“Only In the Remembrance of Allah Can Heart Find Peace.”
(AL-QURAN-13:28).
We come across a lot of stories. Certainly every story is not true! But the story I will share is true, and it realistically awakened my soul. This story I actually bumped into, but besides inspiring me it made me repent and reconnect with my lord. Believe me, you feel blessed as soon as you start loving your lord and you sense like lord loves u too. And isn’t this imagination of altruistic love between you and ALLAH so pleasing to the eyes?
In a nutshell, the story is about Ali Bannat. Ali Bannat was a young, sumptuously rich business man from Australia. Even though he is dead, he is still alive in the hearts of millions not because he had been a rich person, but because of his enormous contribution he did to humanity. We all know that death is inevitable! Speaking for instance, if someone will tell you that you have few months to live what will you do? I think maximum people will have the impulse ,“ I haven’t seen much of this world, I am quite young to die”?
It might sound incredulous but when brother Ali Bannat was told the same he decided to give up his wealth to build schools, homes for homeless, to feed hungry and much more in the cause of charity. Diagnosed with stage 4 cancer where doctors gave him seven months to live he survived for three years with cancer and finally Allah called him to Paradise in the blessed month of Ramadan. Perhaps you must have assumed that he had been on the wrong path and upon learning about his disease, he changed; but this is not true. He was a man of religious persuasion. He called cancer as a gift of God! In an interview he spoke that he had never missed prayers or fast since the age of 7 and never smoked even. When he had been asked about his biggest regret in life, he said, “My biggest regret is that it took a man in suit to tell me that I am going to die, and Allah (swt) told me all my life and I didn’t believe him”. I literally cried when I discovered this story on YouTube. I felt so sad and was a massive eye opener for me. Upon learning so I straight away followed his project MATW which is an ongoing charity project and a sadaqah jariyah – caring of orphans, widows, and poor.
I feel anguished to say that we are so lost in the luxuries of this world that we don’t have time for our prayers. We have completely forgotten who our creator is. Our condition is such as we don’t want to spend even a penny in the cause of charity. The desire for this world has distracted us from our lord; we have assumed we will never die. Allah has clearly stated in the holy Quran, c.h3.v, 185 “That every soul shall taste death”.
Through this story I realised every day death is nearer to me. Dear brothers and sisters just look at you, we are spiritually empty. Fill this emptiness with the love of your lord, of poor, widow, orphan, and old. Make connections with your lord. The fame, luxuries, money won’t stay with you forever, what will stay will be your righteous deeds. Death won’t take your unanimous approval before taking your soul.
So repent, and connect to your Lord before you return to Him.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.