Did you know? (Inspirational Islamic Stories)

I was the blind one!

This is a true story about a man named Rashed. He tells his story as follows...

I was not more than 30 years old when my wife gave birth to our first child. I still remember that night, I stayed out all night long with my friends, as was my habit. It was a night filled with useless talk. I remember I made them laugh a lot on that particular night.

I had an amazing ability to imitate others, as I could change the sound of my voice until I sounded exactly like the person I was mocking. No one safe from my biting mockery, even my friends; some people started avoiding me just to be safe from my tongue!

I remember on that night, I had made fun of a blind man who I had seen begging into the market. What was worse, I had put my foot out in front of him, he tripped and fell and turned his head around not knowing what to say, I went back to my house late as usual, and I found my wife waiting for me.

She was in a terrible state, and she said in a quivering voice, 'Rashed...where were you?'

'Where would I be, on Mars?' I said sarcastically, 'With my friends of course!'

She was visibly exhausted and holding back tears, she said:

'Rashed, I am so tired. It seems the baby is going to come soon.' A silent tear fell on her cheek. I felt that I had neglected my wife. I should have taken care of her and not stayed out all those nights especially since she was in her 9th month. I quickly took her to the hospital; she went into the delivery room, and suffered through long hours of pain. I waited patiently for her to give birth but her delivery was difficult, and I waited a long time until I got tired. So I went home and left my phone number with the hospital so they could call with good news.

So they called to congratulate me on the birth of Salem as soon as they saw me, they asked me to go see the doctor who had overlooked my wife's delivery.

"What doctor?" I cried out, "I just want to see my son Salem!"

"First go see the doctor," they said.

I went to the doctor and she started talking to me with sadness. I was shocked to know that my son had a serious deformity in his eyes, and it seemed that he had no vision. I remembered that blind man begging into the market who I tripped and made the others laugh at. SubhanAllah, you get what you give!

My wife wasn't sad; She believed in the decree of Allah, she was content. How often she had advised me to stop mocking others!

No, she did not call it mocking but backbiting, and she had all the right. In reality, I didn't pay much attention to Salem. I pretended that he wasn't in a home with us, when he started crying loudly, I'd leave to the living Room to sleep there. My wife took good care of him and loved him dearly, as for myself, I didn't hate him but I couldn't love him either.