She was standing there, looking at us all in the eye, as if to see deep down into our heart. Her face was kind, motherly.
“This is good.” The title of her story.
So we paid attention.
“There was this King and a very close friend who became his most trusted companion. He followed the King everywhere he went. To the jungle, especially, when the King has the urge to hunt, which was his favourite pastime, it seemed.”
“One fated day, while the two was in a pursuit of a deer, the companion had accidently pulled the trigger at the wrong moment to the wrong target. He shot the King’s little finger, and it bled profusely.”
“The King became really angry, gave the companion the daggers’ look, and yelled, ‘why on earth did you shoot me?’ It was of course, an accident, and both the King and friend knew this. Now the King has lost one of his fingers. ”
“But the friend only said, ‘this is good’, which angered the King to the point of fuming rage. He sent the companion to the prison and eventually forgot about him.”
“A year later, the King went hunting, alone this time. He mistakenly entered into a prohibited part of the jungle, where the cannibals lived. It was really unfortunate of him, as he was tied up and imprisoned, to be made a special feast for the cannibals. You see, it was not very often that these people (
can they be called people?) manage to get human flesh for their dinner.”
I was thinking of Captain Jack at this point, being tied up to a bamboo, where a pile of woods was ready to be burned. Yes, gentlemen, I watched Pirates of the Caribbean. A favourite, in fact. =p
“When one the cannibals went to check on the King, he found that the King has only four fingers on his left hand, and the cannibals were alarmed. They have one prohibition, these cannibals, even if they have none of our civilization: they didn’t prey on the handicapped.”
“And so the King was freed, and with all the energy he could muster, he ran and ran back to his castle (
well, he may as well have ride a horse or something, was the thought that crossed my mind), and the first thing he remembered was of his friend. He told his officer to let the friend out from the dungeon, and with all the gratitude he felt, thanked him for having shot his finger, for that was what saved him that day.”
“The King told this friend of his terrifying experience, and conveyed his regret for having treated him like a criminal and putting him in prison. But the friend only smiled and said, ‘This is good.’”
“This confused the King, and he inquired, ‘How can you say that?’. The King thought maybe his friend has lost his mind, left so long in the cold dungeon.”
But we have started to see the picture.
“My beloved King, have my King not noticed, that have I not been put into prison, I would still be Your Lordship’s most loyal companion. Today I would have gone with Your Lordship to the jungle. Both of us would have been captured, but Your Lordship would be freed. I, in the other hand, have all my organs intact, and would be made the cannibals’ feast.”
“Again and again the friend said, ‘This is good’. But now the King understood.”
“I am sure that we’ve all heard the saying, ‘everything happens for a reason’, haven’t you?”
“We have,” some voiced out. Others nodded.
“By turning those words into a story, we can see it clearer, right?”
“Yes.” Again we nod.
“That is how you could deal with the society at large. Stories make your point clearer, more interesting.”
“And you should apply this attitude in yourselves. When things happened that are hard to accept, just say ‘this is good’. Because Allah has promised that He will only give you a test that you could bear, right? So put a smile on your face even in your hardest times.”
“Now I want to see your smile.”
And so we grinned.
The irony was, today, after screaming all the bad thoughts out of my heart for 30 seconds to the empty living room (
they just don’t yell back at you, so better stop, right?), spending half an hour attending to the hurt and anger, few seconds messaging two people I can put blame on (
obviously am not an angel), another half an hour answering messages from people who worried about me (
my appreciation gals, I truly love you, and thanks to you too, F & H), and all the times crying my heart out like a broken spirit (
which I thought I was), I stopped.
“This is good. This must be good. I have Allah, have I not? It is only His blessing that I strive for, not human's appreciation. It is Allah who requires me to work for him. And I’ll give all in my journey to obtain His approval of me. I will be strong. No, I am strong.”
And again, I could smile. See, it wasn’t that hard, diy. You're okay now.
May Allah be with you, in each and every step you take.
:)
