Assalaam Alaykum wa Rahmatullah,
This past Friday we were honored to meet some new Muslim Iraqi families as the sun set and the air began to blow a merciful breeze. By this time we had gathered new information for the medical and health needs for 6 individuals and planned to take only a husband and wife to Shifa Clinic the next morning. We met parents who have two sons one of them autistic and they need a committed trainer to care and nurture him. Another his wife has major tooth aches in three teeth and requires dental attention. Little did we know that by nightfall we would soon meet someone who required more urgent assistance and so our planned trip to Shifa Clinic (for the first time) Saturday morning doubled in size. Sleep was difficult that night since the responsibility that morning was weighing down on our heads and our souls were energized with the desire to perform with excellence and with conscious as well as intuitive planning.
That Saturday morning we arrived at Shifa at 10:30am half an hour before opening and the weather was beautiful. Adjacent to the clinic, the masjid dome shined with the morning’s sunshine as we approached. One of the men who comes from a strong line of preachers and Islamic service originally from Kirkuk Iraq, exclaimed when we approached the Masjid “My heart has just come to ease. Praise be to God. This is the first masjid I have seen since I came to the US. You cannot comprehend the happiness I am experiencing.”
The director of Shifa, Br. Rafique was expecting us but he did not know anything about our situation. While most patients are walking in with a cold or fever at worst, we had some very special and severe cases that require eventual surgery. From the outset and to my dismay he was uneasy that he may not be able to accomodate us.We talked and threw back and forth ideas and concerns until we came up with partial solution after partial solution. That afternoon at Shifa, we began to learn what capabilites they have. Essentially their assets are few; the building as well as the few doctors and admins who volunteer is all they have but the humans are the essential resource and surely the strength is in the hearts. Shifa has several alliances with other community service hospitals on the basis that they are community service. They gave us information and directories of county hospitals like Ben Taub County Hospital and other community service hospitals like San Jose Clinic and Ibn Sina. After our visit the director Rafique insisted on continued correspondence and cooperation between our organizations.
We were blessed to have the visiting doctor that weekend specializing in digestive systems to check one of our friends and he told us that he would be ok until the medicaid shows up inshallah after a few weeks. His wife was given a prescription for her serious anxiety. Her other three sons are still in the chaos that is Iraq and this brings tears to her eyes all through out the day and sometimes she cannot breath from the constriction of her throat also caused by anxiety. She is sleeping no more than 5 hours a night waking up every hour. That is besides her physiological illness which requires surgery inshallah with ease. La hawla wala quwata ila billah! For the other two we called around, first to get a helpful Optomologist to write us a prescription for the other womans unbearable head/eye pain resulting from an internal pressure on the optical nerve. The pressure could potentially result in damage to the nerve and blindness over time. She remained quite and content but the pain was overwhelming I knew. Alhamdulilah after Shifa we picked up the several prescription/nonprescription medications, supplments, knee supports etc at the near by CVS pharmacy.We shot down all our main targets and prepared that coming week for further medical consultation. Surely without the helpful spirit of the individuals around us at Shifa and CVS we would have seen hardship. The two families were so gracious and appreciative and continued to say “we cannot put our feelings of thanks into words” so we said than put them into action and help those around you as well! Alhamdulilah Alhamdulilah Alhamdulilah for our health!
On our way back the temperature and humidity increased as we drove in the overloaded Amaanah mobile on the bumpy roads of Southwest Houston. Their was a distinct air of hope, happiness and confidence in the car emanating from everyone. “Everyone told us that the USA is the country of disbelief and sin and that there are no Masajid nor any Muslims and that you will lose yourself there” said the Sheikh. “Allah plans and does as He wishes. By God I know that Houston will be the place I will continue living in and I may die in the US and I am fine with that.” We drove back home and met with two other brothers who brought the Sheikhs family furniture and after we shuffled in with the bulky furniture we sat down and we shared a simple but kingly lunch on the floor with the Sheikh and his son. He would continue making dua3 for us out loud continously and at first it seemed excessive but it became clear that it was his way of giving us the confidence to continue our work and conveying to us the greatness of what service is to humankind. He is now enlisted as a member and is preparing a list of people in the complex who need a ride to Jumua.
This service for humankind is the “realm of asbab” where signs of God manifest and the principles that we have come to know and love like patience, good character and loving for your brother what you love for yourself are manifested and tested in external reality. It is a world where “abnormal” things happen that you do not see in the cubicle or the classroom. The spirit lifts the body up against gravity. The 4 physical dimensions warp and time becomes elastic. You get more minutes per time with increased sincerity and God consciousness. Your perceptive filter of the outside world transmutes from glass to the dynamism of water and the unseen becomes more seen.
“And we will show them our signs in the horizons and in their souls until it clear to them that He is the Truth” [41:53]
“In the earth are signs for those who have certianty, and in your souls. What do you not see? [51:20-21]
Brother M
