportunity to dip deep into the reservoirs of our very being, to rise to levels of confidence, strength, and resolve that otherwise we didn't think we possessed. No matter what challenges or obstacles we experience, we make a CHOICE to become better or bitter because of it.

So the next time a brick is flung at us…remember it may just be that Wake-Up Call!

May Allah Ta’ala grant us strength in adversity…Ameen.

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