There was once I met with a minor but freak accident on an escalator in Bedok. As a result, the big toe on my right foot received 5 stitches and I went to work for the next 7 days in sandals. As it turned out, the incident and the entire process of recovery was a constant source of reminder for me that many things I take for granted are a result of Allah’s Will and not of my own doing.
As I lay on the operating bed in the A&E department, waiting for the doctor on duty to stitch my toe up after only an hour’s wait, I thought about the blessings of being in a country with excellent healthcare infrastructure and the millions of others without such a privilege. Only by dint of where I was born, which had nothing to do with me and everything to do with Allah’s Will.
As I winced in pain with the tetanus injection and with every injection of local anesthetic around the deep gash, I thought about being alive in an era when healthcare had advanced so much that the risks of amputation or death from the procedure I was going through was minimal. Only by dint of when I was born, which had nothing to do with me and everything to do with Allah’s Kindness.
As my wife dutifully changed the dressing for me every other day, my children’s inquisitive looks and questions, and my mother enquiring about the wound every time we met, I thought about the blessing of being surrounded by a loving family. Only by dint of who I was born to and the people who came into my life, which had nothing to do with me and everything to do with Allah’s Love.
As I hobbled to and from home to various places over the next week, I thought about being able to live life with a fully functioning body devoid of disabilities and chronic disease. Only by dint of being spared from being involved in a major crippling accident or a debilitating diseases, which had little to do with me and everything to do with Allah’s Mercy.
And as I put on my socks and shoes for the first time since the accident, I thought about how I needed to act on these reminders and all the major and minor blessings I have received so far. Only to be a grateful servant to Allah.