I once went on a trip to a country to deliver some lectures. The country was well known for having a huge mental hospital, or as the people would refer to it,“the mad people’s hospital.”
I delivered two lectures one morning and there remained an hour until Dhuhr.With me was ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, one of the most prominent preachers in that country.As we sat in the car,I turned to him and said,“Abd al-‘Aziz, there is a place I wish to visit, as we have some time.”
He said, “Where would you like to go? Your friend, Shaykh ‘Abdullah, has travelled and as for Doctor Ahmad, I phoned him but he didn’t respond.Would you like to go to the heritage museum, or…?”
“No. In fact, I would like to visit the mental hospital,” I said.
“The mad people?” he asked in surprise.
“Yes, the mad people”, I said in response.
He laughed and said jokingly,“Why? Perhaps you want to be
reassured of your own sanity?”
I said, “No. Only to benefit, take lessons and realise Allah’s blessings on us.”
‘Abd al-‘Aziz remained silent,thinking about their condition.I realised that he was a little upset, because he was quite an emotional person. He took me to the hospital in his car.We arrived at a site that looked like a cave. It was surrounded by trees from all sides. It was noticeably a very depressing environment.
We met one of the doctors who welcomed us and took us for a tour of the hospital.The doctor then began to relate to us the suffering of the patients and said,“Hearing about something is not the same as witnessing it yourself.”
We went passed a passageway where I heard voices coming from different directions.The patient wards were on either sides of the lobby.We went past a room to the right. I looked therein to notice more than ten empty beds, and one on which there was a man lying down, shaking his hands and feet.
I turned to the doctor and said,“What is this?”
He said,“He is crazy. He gets epilepsy attacks every five to six hours.”
I said,‘There is no power nor might except with Allah! How long has he been like this for?”
He said,“For more than ten years.” I took it as a lesson for myself and walked on silently.
After walking a few steps further, we passed by another room with the door closed.The door had an opening through which a man inside was looking out and making signs to us which we couldn’t understand. I attempted to have a glance inside the room only to find that the walls and the floor were all brown.
I asked the doctor,“What is this?”
The doctor replied,“A crazy person!”
I felt that he was not taking me seriously,so I said to him,“I know he is crazy, for if he was sane he wouldn’t be here. I want to know what his story is.”
He replied,“If this man sees a wall, his limbs spring into action and he begins to hit the wall with his hands, or his feet and sometimes his head. One day his fingers are broken, another day his legs and yet another day he cracks his skull, etc.”
The doctor then lowered his head in sorrow and said,“We weren’t able to treat him, so we’ve locked him up in a room as you can see.The walls and the floor are covered with sponge, so he can beat himself however he wishes.” The doctor was then silent and walked on ahead of us.
As for my friend and I,we simply stood there saying,“Praise be to Allah who has saved us from what He has afflicted them with.” We then went ahead passing by many rooms on either side of us, until we passed by a room with no beds.There were more than thirty men inside, each on his own. One person was giving Adhan, another was singing, another was turning round and round, while another was dancing. There were three men amongst them who were made to sit on chairs with their hands and feet tied. They were looking around and trying to turn around but could not. I became shocked and asked the doctor, “What is wrong with these people? Why did you tie them up and not the others?”
He replied,“The problem with these three is that when they see something in front of them, they strike it. They break the windows,air conditioners,doors,etc.We therefore tie them up like this from morning till evening.”
I said,“Since when have they been like this?”
He replied,“This one for about ten years, that one for about
seven and the other one is relatively new here; he has only been here for five years!”
I left their room contemplating their state, and praising Allah who had saved me from what he had afflicted them with.
I asked him,“Where is the hospital exit?”
He said,“There is still one room left to see.Perhaps there is an additional lesson to be learnt from it. Come with me.”
He took me by my hand to a large room. He opened the door, took my hand and entered the room. The scene in the room was similar to what I had seen in the previous room: a group of patients, every one of them alone, one dancing, another sleeping, etc. And to my surprise, what did I see? A man who was beyond fifty years of age, his hair grey, was squatting on the floor. He was squashed down low, staring at us and was visibly terrified.
All of this was bearable, but the strangest thing that frightened me and nearly made me jump, was the fact that the man was completely naked and did not even have a piece of cloth to cover his private parts!
My facial complexion changed and I immediately turned to the doctor.When he saw the redness in my eyes, he said,“Cool your anger. I will explain to you his condition.This man, whenever we make him wear a garment, he bites it with his teeth, tears it apart and tries to swallow it. In one day, we may give him more than ten sets of clothes to wear, and they will all be torn apart. The man is unable to bear any piece of clothing on his skin, thus we leave him like this come summer or winter.All those around him are mentally ill, unable to comprehend his condition.”
I left the room and was unable to bear any more.I said to the doctor,“Please take me to the exit.”
I said,“Actually, some sections are still left to visit.”
He said,“I think, what we have seen so far is sufficient.”
The doctor walked on and I walked beside him. He was walking past many wards while we remained silent. Suddenly, he turned to me as if he had just remembered something and said,“Dear Shaykh, there is a person here who was a prominent businessman. He is a millionaire. He became mentally ill, so his children brought him here and left him two years ago. There is another person here who was an engineer. Another person here was…” The doctor began informing me of those who were degraded after being honourable, and others who became poor after being rich, and so on. I was walking through the patient rooms thinking,“Glory be to the One who apportioned provision amongst the slaves. He gives to whomever He wills and withholds from whomever He wills.”
Allah may provide someone with wealth, noble lineage and status, yet deprive him of sanity.You will find him the wealthiest and the strongest of all, yet he is imprisoned in a mental hospital.
Allah may give another person a noble lineage, abundant wealth and great intellect, yet deprive him of health.You will find him lying on his bed for twenty or thirty years. His wealth and his lineage are useless.
Then there are those whom Allah gives health, strength and intellect, yet deprives of them wealth, so you see them carrying their loads in marketplaces, or as unprivileged and poor people who keep switching between humble jobs and hardly earn enough to stave their hunger.
This is how Allah gives people some things while depriving them of others.Your Lord creates what He wills and chooses. The people have no choice therein.
Hence, it is befitting for anyone afflicted with a calamity to recall Allah’s favours to him before counting the calamities Allah is testing him with, for if He has deprived you of wealth, He has given you health. If He has deprived you of both, then He has given you intellect. If He has deprived you of all, then at least He has gifted you with Islam. Congratulations to you for living Islam and dying upon it. So you may shout at the top of your voice, ‘al-Hamdulillah!’
This is how the Prophet’s Companions were – may Allah be pleased with them all.
The Prophet peace be upon himsent ‘Amr bin al-‘Aas – may Allah be pleased with him – to Syria on the expedition of Dhat al-Salasil.When he arrived at the scene, he noticed that the enemy was great in number. He sent a message to the Messenger of Allah peace be upon himasking him for reinforcements, so the Prophet peace be upon himsent him Abu ‘Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah with a unit consisting of the early Muhajirun, including Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, making Abu ‘Ubaydah the commander.
The Prophet peace be upon himsaid to Abu ‘Ubaydah upon dispatching him, “The two of you should not differ…”
Thus,Abu ‘Ubaydah went forth until he reached ‘Amr bin al‘Aas, who said to him,“You have come as a reinforcement for my army, and I am its commander.”
Abu ‘Ubaydah said, “No. Rather, I remain in my position, as you remain in yours”, meaning, I am the commander over my unit with whom I have come, and you are a commander over your own army.
Abu ‘Ubaydah was a very lenient and easy going person. Worldly things did not matter much to him.
‘Amr said in response,“No.Rather,you are sent as reinforcement for my army.”
Abu ‘Ubaydah replied,“O ‘Amr, the Messenger of Allah peace be upon himhas said to me:‘The two of you should not differ’;so even if you were to disobey me, I will obey you.”
In response,‘Amr said,“In that case, I am your commander and you are my reinforcement.”
Abu ‘Ubaydah agreed to this,and therefore,‘Amr bin al-‘Aas
– may Allah be pleased with him – stepped forward and led the people in prayer.After the expedition,the first person to arrive back in Madinah was ‘Awf bin Malik – may Allah be pleased with him. Upon arrival, he went to the Prophet peace be upon him.When the Prophet peace be upon himsaw him he said, “Tell me what happened.” He informed the Prophet peace be upon himabout the expedition including what took place between Abu ‘Ubaydah and ‘Amr bin al-‘Aas.
The Prophet peace be upon himsaid,“May Allah have mercy on Abu ‘Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah.”
Indeed! May Allah have mercy on Abu ‘Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah!
A thought…
Look to the brighter aspects of your life before looking at the dark side and you will surely be happy.
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