“And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if anyone puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish his purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion.” (Surah At-Talaq: 3)
One summer, my dad and I went to the airport to drop off my mom and brother, who were travelling to Germany. My dad thought the drop-off would be quick, so he left the car in the loading zone and told me to sit in the passenger seat while he dropped off their bags. I also thought that my dad would be quick, so I agreed to do so. A few minutes later after he left, two security guards came, one on the right side of my window and one on the left. I thought to myself, “Oh great.” They told me that I would have to move the car if I did not want a ticket. The problem was: even though I had a license, I hadn’t practiced ever since I got it. I was literally panicking. I could not call my dad because he left his cell phone in the car. The only thing I could do was drive or receive a ticket. I turned on the engine and hit the pedal hard because I was nervous. The car jumped, and a security guard looked at me and said, “Do you even have your license?” I told her, “Yes, of course.” Thank God she did not ask to see it because I had left it at home.
The security stopped all the cars behind me and told me to move the car. At this point, I was in full panic mode because not only did I have to move the car, but my dad was nowhere to be found. Somehow, I managed to get out of the loading zone and was now on the road. My foot was shaking. I could not go into a parking lot because I didn’t feel comfortable turning or even parking. I was happy that there was traffic because that meant I could drive slowly without cars honking at me. I drove straight hoping to find another loading zone, and thank God, somehow the end of the terminal was empty, so I slowly pulled over.
That day, the airport was busier than ever. I could hear my heart pounding because the airport was so huge, and there was no way my dad would be able to find me. How would he know where I am when there are multiple parking lots and loading zones?
I kept thinking about what to do. Should I drive back to my original location? Should I stay where I was? This may not seem like a big problem to most people, but I was having a nervous breakdown because I did not feel comfortable driving at all.
There was nothing I could do at this point because moving forward would lead to the freeway. I gave up. Because I was out of ideas, I decided to put my head on the steering wheel, and I made dua. I asked Allah (SWT) to get me out of this situation, and to help my dad find me. To be completely honest, I did not even believe my dua would work. Right after I made this dua (not even a minute had passed), my cellphone began to ring from an unknown number. I answered, and it was Dad. He told me he borrowed a phone from someone. My voice was shaky, and I told him exactly where I was.
I wanted to share this experience because it was the first time that I felt my dua come true instantly. More importantly, it taught me to never underestimate Allah’s powers. I immediately sought forgiveness for not believing that my dua would work. Many times, we make dua for certain things and our wishes do not seem to be coming true. Even though we continue to make dua, our faith in it may diminish. When my prayer was answered, it taught me that I not only needed to put my trust in Allah (SWT), but I also needed to believe that my own duas are powerful. Next time we make a dua, let’s all try to take a moment to really make sincere supplications and really trust that Allah (SWT) will take care of the rest. I pray that Allah (SWT) makes the duas that will benefit us most in this life and the next come true. Ameen.
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