MARIA♥️❤️❤️...

Salam to all,

Fall 2006...it was a very cold and windy Ramadhan night...we were in a tent outside the Islamic Center of New Mexico (ICNM), Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA (coz ICNM was still under renovation)...wanting to pray maghrib, isya and terawikh together. I can still remember how we (sisters) stood so close to each other during the solat maghrib...to get the warmth from each other😀. The brothers were in a separate tent.

After the maghrib prayer I noticed Maria, a black woman (whom I had met before in the ICNM during numerous occasions) sitting on a chair at the back of the tent. I decided to have a chat with her...to tell her about my problems (as usual...my homesick feeling and the writing of my thesis😅...what else ??? 😂). 

I sat infront of her on the floor...putting my hand on her lap and said : "I have problems to share with you". She said :  "I know what...let each of us tell our problems...who gonna start first?". I replied : "You"🙂.

So she started to tell me about her son and his wife who were very active in spreading Islam to the black community in Albuquerque. They were murdered a few years back. The way they died was very tragic...the murderers got into their apartment and stabbed her son and his wife repeatitively...infront of their kids (two toddlers and one baby) !!! But alhamdulillah the murderers let their kids unharmed. Now the kids were under her care. On top of that...she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and just undergone her first chemoteraphy treatment. And on top of all of that...her husband left her !!!

I went like : "MashaAllah...banyaknya ujian😲..." ...compared to her... my problem is not a problem at all. Tears started to streaming from my eyes as I looked up at her. How can she cope with all of that...😪 ?

Maria said : "Sister, dont cry...now tell me what is your problem? "

I replied : I have no problem at all, sister...🙂

After Terawikh prayer Maria and her granchildren sent me back to my apartment and on the way she kept on reminding me to consistently have "husnu zon" (baik sangka/positive thinking) towards Allah and remember that Allah is always with you...🧡

Jazakillahu khairan kathira Sister Maria for your advice and I will keep it in my heart forever and ever inshaAllah❤️😘...

May Allah shower you, my dearest sister and family with His rahmah in this world and hereafter...ameen ya rabbal 'alamin🤲💚

*** Utk Covid yg sedang melanda negara kita Malaysia yg dicintai ini...berbaik sangka lah dgn ketentuan Allah...pasti ada hikmah disebaliknya dan ingatlah Allah sentiasa bersama2 kita dan menjaga kita selagi kita tetap bersabar dan tidak melakukan perkara yg mengundang kemurkaan Nya dan melakukan perkara yg disukai Nya...wallahualam🧡

*** 'Umar al Khattab (radiallahuan) berpesan :

"Bagaimana juapun kesukaran yg dihadapi oleh org yg beriman namun Allah akan melepaskannya jua dpd kesukaran itu."💚

*** As a child Sister Maria was considered as a "gifted child". She received her phd in her early twenties.💙

Yuzita