To be physically strong!
It’s hard to forget the day we had to take my aunt to a local public hospital. Some workers were on strike, protesting their wages and holiday compensations.
That evening, I was told to move my aunt, who was in a coma, to the basement for a CT Brain scan. She was unconscious, lying on a heavy metal stretcher, and I was the only one responsible for getting her to the radiology center.
I grabbed the stretcher’s handles and began pushing. The stretcher was extremely heavy and nearly impossible to control. With every step, my wrists ached, and the hospital’s uneven floors made the journey even more treacherous.
At any moment, I feared the stretcher might tip over, causing my aunt to fall to the ground. My heart pounded with fear and frustration. “Please, someone help me!” I pleaded with the workers I passed by, but they merely looked at me, shaking their heads with embarrassed expressions. “We’re on strike,” they said, as if that justified neglecting their responsibilities toward patients fighting for their lives.
I felt both anger and helplessness. How could they just stand there, watching me struggle to keep the stretcher balanced? Yet, their protest seemed to matter more.
That night, I understood the true meaning of strength and resilience. It wasn’t about winning competitions or looking good; it was, by the grace of ALLAH (SW), about having the physical and mental ability to care for those who rely on you after ALLAH (SW).
I don’t recall exactly what I said, but it was something like: “Doesn’t anyone want money? I’ll pay!!!” Yet they didn’t just refuse the money—they refused to help entirely, making their stance clear to the hospital administration. The message was unmistakable: they wouldn’t work during their holidays, no matter the circumstances.
Eventually, one of them helped me. When I finally reached the scanning room, exhausted and terrified, I wished I were stronger and more capable.
O ALLAH, there is no power nor strength except through You. O ALLAH, spare us from needing anyone but You. May peace and blessings be upon Muhammad peace be upon him.