Sharing an incident that shook me deeply

About Mahjabeen Aunty

My mom knows the world’s best consultants and books. Whenever I am down, she takes me to just the right person and hands me exactly the book I need to read. Mahjabeen aunty is a wonderful lady who has been a mentor to me and my family for a long time now. It is very rare to know someone who is your spiritual guide and also a fun narrator. She makes us laugh like crazy and she is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met. Whenever my family or I are in distress, she is our go-to person.

Our last meeting

On my last trip to Islamabad, mama took me to Mahjabeen aunty’s place for some heart-to-heart conversations with her. I asked her a number of questions which had been in my mind about the perspective of Islam in different aspects of married life. From dealing with mother-in-law, joint families to the degree of husband obedience and similar areas of life. The meeting with her was really soothing for my heart. She really knows how to give inner peace to others like me through the guidance of Islam. May Allah give her the best of both worlds Ameen.

My last question to her

So after discussing and getting satisfactory answers for all my other questions, I asked her my last question:

“I have had a bad experience with living abroad. I couldn’t see my dad’s face for 4 years and finally met him on his death bed. Now even when I think of moving to Canada and leaving my Mama behind, my heart sinks and I feel panicky.”

Her answer

She said “I can truly understand how special this bond between a mother and daughter is. It is natural to feel down when you’re moving so far away. But think of it this way. At least your mom has 3 daughters. I only had one! At least you can see your mom on Skype. My daughter has gone so far, I can not even see her face now!’. She looked at me with her big eyes and tears rolled down her eyes.

I was awestruck. This was the first time in my life I saw her so weak. Suddenly, I remembered that Mahjabeen aunty had an only daughter whom she had lost some years ago. Her pregnant daughter was found dead in her room in Mahjabeen aunty’s own house. She has always been so strong and brave that when I asked her this question, her story completely slipped my mind.

My reaction

So… well! It was a moment in my life when I got goosebumps. I felt guilty and embarrassed. I hugged her tightly and cried with her. I have been thinking of her reply for a while now. It really taught me a lesson in life. I surely gained a perspective in life from this incident. It also taught me a lesson that sometimes we become so selfish and so concerned only about issues in our own lives that we forget the suffering of those around us!

Does this remind you of any incident from your life? Some thing that happened which made you think differently and gain perspective in life? I would love to know.