Count your blessings

Naz Haider
All rights reserved@Allah's presence

“Will you please listen to me once? At least give me a chance to make you understand. Please,” I sobbed into the phone but Ajay would not listen.

He hanged up the phone and I listened to the dead end. I knew I was crying profusely, my blue dupatta stained with tears. I know everyone in that local train was watching me, wondering what was the cause of this emotional outburst in public. Their gazes were full of questions, amusement…pity! What had I come to, strangers were pitying me! But I was far from bothering about the image I was presenting right now. The grief in my heart was too much to hold back. My tears flowed freely and my heart ached more and more.

I tried calling Ajay once more, in vain. But I kept trying and with the fifth try, he did answer the call, only to bark at me that I was disturbing him and he had nothing to do with me. “I don’t care even if you die” were his exact words. And with this came a fresh avalanche of tears and I resolved to end my life. Removing my spectacles, I wiped my tears, which made no difference as they kept flowing continuously. I saw the girl sitting next to me watching me, and her eyes reflected concern. She shook her head silently and gave me a slight smile. I tried to compose myself and wiped the tears, again. She started scribbling something on the last page of the novel she was reading. She tore the page and passed it to me.
Through the tears I tried to read and this is what the note said:
"Verily, with hardship there is relief" (Quran, Surah al-Sharh, verse 94)

I looked at the girl, confused, and saw tears in her eyes too. She reached out, held my hand and said, “I know how it feels to be left hopeless, but trust me, there is relief always. Though at the time of grief, it might look like there can be no silver lining to this cloud, but it can’t happen. For every time passes, every situation changes and there’s always happiness after a phase of gloom. Trust me.”
She said these with such sincerity that I wanted to believe her. But who was she, what did she know about what I was going through? I thanked her but could not stop the tears from flowing afresh.

At this she said, teary-eyed and sobbing, “You remind me of myself a few years back. I was upset, angry and hopeless. I was on a train like you, all ready to jump off and finish my life. And with it, all the pain and grief. And I was all set to jump when, out of blue, an old friend of mine called my name. I turned and she sensed that something was wrong. She made me sit down and coaxed me to tell what was bothering me. She said that it would lighten the burden on my heart and maybe even help me see the problem in a new light. I told her, through my sobs and sniffles, I told her everything. And this is what she told me "Verily, with hardship there is relief" (Surah al-Sharh,verse 94). She made me see sense that what I was doing was running away from the problem. If I never faced hardship, how would I ever know what happiness is, what comfort is, what good times await me. She told me the invaluable mantra of life that 'This too shall pass', nothing in life is permanent. Well, not even life is permanent, so we might as well smile and take everything in our stride. And guess what, I did see my problems in a new light. I tried to focus on finding the solution rather than crying over the problems. And here I am today, not particularly happy all the time, but at peace. For I know, everything passes, happiness as well as grief.”

I stared at the girl. Why was she doing this, I did not even know her. The train had reached the last station and was already doing its return journey. This girl had stayed with me, holding my hand and trying to put some sense in my head. I stared at that girl, tears flowing profusely from my eyes. She looked back in my eyes and our gazes communicated things neither of us could say. At that moment I felt a bond with that girl. We had much in common. She had been weak at one point in her life, like I am today. She had overcome it, and I would do the same.

I began to say thank you, but she squeezed my hand and said, “Don’t thank me. Thank Allah that he placed me here, in this train today because you needed me. Just promise me one thing sister, promise to be strong – come what may, because Allah gives troubles to make us strong, so promise me, you will be strong.” I nodded and gave her a weak smile.

The train was coming to a halt and she got up to leave. As she reached the door, she looked back and said, “Assalamu Alaikum, may peace be with you.”
Hastily I scribbled my phone number on the piece of paper she had given me, abruptly got up and passed the chit to that girl and said, as the train started moving, “Please do call me.”
Today, three years later, we are friends, best friends. I feel blessed to have found her that day, I am alive because of her…and yes stronger too!

On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear.
~ (Quran, Surah AlBaqrah 2:286)

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