"I'm with you"

She was the youngest patient I’ve ever had during this past two months. 13 years old just- became- one mother. 13 years old. She came to ER with her cervix already dilated 5cm. Despite being a primigravida, Alhamdulillah, her labour went indeed smooth. I mean, really smooth. Not a precipitate delivery though and both mother and baby are A- okay.

I took some time to have a "talk" with her the next day so as to discover that she’d just got married about two months ago- to the 18 years old guy who got her pregnant. There's a lot to "talk" about- as her doctor, as a sister, and just like her- entitled along as the caliph and abid of Allah.

She’s one of the many patients we had who “made babies” before marriage and honestly up to this date, excluding the abortion cases, all praises to Allah, all of them had an indeed easy and successful delivery. Coincidence, it is.

Numbers of truly precious, descent ladies I know flashing in my mind. They’ve been living their life in this deen properly, taking care of their aurah to the most, securing their dignity in the border of iman and taqwa, bringing themselves up to love- knot in ways Allah loves, and at one point they are those who have experienced repetitive abortion, or have been waiting to get pregnant for many years, or hardly ever able to deliver their baby normally of which they required a caeserian section even for 3 times.

They live their life with mountain of patience in trying to be as obedient as possible to Allah and in facing the hardships which specifically test the womanly part of them.

*Tears*

*****

It was my long awaited none- shift- night and when Nisa asked me if I would love to sleep over at her place that night- I couldn’t agree more. Most of my life is currently spent in the hospital and a one- night escaped is a great jackpot.

She’s the nurse I’m most close to. The only nurse in Melati (one of the ward for O&G patients in the hospital I'm currently having my clinical rotation in) who will help to recheck the prescriptions I made for the patients during our follow- up routine. She lost her freshly- born, 7- day- old baby several months ago due to sepsis. Well, still, there goes my Nisa; cheerful and bubbly.

Nisa and her husband are the founder of “Al Fatah”, a pesantren to print out the next Hafiz and Hafizah of the Ummah, biidznillah, located very near to their house; in the midst of a very splendid village. A true village- if you know what I mean.

They (suddenly) requested for a session for me to spend with the kids; aged 3 to 18 years old so I chose a story of the caliphs in Islam to them. I hardly able to convey the story properly as there were little kids playing around, making noises over and over again. They are only 4 to 5 of them but their mischievousness outnumbered the rest. The environment was pretty haywire as I just didn’t know how to make the little mujaheed sit quietly and focus. I had my 32 hours shift at the hospital back there and so as I thought- at first-  of having a rejuvenating time that night; now they made it all seemed dimming. There's a split of desire to babap montot, honestly.

Patience. It’s something clearly easy to be said than to be done, eh?

I finally had an idea of making them reciting Al Alaq together and with the help of Allah, I recited its translation to them. There, it was like hundreds bodies become one. The fast blown grasses suddenly vibrated at one place. Their recitation breaks the atmosphere, simultaneously synchronized.

These little caliphs are the students of Nisa and her husband.

My heart shivered. Sobbed.

That night, one student of Nisa came to see me after we’ve done our bed- time story.

“Aku pengen ngasi Ummi Fiqa kado”

Me, smiled. Excited. “Ida mau ngasi kado apa?”

Blushed. “Al Fajr.”

“Kenapa Al Fajr?”

“Kerna Ummi Fiqa kayak mentari pagi. Bersinar. Nyaman."

5 years old Ida recited Al Fajr with never ending beautiful smile plumping her cheeks over while I carefully went through the pages of Quran to check it over (Oh..Yup. The fact is, I haven't memorize this surah yet..) Several errors on her tajweed, and without pointing out what the surah is actually about- it was was recited fully. Nothing missed.

I bursted into tears at once. I’m touched with the precious gift, but beyond that- I was extremely amazed upon the fruit produced by the tree Nisa and her husband had been planting all this while. I recalled the going- around- here- and- there little caliphs, with noises, shouts, and even cries I bear within the very brief period of time during the evening. So patient a Murabbi should be in having those kind of Mutarabbi..

This is the reward of an almost 2 years great patience of Nisa and her husband. The “salary” of their no- payment job of teaching. Yes. They are doing this job for free. Teaching the kids and the old folks as well.

Allah called your 7 days baby to be by His side earlier. Just so you know Nisa, you’ve actually saved a seat in Jannah earlier. And with the mountain of patience you have along with all the efforts you’ve been doing for this Ummah, for this deen, for Allah- I can’t imagine how special your seat is there. Subhanallah..

*****

It was an empty desert. No one, nothing, but a sharp striking sunlight baking over the dusty sand. Hot. An old man- old who had just became a father after many years of patience in getting a child walked with heavy steps without a word, and next to him was his wife, carrying their red, newborn baby.

They stopped a while for the lady to breastfeed the little one and there, her pious husband made a move ahead to the north without waiting for her to settle off feeding the baby. Without telling her anything. Without inviting her to come over. The lady discovered that she was left. They were being left. She chased her husband, holding her very little baby in her arms safely.

“Why are you leaving us O Ibrahim?”

Ibrahim stopped, breathed deeply. But no answer.

“Why are you leaving us O Ibrahim?”

Ibrahim kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t answer. He took a little steps away from his beloved wife, from his dear very long awaited child.

“Why are you leaving us O Ibrahim?”

Silence. A cocktail of feelings shaking in his heart. He’d been waiting for a child for so many years, been filling the previous charcoal nights with prayers, begging for the presence of a baby cry to break the muteness of his home. Now that Allah gave him Ismail through Hajar. And now too, Allah asked him to left them both. And it was at a place, logically impossible for a just- gave- birth mother and a just- born baby to live at. 

How much loneliness and apprehensions he had to bear? He is a husband, a father, but on top of those- he’s a slave to Allah. Being obedient to what was clearly ordered by Allah is a must. But still, at that very moment, he able not to answer the same, repetitive questions of his beloved darling. His heart soaked.

“Is this the order of Allah?” Hajar spluttered out a new question.

Ibrahim felt crashed. He stopped and turned, directly capturing the dazzle, honest eyes of Hajar. He held Hajar’s arms.

“Yes.” He let go off heavy breaths.

“It’s the order of Allah.”

The world paused. They hugged each other and Hajar whispered him a strong statement,

“If this is the order of Allah, He will never ever waste us off.”

*Edited from Jalan Cinta Para Pejuang, by Salim A. Fillah*

So patience is Hajar. So patience is Ibrahim and from these two traits we have the man of enormous patience- Ismail, of which his blood runs in the veins of another man of eminent patience- Muhammad s.a.w.

*****

February is a month I had my 1st- wave fellas had their grand medical convocation, entitled as a doctor officially, and going back to Malaysia for good finally. Barakallah..

At the other side, it's also a month where I had my 10 months old Al Fateh started to walk independently, Alhamdulillah..

Patience.

It's not something we all can easily gain to the fullest, but can be tried at our best.

Super people deserve super tasks and the super reward of Allah awaits- be it in this world or in the hereafter, biidznillah. Let's pray and work for the growth of better Ummah, better generation, for the rise of our deen, for Allah.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اسْتَعِينُواْ بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلاَةِ إِنَّ اللّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ

O you who have Faith! seek you help (from Allah) through patience and prayer,

verily Allah is with the patient one.