Malawi Muslims Official Website
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Home
  • Religion
  • Business
  • Health
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • World
Contact Us
  • Home
  • Religion
  • Business
  • Health
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • World
No Result
View All Result
Malawi Muslims Official Website
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Religion
  • Business
  • Health
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • World
Home Education

Lessons from the True Story of a Man and his Blind Son

abdulaziz_kaisi by abdulaziz_kaisi
13 years ago
in Education, Featured
Reading Time: 9 mins read
A A
1
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Whatsapp

RELATED POSTS

Broken Trust: How Lack Of Transparency Derailed The Mufti-Abbas University Dream

From 13 Points to Nation-Builder: Habibu’s Journey of Purpose

From Chayamba to UNIMA: Hawa Yusuf’s Journey of Resilience and Purpose

“I was not more than thirty years old when my wife gave birth to my first child. I still remember that night. I had stayed out all night long with my friends, as was my habit. It was a night filled with useless talk, and worse, with backbiting, gossiping, and making fun of people. I was mostly the one who made people laugh; I would mock others and my friends would laugh and laugh. I remember on that night that I’d made them laugh a lot. I had an amazing ability to imitate others – I could change the sound of my voice until I sounded exactly like the person I was mocking. No one was safe from my biting mockery, even my friends; some people started avoiding me just to be safe from my tongue. I remember on that night, I had made fun of a blind man who I’d seen begging in the market. What was worse, I had put my foot out in front of   him – he tripped and fell  and while he was falling he was mumbling things that I did not understand and did not really  care to understand and I laughed loudly and I heard my laughter echoing in the market.

I went back to my house, late as usual, and I found my wife waiting for me. She was in a terrible state, and said in a quivering voice, “Rashed… where were you?”

“Where would I be, on Mars?” I said sarcastically, “With my friends of course.” She was visibly exhausted, and holding back tears, she said, “Rashed, I’m so tired. It seems the baby is going to come soon.” A silent tear fell on her cheek.

I felt that I had neglected my wife. I should have taken care of her and not stayed out so much all those nights… especially since she was in her ninth month. I quickly took her to the hospital; she went into the delivery room, and suffered through long hours of pain.

I waited patiently for her to give birth… but her delivery was difficult, and I waited a long time until I got tired. So I went home and left my phone number with the hospital so they could call with the good news. An hour later, they called me to congratulate me on the birth of Salem. I went to the hospital immediately. As soon as they saw me, they asked me to go see the doctor who had overlooked my wife’s delivery. “What doctor?” I cried out, “I just want to see my son Salem!”. “First go see the doctor,” they said.

I went to the doctor, and she started talking to me about trials, and about being satisfied with Allah’s decree. Then she said, “Your son has a serious deformity in his eyes, and it seems that he has no vision.” I lowered my head while I fought back tears… I remembered that blind man begging in the market that I’d tripped and made others laugh at.

Subhan Allah, you get what you give! I stayed brooding quietly for a while… I didn’t know what to say. Then I remembered by wife and son. I thanked the doctor for her kindness, and went to go see my wife. My wife wasn’t sad. She believed in the decree of Allah… she was content… How often had she advised me to stop mocking people! “Don’t backbite people,” she always used to repeat… We left the hospital, and Salem came with us.

In reality, I didn’t pay much attention to him. I pretended that he wasn’t in the house with us. When he started crying loudly, I’d escape to the living room to sleep there. My wife took good care of him, and loved him a lot. As for myself, I didn’t hate him, but I couldn’t love him either.

Salem grew. He started to crawl, and had a strange way of crawling. When he was almost one year old, he started trying to walk, and we discovered that he was crippled. I felt like he was an even greater burden on me. After him, my wife gave birth to Umar and Khaled. The years passed, and Salem grew, and his brothers grew. I never liked to sit at home, I was always out with my friends… in reality, I was like a plaything at their disposal [entertaining them whenever they wanted].

My wife never gave up on my reform. She always made du’aa for my guidance. She never got angry with my reckless behavior, but she would get really sad if she saw me neglecting Salem and paying attention to the rest of his brothers. Salem grew, and my worries grew with him. I didn’t mind when my wife asked to enroll him in a special school for the handicapped.

I didn’t really feel the passing of the years. My days were all the same. Work and sleep and food and staying out with friends. One Friday, I woke up at 11 am. This was early for me. I was invited to a gathering, so I got dressed and perfumed, and was about to go out. I passed by our living room, and was startled by the sight of Salem – he was sobbing! This was the first time I had noticed Salem crying since he was a baby. Ten years had passed, and I hadn’t paid attention to him. I tried to ignore him now, but I couldn’t take it… I heard him calling out to his mother while I was in the room. I turned towards him, and went closer. “Salem! Why are you crying?” I asked.

When he heard my voice, he stopped crying. Then when he realized how close I was, he started feeling around him with his small hands. What was wrong with him? I discovered that he was trying to move away from me! It was as if he was saying, “Now, you’ve decided to notice me? Where have you been for the last ten years?” I followed him… he had gone into his room. At first, he refused to tell me why he’d been crying. I tried to be gentle with him… Salem started to tell me why he’d been crying, while I listened and trembled.

Do you know what the reason was?! His brother Umar, the one who used to take him to the masjid, was late. And because it was Jumu’ah prayer, Salem was afraid he wouldn’t find a place in the first row. He called out to Umar… and he called out to his mother… but nobody answered, so he cried. I sat there looking at the tears flowing from his blind eyes. I couldn’t bear the rest of his words. I put my hand over his mouth and said, “Is this why you were crying, Salem!”

“Yes,” he said.
I forgot about my friends, I forgot about the gathering, and I said, “Don’t be sad, Salem. Do you know who’s going to take you to the masjid today?”
“Umar, of course,” he said, “… but he’s always late.” “No,” I said, “I’m going to take you.”

Salem was shocked… he couldn’t believe it. He thought I was mocking him. His tears came and he started crying. I wiped his tears with my hand and then took hold of his hand. I wanted to take him to the masjid by car. He refused and said, “The masjid is near… I want to walk there.” Yes, by Allah, he said this to me.

I couldn’t remember when the last time I had entered the masjid was, but it was the first time I felt fear and regret for what I’d neglected in the long years that had passed. The masjid was filled with worshippers, but I still found a place for Salem in the first row. We listened to the Jumu’ah khutbah together, and he prayed next to me. But really, I was the one praying next to him.

After the prayer, Salem asked me for a mushaf (Quran copy). I was surprised! How was he going to read when he was
blind? I almost ignored his request, but I decided to humor him out of fear of hurting his feelings. I passed him a mushaf. He asked me to open the mushaf to Surat al-Kahf. I started flipping through the pages and looking through the index until I found it. He took the mushaf from me, put it in front of him, and started reading the Surah… with his eyes closed… ya Allah! He had the whole Surah memorized.

ADVERTISEMENT

I was ashamed of myself. I picked up a mushaf… I felt my limbs tremble… I read and I read. I asked Allah to forgive me and to guide me. I couldn’t take it… I started crying like a child. There were still some people in the masjid praying sunnah (optional prayers)… I was embarrassed by their presence, so I tried to hold my tears. My crying turned into whimpering and long, sobbing breaths. The only thing I felt was a small hand reaching out to my face, and then wiping the tears away. It was Salem! I pulled him to my chest… I looked at him. I said to myself… you’re not the blind one, but I am, for having drifted after immoral people who were pulling me to hellfire. We went back home. My wife was extremely worried about Salem, but her worry turned into tears [of joy] when she found out I had prayed Jumu’ah with Salem.

From that day on, I never missed the congregational prayer in the masjid. I left my bad friends… and I made righteous friends among people I met at the masjid. I tasted the sweetness of iman with them. I learned things from them that distracted me from this world. I never missed out on gatherings of remembrance [halaqas], or on the witr prayer. I recited the entire Qur’an, several times, in one month. I moistened my tongue with the remembrance of Allah, that He might forgive my backbiting and mocking of the people. I felt closer to my family. The looks of fear and pity that had occupied my wife’s eyes disappeared. A smile now never parted from the face of my son Salem. Anyone who saw him would have felt that he owned the world and everything in it. I praised and thanked Allah a lot for His blessings.

One day, my righteous friends decided to go to a far away location for da’wah. I hesitated about going. I prayed istikharah, and consulted with my wife. I thought she would refuse… but the opposite happened! She was extremely happy, and even encouraged me… because in the past, she had seen me travelling without consulting her, for the purpose of sin and evil. I went to Salem, and told him I would be travelling. With tears, he wrapped me up in his small arms…

I was away from home for three and a half months. In that period, whenever I got a chance, I called my wife and talked to my children. I missed them so much… and oh, how I missed Salem! I wanted to hear his voice… he was the only one who hadn’t talked to me since I’d travelled. He was either at school or at the masjid whenever I called them.

Whenever I would tell my wife how much I missed him, she would laugh happily, joyfully, except for the last time I called her. I didn’t hear her expected laugh. Her voice changed. I said to her, “Give my salam to Salem,” and she said, “Insha’Allah,” and was quiet.

At last, I went back home. I knocked on the door. I hoped that it was Salem who would open up for me, but was surprised to find my son Khaled, who was not more than four years old. I picked him up in my arms while he squealed, “Baba! Baba!” I don’t know why my heart tensed when I entered the house.

I sought refuge in Allah from the accursed shaytan… I approached my wife… her face was different. As if she was pretending to be happy. I inspected her closely then said, “What’s wrong with you?” “Nothing,” she said. Suddenly, I remembered Salem. “Where’s Salem?” I asked. She lowered her head. She didn’t answer. Hot tears fell on her cheeks.

“Salem! Where’s Salem?” I cried out.

At that moment, I only heard the sound of my son Khaled talking in his own way, saying, “Baba… Thalem went to paradise… with Allah…”

My wife couldn’t take it. She broke down crying. She almost fell to the floor, and left the room. Later, I found out that Salem had contracted a fever two weeks before I’d returned, so my wife took him to the hospital… the fever got more and more severe, and didn’t leave him… until his soul left his body…”

May Allah grant  us understanding and ability to turn to Him completely. May He also put us among the righteous people.

 

Some of the lessons we can learn from this true story are that;

Allah can guide a person through other people who might be considered worthless by others.

Death can be a gift from Allah hence if we happen to lose one of our beloved ones then perhaps we should hasten to beg Allah that He forgives and grants them paradise through His mercy rather than wailing and cursing.  As we have seen here, it is as if Salem was created solely to guide his father.

Never laugh at or degrade those who are disabled because their disabilities could be among the factors that cause others realize the greatness of Allah and hence they return to the right path.

Those who really see or listen are those who obey the commands of Allah even though they may be blind or deaf.

We must not hate something that Allah has provided us with because most of the times it’s hard to grasp the wisdom behind every action that Allah does. Allah is all wise all knower

There are too many lessons in this story to be mentioned in one article.

I hope we learn one or two lessons from this.

“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. Allâh knows but you do not know.”  (Quran chapter 2 verse 216)

Tags: blindRashedSonsunnah
ShareTweetSend

Related Posts

Broken Trust: How Lack Of Transparency Derailed The Mufti-Abbas University Dream
Analysis

Broken Trust: How Lack Of Transparency Derailed The Mufti-Abbas University Dream

by Marshall Dyton
May 4, 2025
0
0

A peach-colored fence stands like a monument to broken promises in Mangochi. Green metal bars stretch between concrete pillars, framing...

Read more

From 13 Points to Nation-Builder: Habibu’s Journey of Purpose

From Chayamba to UNIMA: Hawa Yusuf’s Journey of Resilience and Purpose

Sacred Care: Muslim Nurse’s Mission of Mercy

The Great Muslim Defection: How Malawian Muslims Are Abandoning UDF Loyalty

Faith Under Siege: How Muslims Unknowingly Converted to Western Values

Please login to join discussion
  • edit post
    Sheikh Yahya

    Ya Sheikh, Can You Hear Us Weeping? A Community’s Heartfelt Farewell to Sheikh Hubdein Yahya

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Police warn Malawians against sending money to unknown Facebook friends

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Pastor Builds Grass-thatched Mosque

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • LMJ Medicals for State-of-the-art Hospital

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Lack of Mosque Worries Former Pastor

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
edit post
Sheikh Yahya

Ya Sheikh, Can You Hear Us Weeping? A Community’s Heartfelt Farewell to Sheikh Hubdein Yahya

April 4, 2025
edit post
Police warn Malawians against sending money to unknown Facebook friends

Police warn Malawians against sending money to unknown Facebook friends

December 24, 2019
edit post
Pastor Builds Grass-thatched Mosque

Pastor Builds Grass-thatched Mosque

January 15, 2024
edit post

LMJ Medicals for State-of-the-art Hospital

December 6, 2015
edit post

Malawian Muslims Chased at Asian Muslims Milad–un-Nabee Feast

78
edit post

Supreme Council of Ulama Says Eid Adha Tuesday

28
edit post

Fatima Rajab the Guardian Angel, Abandoned for Refusing to Denounce Islam

24
edit post

MACRA BANS RADIO ISLAM PROGRAM

20
edit post

IERA Malawi Drills UNIMA Students in Daawah

May 5, 2025
edit post
Broken Trust: How Lack Of Transparency Derailed The Mufti-Abbas University Dream

Broken Trust: How Lack Of Transparency Derailed The Mufti-Abbas University Dream

May 4, 2025
edit post
From 13 Points to Nation-Builder: Habibu’s Journey of Purpose

From 13 Points to Nation-Builder: Habibu’s Journey of Purpose

May 2, 2025
edit post
From Chayamba to UNIMA: Hawa Yusuf’s Journey of Resilience and Purpose

From Chayamba to UNIMA: Hawa Yusuf’s Journey of Resilience and Purpose

May 2, 2025

Connect

Recent News

edit post

IERA Malawi Drills UNIMA Students in Daawah

May 5, 2025
edit post
Broken Trust: How Lack Of Transparency Derailed The Mufti-Abbas University Dream

Broken Trust: How Lack Of Transparency Derailed The Mufti-Abbas University Dream

May 4, 2025
edit post
From 13 Points to Nation-Builder: Habibu’s Journey of Purpose

From 13 Points to Nation-Builder: Habibu’s Journey of Purpose

May 2, 2025

Faith Podcast

edit podcast

Islamic Finance

edit podcast

Swalah 101

edit podcast

Akudziwanji Za Chisilamu

edit podcast

Ramadhan

Categories

  • Analysis
  • Business
  • Column
  • Crime and Society
  • Culture
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Featured
  • General
  • Health
  • International
  • Lifestyle
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Religion
  • Sports
  • Travel

News in Pictures

Amir Jakhura
Amir Jakhura Addressing the Journalists
Some of the beneficiaries

© 2022 Malawi Muslims Official Website -Website by Freelance Web Solutions.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Religion
  • Business
  • Health
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • World

© 2022 Malawi Muslims Official Website -Website by Freelance Web Solutions.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
-
00:00
00:00

Queue

Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00