Journey of a stranger – Part 4

by Mila Filza

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Bismillah

“Indeed, [O Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.” [Quran 28:56] 

Besieged with anticipation for the last days, I have been waiting for the right moment to ask my roommate to come with me to the mosque. She was a very sweet person with a caring heart, but unfortunately she was not religious. In my first week here, she told me that she did believe in Allah and she wanted to be loved by Him but that the light of her soul has been put out and she felt as if she was stucked in the darkness. That evening, I finally gathered the courage to ask her to join me the next day to attend the Friday prayer. She sounded very eager to come with me and I was thrilled and delighted how quickly she agreed to the idea! The next morning she cancelled and we rescheduled, and the same thing happened a week after and then finally after a month, there we were standing in front of the mosque. But just before we could go in, she had to leave after a friend called her. I was disappointed and sad but who am I to question Allah subhanawata’aala’s Will? I entered the mosque alone and went to sit in my trusted little corner by the window.

As I was reading one of my favorite surahs, Surah Yusuf, I was feeling utterly lost in His Words. I felt my grip on reality fading away and for a moment, I forgot everyone and everything around me. They say that the best things in life are unseen and here I was, my heart completely at rest. Alhamdulillah. I became so captivated by these perfect words that I almost did not notice a woman trying to suppress a scream of joy. After I finished reading, I looked up and to my surprise, I saw the young lady that I met on the bench across the mosque the other day. She was talking to an overly excited woman. I could now hear a distant hum of their voices though it was impossible to make out what they were talking about. Then the woman stood up, hugged the young lady, and walked away. I was still observing the scene and when I saw what the woman brought back to give the young lady, it filled my heart with warmth and my eyes with tears. The woman unfolded the white scarf and wrapped it around the head of the young lady to cover her beautiful blonde hair. She kissed her on top of her head and left to go pray.

As I was still looking at the young lady, her eyes finally met mine. I smiled at her and her eyes widened as if she also recognized me and she smiled back. Then the adhaan was called and everyone stood up to pray. Only the young lady was still sitting there, doubting and a little bit confused about what to do next. I then walked over and took her hand; her brown eyes were wide open with amazement and as the imam led us in prayer, Allah led her heart to accept Islam that day.

Just like my roommate and the young lady, here in this remarkable country, I met people who were completely different from anyone I had ever known. They were people who were just like me but who also saw things in a completely different light. They were all so different from the people back home. I knew this journey was coming to an end soon. I could now count the days. Even though I was longing to go back home and see my loved ones again, I also found it hard to accept the fact I am leaving this place. The days flew by, the season changed from winter to spring, and then there also came another me. This journey of thousands of miles began with a single step and here I was standing at the end of it already.

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