“If a believer fell off a tree, which way would the prayers go?”

This past week, I had an unexpected trip that I had to make to Flint, MI. We were all driving back from the Bay Area and in the middle, we got a call saying that Sa’ad (my cousin Sana’s husband” had fallen off a tree. Normally, this would be no big deal, however, Sa’ad fell from approximately 25 feet and landed on his stomach on an exposed root. He was immediately rushed to the hospital where he is still recovering as I right these 9 days later. The accident was serious enough that the injuries could have been terminal. Upon external examination, the diagnosis was that he had major liver damage, which was cause blood to leak in his body. His stomach was bulging, pushing against his diaphragm, which was in turn pushing against his lungs, causing him to stop breathing a few times. The situation was dire and thus the attending physician recommended that surgery be performed. Before the surgery, so I was told afterward, the trauma surgeon gave a 95% chance of survival with no guarantee that he could stop the bleeding and not knowing what to expect when he made the incision.

While all this was happening, news began to spread, almost immediately about the situation. Through the phone and email, hundreds if not thousands of people were informed (friends, acquaintances, and sometime strangers) about Sa’ad’s condition. And as quickly as the news spread, so did the prayers from everyone that he have a successful recovery. It was even requested that people fast on Thursday, as was the practice of the Prophet, in remembrance of Sa’ad.

Now, as Muslims, we believe that Allah is the Changer of Affairs and I think that this serves as a glaring example of this in the working. Granted one can argue that it was not Sa’ad’s time to die, and thus he didn’t; but just because you don’t die does not mean that you live the rest of your life peacefully. It could easily mean that you stay alive as a vegetable, or with chronic pain, or paralyzed, etc. So the diagnosis was that Sa’ad’s condition was very serious and, in the words of the Muslim surgeon who operated on Sa’ad, “the outcome was in Allah’s hands”. Most people around the US and around the world, not knowing the immediate situation began their supplication in earnest, cherishing a great hope that Sa’ad get better. Closer to home, as the odds were against him, some began to make preparations for his funeral (not serious ones, but the discussion did occurs as to where he should be buried). And as the surgeon made the incision, again not knowing what to expect, he found that the damage was not as bad as initially expected. He was able to remove the blood, repair the liver, and stitch Sa’ad back up. Within one hour, the surgeon was able to walk out of the operating room and inform the family that the injuries were not as bad as expected and the he was hopeful, for the first time, of a full recovery.

I was not there during this surgery, but accounts from others tell of the entire ICU being filled with people praying as Sa’ad was taken to the operating room. And for the one hour of surgery, there was dead silence, with only the sounds of murmuring, from the Qur’an being recited and supplications being made. And when the physician walked into the waiting room and gave the good news, there was a great sigh of relief and the faces of the people changed instantly from that of hope to that of thankfulness. From dead silence, conversations began of the miracle that had just taken place. As a layman, one can argue that since the fall, the situation was the same and the doctors had misdiagnosed the patient. As a believer, one argues that the situation was as severe as the doctors had said, but the power of supplication, being made by all who knew Sa’ad, from students to professionals and from family to scholars, Allah changed Sa’ad’s condition and answered the prayers of the supplicants. Truly a great blessing!!!!!!

So to analyze the situation, two questions come to mind: what was so special about Sa’ad that the miracle happened and whose supplication can change reality so that it can be called a miracle. As for the first question, it must be answered in general and not specifically, for the situation is not unique to Sa’ad but a general trait that can be found in believers in Allah. For a human being, his true nature, which is contained in the heart, is manifest externally in various forms, from behavior, attitude, and his general treatment of others. For the believer, they are all exemplary. There behavior is a manifestation of their belief in Allah in that they are humble, kind, merciful, caring, etc. Their attitude is a manifestation in their belief in Allah in that they thankful for blessings, patient in tribulations, and blaming themselves and not others for shortcomings in their surroundings. So if something happens to them caused by something other than themselves, they look to what they are doing wrong and seed to work towards changing their inner selves. For example, in the situation of a robbery or a mugging, a person would naturally blame the person committing the act or society for causing such a situation; both of which are valid. However, knowing this, a believer would blame himself/herself and try to figure out what they are doing wrong in their lives to have Allah put them in this situation. In attitude, every experience in the life of a believer becomes an avenue toward betterment of their inner selves. Lastly, a believers general treatment of others in a manifestation of his/her belief in Allah in that they are always smiling, are gentle, kind, and merciful. Even to the person who committed an injustice toward them, they are understanding, forgiving, and always eager to pray for them. Not for the destruction of the person who committed the injustice, but for their guidance by Allah so the infraction not take place again. The best example of this was Muhammad ibn Abdallah, who, even by his worst enemies, was considered a man of good, noble, and impeccable character.

It is a combination of all of these that make a believer unique in the world. Unique in many ways, but especially in a way that whoever they meet, no matter how brief or long it is, the person is touched by their strong belief. And the struggle of a Muslim in is to eventually attain this state through hard work and turmoil. And thus, when something happens to this believer, people far and wide, loved ones and strangers, close friends and general acquaintances pray sincerely for hardship to be lifted from their midst.

And now for the second question about whose supplication can change reality so that it can be called a miracle. The answer is simple. It could be any one of the people supplicating. The goal becoming to have as many people supplicating as possible. For example, if someone is ill, he can supplicate himself and thus he is relying on himself that Allah will answer him. He could have his family also supplicate, which means a large amount of people supplicating and thus increasing the chances of the prayer being accepted. But the ideal situation is to have the entire world supplicate perchance Allah hears the supplication on one person amongst the billions and answers their prayers. Even more than this ideal is to have all of creation, from angels, to plants, animals, and living beings supplicating. And the highest station, which was reserved for the Prophet, was to have not only all of creation, but also Allah Himself supplicate for his noble being. So in the case of a believer, who has touched people close and distant, who have met him once or known him since his birth, he casts a wider net in the amount of people praying for him. And it could be that upon hearing the news of a believer who is in need of prayers, a stranger not even knowing him but hearing good things about him, hearing of his misery, raises his hands to Allah and supplicates. And because of a small deed of sincerity done by this supplicant, Allah answers his prayer and the believer is relieved, reality is changed, and people remember a miracle having taken place.

So Sa’ad lies recovering in the Nuero-trauma ICU of a hospital in MI, with loved ones around him and being in a situation that any one of thousands of people around of world had his/her prayer answered for his safe and speedy recovery. If only we all could be so blessed!!!!! We can, by truly believing in Allah and through our inner reality, the belief becomes manifest externally. Through belief come righteous deeds, and through righteous deeds, no matter how small or insignificant, come the blessings that Allah has made possible in His ultimate mercy towards us.