"peace"
Yesterday when I got home from school my father seemed kinda down. He told me that a dear uncle of ours who had a stroke (his 3rd i believe) was in rather bad shape. He had been in a rehab facility but it wasnt looking good. My dad was talking about how its been a while since he went and visited him so I told him we should go and visit him now and he got ready and we went.We walked into his room and subhan Allah, he was laying awake in a bed by himself in the room with no lights on. The bed was about 6 inches off of the ground with padding around it so im assuming he had been falling out of it. As soon as we walk in he begins to try and speak. 'by you, by you, by you' he kept on repeating. I didnt know what he was talking about so I just nodded my head. He then shook his head no and repeated 'by you, by you' but this time I could tell by his animation that he was instructing us to sit. I grabbed my father the only chair in the room and the uncle then said 'peace'.
When he said peace I thought to myself that subhan Allah, this uncle's stroke must have crossed some signals in his brain and he can not even express to us what he really wants to say. He then again started saying 'by you, by you' until I myself then found somewhere to sit upon which he again exclaimed 'ahh, peace'.
My father and I were speechless.
Only 6 months earlier my father was on what some including myself thought was his death bed. He was extremely close to passing away and this very uncle was in good health and had come to visit my father. He sat by my father's side and talked to him even though he was intubated and was unconscious from the drugs. My father looked as though he was almost moved to tears and was therefore speechless.
As we sat there, the uncle kept on repeating the word 'peace'. He would look at me dead in the eye and say 'peace' and shake his head side to side. He would do this for almost a minute straight until I would affirm him that 'peace will be soon insha Allah. We are all praying for you.' Upon which his eyes would leave mine and he would again look towards the ceiling muttering 'peace...peace'. No less than 2 minutes later he would again say 'peace, peace, peace, peace...peace' as he stared directly into my eyes. I almost cried right there. My father would say 'insha Allah' every time he said peace but the uncle kept saying it.
I made dua for him aloud, and affirmed him that the community had him in their duas, and that just a few months ago he was visiting my father the same way he was now being visited, so he had to just be patient and that insha Allah he would be fine. He then shook his head affirmatively and again repeated the word 'peace'.
After we left, I was reflecting upon what the uncle was saying. This uncle is from overseas so you would think that if his brain went backwards he would be speaking in urdu but no, he was saying peace in english.
Why?
Why did he keep insisting on that word out of all other words. Sure when he said 'by you' I had no idea what he was saying but peace? He said it clearly and so many times that it had to mean something.
I remember after the second stroke only months before this third one, I would always say salaam to him and ask him how he was doing. He would always respond 'garee chal ree hain' (the car is running). Subhan Allah, how simple yet profound a statement.
He knew his body was just a vehicle, a vehicle to get him from point A to B, from the womb to the tomb. When he said peace, now to me it meant that he is just awaiting that which is inevitable. He is telling us to have 'peace' and not to be too worried, and he is telling himself to have 'peace' and to be patient with what is going on, and for everyone to have 'peace' within themselves knowing that this world is temporary and any trial we are going through will definitely end.
I pray that Allah swt grants shifaa' to uncle Nazir Baig, and that Allah makes this hardship a tazkiyya of his sins leaving him absolutely sinless. I pray that when he does leave this world that he leaves it with an account clean of bad deeds and that he finds peace in his last breath. I pray that Allah grant his family patience and strength in this trying time and that this also is a cleansing for their sins. Ameen
posted by Iboo LaL @ 7:29 AM
Comments: 3
