Mosque, the Imam and his eleven year old son would go out into their
town and hand out "Path to Paradise" and other Islamic literature.
This particular and fortunate Friday afternoon, as the time came for
the Imam and his eleven year old son to go to the streets with their
booklets, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring rain.
The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, 'OK,
dad, I am ready!' His 'Al Mualim' dad asked, 'Ready for what?'
'Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and go out.' Dad
responds, 'Son, it's very cold outside and it's also pouring rain.'
The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, 'But Dad, are not
people still going to hell, even though it's raining?' Dad answers,
'Son, I am not going out in this weather.'
Despondently, the boy asks, 'Dad, can I go? Please?' His father
hesitated for a moment then said, 'Son, you can go. Here are the
booklets. Be careful son.' 'Thanks, Dad!'
And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old
boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing
everybody he met in the street a pamphlet or a booklet.
After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone chilled
wet and down to his very last booklet. He stopped on a corner and
looked for someone to hand a booklet to, but the streets were totally
deserted.
Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the
sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell,
but nobody answered. He rang it again and again, but still no one
answered. He waited but still no answer.
Finally, this eleven year old Dawah (Inviting to the way of submission
and surrender to Allah) expert turned to leave, but something stopped
him. Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly
on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on
the front porch!
He rang again and this time the door slowly opened. Standing in the
doorway was a very sad looking elderly lady. She softly asked, 'What
can I do for you, son?'
With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy
said, "Ma'am, I am sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell
you that 'Allah really loves and cares for you' and I came to give you
my very last booklet which will tell you all about God, the real
purpose of creation, and how to achieve His pleasure."
With that, he handed her his last booklet and turned to leave. She
called to him as he departed. 'Thank you, son! And God Bless You!'
Well, the following Friday afternoon after Jummah service the Imam was
giving some lectures. As he concludes the lectures, he asked, 'Does
anybody have questions or want to say anything?'
Slowly, in the back row among the ladies, an elderly voice was heard
over the speaker. As the voice went on, a hint of glorious gaiety and
contentment was plainly evident in it even though she was not to be
seen, "No one in this gathering knows me. I have never been here
before. You see, before last Friday I was not a Muslim. My husband
passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last
Friday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so
in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no longer had
any hope or will to live.
So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic
of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof then
stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my
neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and brokenhearted I was about
to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs
startled me. I thought, I will wait a minute and whoever it is will go
away.
I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and
more insistent and then the person ringing also started knocking
loudly. I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be? Nobody
ever rings my bell or comes to see me.' I loosened the rope from my
neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang
louder and louder.
When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for
there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I
had ever seen in my life. His smile, oh, I could never describe it to
you! The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long
been dead to leap to life as he exclaimed with a cherub like voice,
'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that Allah really loves and cares for
you!' Then he gave me this booklet, 'Path to Paradise' that I now hold
in my hand.
As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I
closed my door and read slowly every word of this book. Then I went up
to my attic to get my rope and chair. I would not be needing them any
more.
You see, I am now a happy vicegerent of the One True God. Since the
address of your congregation was stamped on the back of this booklet,
I have come here to personally say Thank You to God's little angel who
came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an
eternity in hell.
There was not a dry eye in the mosque. And as shouts of Takbir! Allahu
Akbar (God is the greatest)! rented the air, even among the ladies.
The Imam (dad) descended from the pulpit to the front row where the
little angel was seated. He took his son in his arms and sobbed
uncontrollably.
Probably no Jamaat (Assembly) has had a more glorious moment and
probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with
love and honor for his son, except for one, this very one.
You are the best community evolved for mankind; you enjoin the right
conduct and forbid indecency and you believe in Allah. Noble Qur'an
(3:110)
Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching and
argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious. Noble Qur'an
(16:125)
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