Every Friday afternoon, after the Jummah prayers, the Imam and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out “PATH TO PARADISE” and other Islamic literature.
One Friday afternoon, as the time came for the Imam and his son to go to the streets with their booklets, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring rain. The small boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, "Okay, dad, I’m ready!"
His dad asked, "Ready for what, son?"
The son answered, "Dad, it’s time we go out and distribute these Islamic books like every other time!"
Dad responds smiling, "Son, it’s very cold outside and it’s pouring rain and it's thundering. We'll go later."
Dad responds smiling, "Son, it’s very cold outside and it’s pouring rain and it's thundering. We'll go later."
The boy gives his dad a innocent surprised look, asking, "But Dad, aren’t people still going to hell, even though it’s raining?"
Dad answers softly, "Son, I am not going out in this weather. It's raining hard."
Despondently, the boy asks, "Dad, can I go Please?"
Reflecting on his son's stubborn attitude, father hesitates for a moment and later add, "Son, you can go. Here are the booklets. But be very careful."
"Thanks, Dad!" And with that, the little boy 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 of Islamic literature. 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, he 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.
There was something about that building that did not allow him to leave. He stood on the porch adamantly. He rang the bell again. When he received no reply, he started to leave dejectedly.
However the door opened slowly as he was leaving. The noise made by the hinges of the door provoked him to turn back and face the building again. 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’m 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!"
Next week, on Friday afternoon after Jummah prayers, the Imam was giving some lectures. As he was concluding his sermon, he asked, ’Does anybody have questions or want to say anything?’
Slowly, in the back row among the ladies, an elderly lady’s voice was heard over the speaker.
"No one in this gathering knows me. I’ve never been here before. You see, before the last Friday I was not a Muslim, and never even in a million years I thought I would be one. My husband died few years ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. I was devastated, broken, sad. Last Friday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, I was contemplating suicide as I had no hope left. I did not want to live anymore. I didn't see any purpose in my life. So that day, 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 and then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken-hearted I was about to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, I’ll 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 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!’ And 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. Later I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn’t 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 a big 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." With that the old lady concluded.
The entire mosque was silent. Not even the birds chirped. There was not a dry eye in the mosque. Then the shouts of "TAKBIR! ALLAHU AKBAR!" rented the air. 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 jama’at has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has never seen a father that was more filled with love and honor for his son. Except for the One. This very one.
Heaven is for His people!
Remember, Allah’s message CAN make the difference in the life of someone close to you or maybe someone whom you do not know at all.
"This day I’ve perfected your religion for you, and completed my favor on you, and chose Islam for you as religion." (5:3)
