Words Munira E.
Header Credits Fatema D.
One day, Insha’Allah, when we are sitting in the comfort of our worn in sofa chairs with grey hair, wrinkled foreheads and spectacles, we’ll open our photo albums with our grandchildren by our sides and an array of decorative polaroid shots and fun filtered photographs will smile back at us. Within the blink of an eye, they’ll transport us back to the age of technological advancements and epic diversification. We’ll laugh at the way we used to stay up late for no reason and create resolutions we never stuck to.
Through this reel of our lifetime will shine the highlights, the colourful milestones, each moment a colour of the rainbow. Golden, priceless moments with our Moula TUS. Red, heartfelt moments spent with our dear ones. Autumn tones that bring nostalgic memories of the past, just as the leaves fall off the trees and new ones grow, each memory comes and goes.
Amongst the brightness of these memories we will inevitably be drawn to glance at the greyness of those trying times. We’ll think about what lessons we have learnt and the way we triumphed. We’ll tell our children and their children that, there is nothing we cannot overcome because at the heart of everything we go through and do, we are MUMIN.
Unquestionably there will be a particular point in time which will be hard to miss. This will be the year 2020. It’s true that time moves so fast that we can hardly fathom where we are and how we got there. One day we were crying as infants in our mother’s arms and the next we are aged with infants of our own. Yet, the year 2020 will stand out as the snow on a mountain peak, the year when time moved slow and unforgivingly harsh.
Your children will look at the picture of their parents playing games through black screens or watching a train go by from their window and ask,
“What’s happening there?”
What will we tell our children about that time? What can we teach them about what we have learnt?
We will sit them on our laps and as our eyes well up, we will tell them the world stood still for a moment.
The world stood still for a moment but when the ever-hungry media men attempted to distort our perception of reality, we remained unshaken for we had Allah TA’s words on our lips and in our ears, morning, afternoon and night.
The world stood still but when the lost fell prey to the panic-stricken anxiety taunting them that they are not clean enough, we remained unflinching, steadfast and confident in our performance of Due e Kaamil and our wuzu 3 times a day.
The world stood still but when the confused felt trapped, isolated and lonely, we remained at peace, knowing we were graced by the continuous guidance of our Dai-al-Mutlaq Mufaddal Moula TUS in our homes.
And your children will ask,
“What happened?”
And you will reply,
“My dear children, when a ship stops, it begins to float. It does not move forward or backwards it just floats with no direction and soon it will lead off its path. When the world stood still, many ships began to float, not knowing what to do or who to follow. The leaders of these ships said, “Stay on the ship, no matter what, you will survive this way.” Many people heeded this advice and stayed on the ships, but many people did not. They left the ship, and no sooner did they leave did they drown. Those who survived on the ship continued to float in no direction.
Soon, they noticed a very large ship go by. This ship was moving forward on a path. They looked towards this ship and saw that the men on this ship were all dressed in white and the women wore colourful clothing covering their heads to toes. All were sitting relaxed on the ship, with no sorrow or fear on their faces. Some people were praying the Quran, some people were holding a majlis, some people were listening to a sabaq and some people were teaching others new skills; however, everyone was united under one purpose. And then, the most important thing of all, which everyone on the floating ships noticed was, at the very front of the large ship stood an important figure. A bright and exhilarating light radiated from the figure as He guided the ship.
“But wasn’t anyone scared because the world was still? Didn’t anyone want to leave the large ship?” The children will interrupt.
“Well, my child, yes, at first everyone was a little worried but then they saw they needn’t be. After all, they were safe behind the ship’s captain. And think, would you ever want to leave a ship that is heading in the right direction?”
“But, how did they not stop and float?” They’ll question.
“Well, my child, because they were being guided by such a light. Because of this they lived in such harmony. Nothing can be done to those that live harmoniously. And this was such a special ship that, if any point you must leave, there should be no doubt that you have reached your intended destination.”
And your children will love this story so much they’ll ask you to tell it again and again.
“Tell us that story of the time when all the ships stopped moving except your one!”
“Ok my children, I’ll tell you once more…”
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