Be Khadija or ‘Aisha, Allah's Decree is the Best for Us

I remember Karîma’s longing for having children years ago. She had been married for ten years, but in spite of all her and her husband's efforts, they had been unsuccessful in procreating children.

Besides Karîma's craving for children, there was another reason intensified her yearning. Her husband was the only male in his family and his mother and sisters were anxiously waiting for his offspring.

Poor Karîma! What could she do? Nothing, only seeking medical help, along with making the earnest prayer to Allah to grant her and her husband their long-sought request.

At the school where she worked, all her colleagues and friends knew her story. Whenever they saw her smiling at or stroking a child’s hair, they would say, "O Allah! Grant her offspring."

At last, Karîma's dream was realized. Allah blessed her with a beautiful boy. Upon his birth, she forgot the gloomy years of anxiety and she thought that she got all what she wanted.

However, after some time, she and her husband hankered for having a brother or sister for their son with whom he could play and whereby their happiness would be perfect.

To their satisfaction, this time their dream was realized after short-time medical treatment and their son had a beautiful sister.

Karîma was extremely happy. She thought all her sorrows and worries regarding having children ceased. She decided to concentrate her efforts on bringing up her little ones, who filled her life with joy and changed the dark nights of her life into bright days.

She thanked Allah deeply for His blessings on her and her husband as He granted them their dearest request after they almost had lost hope of having it because they were growing old.

When their daughter became two years old, to her astonishment, her husband asked her to seek medical help to have a new baby because he wanted to have a big family.

 She exclaimed,

"What?!! Hasn’t Allah blessed us with these two beautiful children? Shouldn't we thank Him day and night, instead of spending our energy and wealth in seeking more children?"

Yet, she would spare no effort to make her husband happy as she loved him greatly. She reluctantly agreed to seek medical help as long as having a big family would satisfy her beloved husband.

After painful medical treatment, Karîma gave birth to twin boys, but they had complicated health problems. If they lived, they would live motionless in their beds. They would need her constant assistance for the slightest needs of their lives, and they would not go to school because they were mentally ill.

Karîma's faith was strong, and she submitted to the decree of Allah, for she knew that what He chooses for His slave is the best.

Karîma's life changed completely, and her time was fully occupied with endless responsibilities, the heaviest of which was taking care of her ill children and their medication needs.

 In spite of her steadfast faith in Allah, she sometimes felt there is no color in this life but black because of the unbearable pains she was enduring after the birth of her ill children.

Sometimes, she blamed herself, saying,

“Wasn’t I happy before the birth of the ill children?

 Why didn’t I accept thankfully what Allah granted me?

 Is Allah punishing me for being ungrateful to His blessings on me?"

 Countless unspeakable questions bewildered her weary brain whenever she contemplated her situation.

One evening, she was sitting on a chair, enormously engrossed in her exhausting questions, and suddenly remembered Kadijah and ‘Aisha, may Allah be pleased with them, the wives of the Prophet, salla Allah alayyhi wa sallam. She remembered that Allah endowed each one of them with a distinctive merit, which the other did not have. Khadîja, may Allah be pleased with her, was the mother of the Prophet's children and the one who supported him in the early days of Islam. As for Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, she did not give birth to children, but she was the one who imparted invaluable knowledge to the Muslim nation.

Karîma sprang out of her chair as she realized that contemplating on this piece of information was the answer for her questions. Like a completed puzzle, she saw the full picture of her life experience. She realized that life was not only getting what she wanted, but it is a journey. Each person has his distinctive role that he should fulfill. Someone may have children, while another is childless; someone is rich, while another is poor; someone is healthy, while another is ill. The circumstances of people differ, and accordingly their roles in life differ.

We must have firm belief that Allah's Decree is the Best for us.