young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps.
She paid thedriver and, using her hands to feel the locationof the
seats, walked down the aisle and foundthe seat he had told her was
empty. Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested
her cane against her leg.
It had been a year since Safiya, thirty-four, became blind. Due to a
medical misdiagnosis shehad been rendered sightless, and she was
suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and
self-pity.Once a fiercely independent woman, Safiya now felt condemned
by this terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless burden
on everyone around her.
"How could this have happened to me?" she would plead, her heart
knotted with anger. But no matter how much she cried or ranted, she
knewthe painful truth her sight was never going to return. A cloud of
depression hung over Safiya's once optimistic spirit. Just getting
through each day was anexercise in frustration and exhaustion. And all
she had to cling to was her husband Meraj.
Meraj was an Air Force officer and he loved Safiya with all of his
heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched hersink into despair
and wasdetermined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence
she needed to become independent again. Meraj's military background
had trained him well to deal with sensitive situations, and yet he
knew this was the most difficult battle he would ever face.
Finally, Safiya felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get
there? She used to take the bus, but was now toofrightened to get
around the city by herself. Meraj volunteered to drive her to work
each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city.
At first, this comforted Safiya and fulfilled Meraj's need to protect
his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest
task. Soon, however, Meraj realized that this arrangement was not
working - it was hectic, and costly. Safiya is goingto have to start
taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. But just the thought of
mentioning it to her made him cringe. She was still so fragile, so
angry. How would she react?
Just as Meraj predicted, Safiya was horrified at the idea of taking
the bus again. "I am blind!" she responded bitterly."How am I supposed
to know where I am going? I feel like you are abandoning me."
Meraj's heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be
done. Meraj promised Safiya that each morning and evening he would
ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got the hang
of it. And that is exactly what happened. For two solid weeks, Meraj,
military uniform and all, accompanied Safiya to and from work each
day. Meraj taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically
her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new
environment.
Meraj helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her
and save her a seat. Meraj made her laugh, even on those not-so-good
days when she would trip exiting the bus or drop her briefcase. Each
morning they made the journey together and Meraj would take a cab back
to his office. Although this routine was even more costly and
exhausting than the previous one, Meraj knew it was only a matter of
time before Safiya would be able to ride the bus on her own. Meraj
believed in her, in the Safiya he used to know before she would lost
her sight, who was not afraid of any challenge and who would never,
ever quit.
Finally, Safiya decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own.
Monday morning arrived,and before she left, she threw her arms around
Meraj, her temporary busriding companion, her husband, and her best
friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his
patience, his love. Safiya said good-bye, and for the first time, they
went their separate ways.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went
perfectly and Safiyahad never felt better. Safiya was doing it! She
was going to work all by herself!
On Friday morning, Safiyatook the bus to work as usual. As she was
paying for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said,"Sister, I sure
envy you."
Safiya was not sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After
all, who on earth would ever envya blind woman who had struggled just
to find the courage to live for the past year? Curious, she asked the
driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?"
The driver responded, "It must feel so good to be taken care of and
protected like you are."
Safiya had no idea what the driver was talking about, and asked
again,"What do you mean?"
The driver answered,"You know, every morning for the past week, a fine
looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the
corner watching you when you get off the bus.He makes sure you cross
the street safely and he watches you until you enter your office
building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and
walks away. You are one lucky woman."
Tears of happiness poured down Safiya's cheeks. For although she could
not physically see him, she had always felt Meraj's presence. Safiya
was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than
sight, a gift she did not need to see to believe - Gift of Lovethat
can bring light where there had been darkness ...
Surely Noble Qur'an says:"The Believers, men and women, are protectors
one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil:
they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah
and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His mercy: for Allah is
Exalted in power, Wise." Tawba (9:71) Love (Hubb) in Islam
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