Two kind hearts

I met them in Leicester on my way to Leeds but since we stopped over at Clydach, I got carried away with shopping at the wednesday car boot sale there and arrived later than expected. It was't clear to me that my daughter had arranged for an earlier meeting. Anyway, we reached their house without difficulty with the guide of the UK map (thank you 7-11) as our Tom Tom was in Leeds.

When we parked the car, I saw a british man with white beard came out to greet us with a smiling and welcoming face. His name is brother Daud R. Mathew or previously known as David. I had high expectation of them as my daughter talked so much of them and their dakwah work - they are very much committed. We entered the house... a very lively and comfortable house, I should say. Across the room, I was greeted by a pakistani lady sitting on a sofa - smiling and eager for our hugs. She was not well for some days before - my daughter told me the last time she saw her, she was not that thin. She told me she had lost a lot of weight but alhamdulillah, recovering. She moves around in wheel chair - for many years now.

As we chatted along from one topic to another, I found them amusing. They are one of the most beautiful couple I've seen. Brother Daud told us that they are never bored of each other. They are two brainy people and very supportive to each other. They met in Oxford when the sister Anis was doing her PhD in nuclear physics and brother Daud was working at the university. She told us how she managed to impressed Oxford professors when she presented her PhD proposal ideas. Indeed, the professors were amazed of how good the idea was and as soon as she knew her idea was accepted, she asked for a permission to flee the room and pray 2 rakaat of solat to say thanks to Allah. How many of us would do that when we are grateful?

Brother Daud was attracted to Islam the first time when he saw her doing her solat at a corner of a room. She gave him a book of Islam so that he can understand more of the religion. How he embraced Islam can be read from his article "A Sleepless Night", published by the Brunei Times. He took shahadah in 1973, 18 months after doing solat and fasting. He thought he had not known much. They also told us how the family in Pakistan eventually accepted him and they got married in Pakistan. The things that they told us was really fascinating. They worked in Saudi Arabia for several years before they reside in the UK and have been doing the dakwah work ever since. Both of them are actively involve in giving talks about Islam and dakwah especially during the Islamic Awareness week, one of many programs organized by FOSIS (Federation of Student Islamic Societies) in the UK.

They invited us to stay for the night but since we had to drive to Leeds for my daughter's graduation, we had to turn down the offer but indeed, I was tempted. I told them that they have to write a book on their autobiography as I know for sure, they can really inspire many other muslims to do dakwah too, insya'Allah. Some of us are not doing it at all. May Allah forgive us for our negligence.

Time flew so fast when you are having a good time. Before we knew it, it's already time to hit the road again. Before we left, brother Daud gave us his book (newly published) as a souvenir  and signed it. It says.....

"A small gift to help you remember our first meeting - the beginning of a long and lasting friendship" Daud and Anis

July 2011

Again they invited me to stay for a month with them so that I can help them write the book I suggested. What a good offer! I would really love to do that but with my work here, I don't know if it is possible. As I left the house, I thank Allah for sending me 2 new friends with kind hearts into my life. May this friendship help us to grow closer to Him, The Al-Mighty. I remember a hadith that said...

From Abu Dawood, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Never do two Muslims shake hands except that their sins are forgiven before they depart.”

They Took Their Oath....

The congregation for the conferment of degrees was so grand and merry with less protocol - short and nice. The Vice Chancellor’s speech was very meaningful and not too formal which to me, seemed to connect to all these students who were sitting there, listening well. Then they called their names and one by one, each student went on the stage to get his or her scroll. They are young doctors.. ready to serve and help people. It was indeed a moving moment for many – especially for those parents whom had thrived to send their daughters/sons to medical school. Behind all those success, I believe each one of them had their own stories to tell. Tears were difficult to hold back and I am sure, other parents felt the same. We sat there enjoying every sweet moment of success. You can see parents at their best – I bet many had ordered special suits for the occasion as indeed it was a special moment for everyone. At the end of the session, the graduates of Leeds University Medical School stood up and read their oath….

I solemnly pledge myself to consecrate my life to the service of humanity,

I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude which is their due;

I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity;

The health of my patient will be my first consideration;

I will respect the secrets which are confided in me, even after the patient has died;

I will maintain by all the means in my power the honour

And the noble traditions of the medical profession;

My colleagues will be my sisters and brothers;

I will not permit considerations of age, disease

or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, or social standing to intervene between my duty and my patient;

I will maintain the utmost respect for human life from its beginning 

even under threat and I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity;

I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honour.

That was the oath written beautifully for these young graduates. They read and we listened quietly with contentment as they made their oath. I hope they meant what they had just recited. We need sincere and caring doctors for our future. They will be one of the most important group of professionals in the society and I am happy my daughter was among them. 


I am grateful for the success Allah has rewarded us and right now, I just want to sincerely thank Allah. My heart was full of emotions and my tears were rolling down......

Thank you Allah for everything!

A Long and Winding Road....

When Alice in Wonderland reached a cross road, she asked the wise owl, “Which way should I take?”. The wise owl asked Alice, “Where do you wanna go, Alice?”. Alice said, “I don’t know”. Then the wise owl replied, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you can take any path you want”.

In life, we often reach crossroads where we don’t know which road to take. Life comes with many uncertainties and this is where the beauty lies. If everything goes as planned and all happenings in life are predictable, I bet many of us would just die of boredom.

It was still vivid in my mind when I came to a point in my life when I just don’t know what to do and which path should I take. Being parents, we always want to do everything within our might for our children. But this one time is a bit too far beyond my reach. The dilemma was, should I send my daughter to Medical School?  The issue was not only about medical school but sending a child to medical school without any sponsorship means substantial financial implication that we wouldn’t be able to bear. This happened 5 years ago and tonight, everything was so crystal clear.

One evening I heard from Sheikh Abdullah Yaseen in our class that reading the holy Quran is the solution to any muslim’s problem. Be it a mathematical problem, financial problem or anything at all. All you need is to have trust in Allah who has the knowledge of what is best for everyone. I prayed to Allah to send me a sign – a way out, to give an instinct in my heart on what to do next at this crossroad – like what a mother should have.

A few days back, we went to Leeds – to look for an opportunity for a scholarship from any organization at all. My daughter had a bag packed with her clothes, all ready for her registration at Leed University Medical School. It was a mixed feelings when we went because I know that there was a high possibility of not getting what we hoped for – a scholarship. Before even register, we met several university officers and talked about the possibility of getting any scholarship but to no avail. She had an offer letter in her hands but without any financial support, it seemed impossible. Five years of medical school in the UK is the cost of a huge bungalow in Kuala Lumpur, which I could not afford. I don’t want living my life paying debts. After making sure that there was no way to get any means for financial support, we had to leave Leeds. It was heart wrenching to see my daughter carrying her bag back onto the car and off we went back to Swansea.

That morning in Swansea, I read the holy Quran before going to my research lab - hoping that Allah will show me what is best. I always look at what happened as a sign from the Lord. I once was asked by an AFS son from Germany what makes me think of all the happenings as signs and what if they are not. I told him that everything that happens around us is never a coincidence. They all happen for some good reasons. How can we say the Big Bang was a coincidence? The movement of the planets around the sun – they are all precise calculations of the Creator. So how can everything else around them be regarded as coincidence – They are nothing but precise calculations too.  With this understanding, I learnt to put meanings into everything that happened in my life. With this trust in the precise calculations of my Creator, I learnt to trust Him. I had this trust all along and this is how I gained my strength in life.

After reading the Quran, I went to my research lab and opened my email as my daily routine. There it was – a mail from a very good friend in Malaysia. He knew my dilemma. He told me to send my daughter to medical school without thinking twice. He said, when it comes to his children, any sacrifices are all worth it. I knew my daughter might get her scholarship in later years, but I was scared that we would be turned down. One can never tell the future and the risk was too high. With this encouragement, I suddenly realize that perhaps, that was the answer to my uncertainty. We had a discussion and after a few days, we were back in Leeds, registering her for Medical School. We gather what we had to pay for the fees and indeed, we had enough, Alhamdulillah.  We had enough for the first year of Med School fee. We dare not think of her second year or the next few years’s. But at that time, I only want to take one step at a time. We received many words of encouragement from friends and we were so happy and proud to be able to send her to Med School.

The second year, we appealed for scholarship and the Malaysian government agreed to pay for her fees. It was good enough for us. With our own PhD scholarship and some working hours, we send her monthly allowance and I believe she was able to live comfortably. The third year, we appealed again for full scholarship and we even sent a letter to the Prime Minister. My mom in Malaysia was amazed to receive a reply from the Prime Minister’s office. We wrote several letters to many others too. That year, she received a full scholarship. We were on cloud nine… I can’t  begin to express my happiness when I heard after the scholarship meeting that our application pulled through. May Allah reward them for their kindness in accepting our application.

We were so relieved at that time. Our daughter was able to study without any worries after that. It was indeed a long ordeal but Alhamdulillah, we were so grateful with all the hurdles that we had to jumped in order to get to the finishing line.

Tonight, she was on the other side of the world and we were on Yahoo messenger.  We waited for her final year exam result. It was announced online. The moment she told us that she passed, we were indeed very grateful. The feeling was indescribable. Everything that we had gone through in order to put her to medical school came rushing back to my head. Indeed it is a great feeling of success. I put my head on the ground in prostration, thanking Allah for everything.

That crossroad took us to a good spot now. There is still a long and winding road ahead for this young doctor but we are grateful that the path to take is clearer now. It is up to her now to run or to walk. We had done our part. We make doa that the road that lies ahead is not so crooked and not too bumpy. May Allah help us to persevere and keep these children of ours to be strong and be able to share and assist those who are passing through that same long and winding road in whatever way they can. Indeed, life would be meaningful if you can benefit others around you. Being there at that crossroad made you realize that taking chances can lead to success if you are really determined, insya’Allah. If the road you take is long and winding, keep your heads high and set your goal clear… when you know where you want to go, half of the difficulties are taken care of. That long and winding road might be the best path of your life.

Allah says in the Quran,….

“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient ones” (Quran 2:155)“.