My little brother Sunny and I both work part-time in a hospital, and after work, we both go to the hospital chapel to pray. What I love about the chapel is that it is open to all faiths. Sometimes when I walk in, I see a Muslim praying on a rug in one corner, a Christian praying in the center of the room, and a Jewish person reciting the Torah on the other side.
One day, Sunny and I walked in, and we saw a brother praying Dhuhr (mid-day prayer). He was praying in front of the drawer where the prayer rugs were kept. Sunny and I did not want to disturb him, so we just began praying without rugs. No big deal. We prayed on the other side of the chapel. While I was praying, I could see from my peripheral view that someone was coming towards us. It was the same brother who had just finished praying. First, he laid a prayer rug in front of Sunny, and then another one in front of me, which was difficult considering the numerous chairs in front of me at that time.
Although this may not have felt like a big gesture to the brother, it made our day. This is a well-respected brother who occasionally delivers the khutba during Jummah, so the fact that he laid prayer mats in front of us meant a lot.
I wanted to share this experience to prove that small actions can make a difference. This brother reminded Sunny and I about the concept of unity in Islam. His kind action reminded us of how Muslim brothers and sisters are meant to look out for one another, and most importantly, it taught us the core beliefs of the Muslim Ummah (Note: We were in a hospital setting where religion is barely brought up, and where many don’t believe that science and religion mix. Our Muslim community is also very small here, so having these reminders are always a huge blessing to us.).
Next time you find the opportunity to do a simple action, take advantage of it because someone might benefit and remember your action(s) for the rest of his/her life. Try it now. Smile at the next stranger that walks by you. May Allah (SWT) continue to help us all improve in our character, and help us help those around us. Ameen.
“And whatever you do of good deeds, truly, Allah knows it well.”[Quran 2:15]
Subscribe for weekly posts and more here!