Winged Dreams

Chapter 27: Allah is Al Wakeel, The Best Disposer of Affairs

26th January, 2016

His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. It is He Who gives life and causes death; and He is Able to do all things.

[Qur'an]

Chapter 27:

Allah is Al Wakeel, The Best Disposer of Affairs

Simply put, life was a blend of contrasts. Darkness overshadowed the sunlight, tears were replaced by smiles, tough circumstances gave way to happy moments, failures were stepping stones to success, trials gave rise to inventions, and every master plan was once an idea.

Granted, in our journey of growth, we needed a dose of extreme emotions and those that fell in the middle category, but as Dina stood by the ICU, it physically hurt her to see the tense and fearful expressions of those beside her. Just moments ago, everyone was buzzing with energy and loud cries of laughter echoed as they enjoyed Naila's wedding and now, they stood surrounded by the gloomy walls of the hospital, murmuring silent prayers.

At the age of three, Anam was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, which was cancer of the adrenal gland. Attached to the kidney, the tumor had the chance of growing into her spinal cord due to which she went into surgery. That was an absolute nightmare for the little girl, for she couldn't even sleep without feeling the excruciating pain. Walking, or even standing, was out of the question. However, a year and a half later, with five rounds of high dose chemotherapy after the initial surgery, Anam was responding well to the treatment. The doctors were positive of her survival rate in the battle of fighting cancer and just when everything was going fine, they were in for a horrible surprise.

Last night, after they reached home and Samreen was changing her out of the dress she wore for the wedding, Anam collapsed in her mum's arms. When Shakeel heard his wife's shrieks, he rushed into the room and carrying his baby girl in his arms, they drove to the hospital. It had been five hours since then, and the doctors had chosen to remain silent till the reports came.

There were times when hours flew like minutes, but now, as the loved ones of the little girl waited to be enlightened on her reports, every minute felt like a decade. The breeze, which was otherwise welcomed for its soothing effect, was now looked at as the giver of bad news. Any movement or the slightest of noise felt like they were all indicating towards something miserable that was going to happen.

At five in the morning, the tense atmosphere of the hospital corridor was broken when Bilal's phone beeped with the sound of the Fajr adhan. He lowered the volume, since they were in the hospital and he didn't want to disturb the patients, and once done, he turned to Dina and asked,

"Is there a room where we could pray?"

Dina, who was staring into space, did not quite here that, and Bilal's eyes softened seeing her that way. He gently placed his hand on her arm, and Dina immediately turned to look at him.

"You said something?" She asked, schooling her features.

"I was asking if there was any place where we could pray," Bilal responded, his voice soft.

Dina licked her lips, and nodded, replying, "We could go to the cancer care unit, it's at the end of the corridor."

"Shakeel? Let's go," Bilal said, and his friend followed as they walked into the washroom and having freshened up, made wudu.

Bilal led the Jamaath, and once done, Shakeel and Samreen rushed to their daughter's ward while Bilal and Dina stayed rooted in spot, praying to their heart's content. As Dina's eyes roamed around the room where she had spent many a special moments with her little children, including Anam, her eyes glistened with unshed tears.