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Help of Allah Is Always Near!
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| Aminah Assilmi |
| "This veil warns people upfront that I am not a woman to be messed with. It shows that I am a woman with a mind and that I know I am more than a body. In no way does this veil equal oppression and we don’t want you to feel sorry for us." |
Or do ye think
That ye shall enter
The Garden (of Bliss)
Without such (trials)
As came to those
Who passed away
Before you?
They encountered
Suffering and adversity,
And were so shaken in spirit
That even the Messenger
And those of faith
Who were with him
Cried: "When (will come)
The help of Allah?" Ah! Verily the help of Allah
Is (always) near! (Quran 2: 214)
Perhaps the air of Colorado was too thin for justice. Or perhaps there was a
plan in Allah’s greater scheme of affairs. Aminah Assilimi later fought back and
took her case to the media. Although she did not get custody of her children again,
a change was made in the Colorado law that one cannot be denied child custody on the
basis of his or her religion.
Indeed Allah’s love and mercy engulfed her so much that, as if, she has been granted
the touchstone of Islam. Wherever she goes, people are touched by her beautiful
words and Islamic manners and become Muslim.
By accepting Islam, she became a changed person, and a much better person. So much so
that her family, relatives, and people around her started appreciating her mannerism
and the faith that brought about such changes in her. Despite her family’s initial
reaction, she remained in touch with them and addressed them with respect and
humility, just as the Qur’an enjoins the Muslims to do. She would send cards to her
parents on different occasions, but she would always write down a verse from the Qur’an
or the Hadith without mentioning the source of such beautiful words of wisdom. It was
not long before she started making a positive influence among her family members.
The first to become Muslim was her grand mother. She was over 100 years old. Soon
after accepting Islam, she died. “The day she pronounced Shahada, all her misdeeds
had been erased, while her good deeds were preserved. She died so soon after accepting
Islam that I knew her “book” was bound to be heavy on the good side. It fills me with
such a joy!”
Next to become Muslim was her father, the one who wanted to kill her after she became
Muslim. Thus he brought alive the story of Umar ibn Khattab. Umar was a companion of
the Prophet who persecuted the early Muslims before he converted to Islam. When he
heard one day that his sister became a Muslim, he went out with an open sword to
kill her. But upon hearing some of the verses from the Qur’an that his sister was
reciting, he recognized the truth and went straight to the Prophet and accepted Islam.
Two years after she (Assilmi) accepted Islam, her mother called and said that she
appreciated her faith and hoped that she would keep it. Couple of years later, she
called again and asked her about what one would need to do to become a Muslim. Assilmi
replied that one had to believe that there is only One God and Muhammad was his
Messenger. “Any fool knows that. But what do you have to do?”, she asked again.
She replied that if that is what she believed, then she was already a Muslim! At this,
her mother said, “Well … OK. But let’s not tell your father just
yet”.
She was not aware that her husband (Assilmi’s step father) had had the same
conversation with her a few weeks earlier. Thus the two lived together as Muslims
for years in secret without knowing that the other was also a Muslim.
Her sister who wanted to put her in mental institution accepted Islam as well. She must
have realized that becoming Muslim is indeed the most healthy and sound thing to do.
Her son, upon becoming adult, accepted Islam. When he turned 21, he called her and
said that he wanted to become a Muslim.
Sixteen years after the divorce, her ex-husband also accepted Islam. He said that he
had been watching her for sixteen years and wanted his daughter to have the same
religion that she had. He came to her and apologized for what he had done. He was a
very nice gentlemen and Assilimi had forgiven him long ago.
Perhaps the greatest reward for her was yet to come. Assilmi later married another
person, and despite the doctors’ verdict that she could never conceive another child,
Allah blessed her with a beautiful boy. If Allah (swt) makes a gift to someone, who can
prevent Him? It was truly a wonderful blessing from Allah (swt), and so she named
him “Barakah”.
That ye shall enter
The Garden (of Bliss)
Without such (trials)
As came to those
Who passed away
Before you?
They encountered
Suffering and adversity,
And were so shaken in spirit
That even the Messenger
And those of faith
Who were with him
Cried: "When (will come)
The help of Allah?" Ah! Verily the help of Allah
Is (always) near! (Quran 2: 214)