Guided to Faith by a Blind Boy - II

I wiped away his tears with my hands and held his hand. I wanted to
take him to the mosque by car but he refused, arguing that it was
close by and that he wanted to walk to the mosque. I felt ashamed
because Icould not even remember the last time I had entered the
mosque. However, it was the firsttime I was feeling fear and regretfor
my negligence over the past years.
The mosque was full of worshippers, but I managed to find a place for
Saalim in the first row. We listened to the Friday Khutbah (sermon)
together and he prayed beside me; actually, no,I prayed beside him.
After the end of the prayer, Saalim asked me to hand him a copy of the
Quran. I was surprised: how could he read when he was blind?
I was about to ignore his request, but I responded for fear of hurting
his feelings. I handed him the copy of the Quran.
He asked me to open it and get the beginning of Chapter Al-Kahf. I
kept on turning the pages one time and searching for the page number
in the index another time until I finally found it.
He took it from me, put it before him and started to recite the
Chapter while his eyes were closed. He had memorized the whole
Chapter!
I was ashamed of myself. I pickedup another copy of the Quran.
I felt a shiver going through my body as I read more and more of it. I
asked Allaah The Almighty to forgive and guide me and began crying
like a child. I kept reading the Quran and asked Allaah The Almighty
to forgive and guide me.
There were still some people at the mosque performing the voluntary
prayer. I was embarrassed and tried to hold back my tears, but my
crying turned into weeping and sobbing.
I did not feel a small hand touching my face and wiping away my tears.
It was Saalim. I embraced him, looked at him andsaid to myself: "You
are not the blind; rather, I was the blind one when I followed some
dissolute persons who were dragging me to Hell."
We returned home to my wife, who was very worried about Saalim. Her
worry turned into tears of joy when she came to know that I had
performed the Friday prayer with Saalim.
From that day on, I did not miss any congregational prayer in the
mosque. I deserted my bad companions and had righteous companions whom
I befriended at the mosque. I tasted the sweetness of faith with my
new friends and learnt things from them that I had been too
preoccupied by worldly pleasuresto know. I never missed a gathering of
knowledge or a Witrprayer and completed the recitation of the Quran
many times within one month, by the grace of Allaah The Almighty. I
kept my tongue often busy with remembrance of Allaah The Almighty,
hoping that He would forgive me for past habit of backbiting and
mocking people. Ifelt that I got closer to my family.The look of fear
and pity that always loomed in my wife's eyes disappeared.
Now, a smile never leaves Saalim's face. Anyone who sees him would
feel as if he owns the whole world with everything in it. I praised
Allaah The Almighty so much for His favors.
One day, my righteous friends decided to visit a remote area in order
to give Da'wah. I was hesitating about going with them. I performed
the Istikhaarah prayer and consulted my wife. I had expected that she
would refuse but her answer wasthe opposite!
She was very happy and even encouraged me. She used to see me
traveling for dissolute purposes to commit lewd acts in the past
without consulting her. Iwent to Saalim and told him that I was going
away for a few days, and he embraced me with his small arms and bid me
farewell. Ileft home for three months and ahalf. During that period, I
used tocall my family whenever I had thechance. I missed them so much!
Imissed Saalim so much!
I wished to hear his voice. He wasthe only one who I could not speak
with since I had traveled for he was either in school or the mosque
whenever I called them.
Whenever I told my wife how I missed him, she laughed from sheer joy
and happiness. The last time I called her, however, she did not sound
her normal self and I did not hear her expected laugh.
I asked her to convey my greetings to Saalim. She replied, "In shaa'
Allaah (God Willing)" and kept silent.
Finally I went back home. I knocked on the door, hoping to see Saalim
opening the door, but I was surprised when my son Khaalid, who was
less than four years old, opened the door. I carried him in my arms
while he cried out in joy, "Father! Father!"
I do not know why I felt a sense of distress when I entered the house.
I sought refuge in Allaah The Almighty from the accursed devil. My
wife came forward with an unusually strained face: it was as if she
was faking her joy and happiness.
I looked at her carefully and then asked her, "What is the matter?"
She said, "Nothing." Suddenly I remembered Saalim and said, "Where is
Saalim?"
She lowered her head and did notanswer and some tears fell on her
cheeks. I cried out, "Saalim! Where is Saalim?" Thereupon, I heard
only the voice of my son, Khaalid, saying in a childish tone, "Saalim
went to Paradise...he is with Allaah…"
My wife could not bear her sorrow in silence anymore and burst into
tears. She was about to fall unconscious on the ground, and left the
room.
Later, I came to know that Saalimhad contracted fever two weeks before
my return. My wife took him to the hospital but his fever got worse
and he died.