Overcoming Hardships Reflections

The Accident.

It was just like in the movies. Life paused for a second and I was lost in a sea of blankness. All of a sudden reality came rushing in. The sound of my 2 and a half-year-old daughter screaming in terror was followed by the sound of my heart pounding and heavy panting as I scrambled to look for my glasses.

We were hit from behind as we were making a left turn in the car.

I hugged my daughter tightly after I took her out of her car seat. As I stumbled out I heard a voice behind a blurred face saying, “I am so sorry, I did not see you.”  Sirens came rushing in from the distance, police redirected traffic and EMTs checked us out and announced that we were okay. The police officer finished his report and I walked over to the Wrangler and grabbed some personal belongings before the tow truck took it away.

It was all a deafening blur.

A week later I went to see the mechanic. He stated the car was totaled as he showed me where it had buckled in the back and in the middle. I saw the trunk door bent in only a few inches from the back of my daughter’s car seat. Shards of glass glistened all over the backseat. The mechanic looked at me and said, “That was a big hit. You are lucky you walked out of this okay.”

Lucky? No such thing as luck.

“And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there within the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record.” (Qur’an, 6:59)

Subhan’Allah (glory be to Allah). When I recount the story, I actually start a couple of days before the accident. My mother-in-law was visiting so I moved my daughter’s car seat from its usual location to make room. I also did something different. I decided to tether the car seat to a hook in the back of the Wrangler. It was completely random, at least I thought. That tethering saved my daughter, by the will of Allah, because when I went back to look at the car seat the buckle had come off and the car seat was not attached to anything except that tether.

 “And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Qur’an, 16:18)

I would have been justified had I yelled, screamed or even charged the guy whose car hit us. The accident took place four hours after my wife gave birth to our son. I had taken my daughter out to lunch to celebrate and to give my wife a couple of hours of rest. Our beautiful day of joy was marred by his negligence and the outcome could have been much worse for me or, God forbid, for my daughter. But, subhan’Allah all I could think of as I staggered out of my wrecked car with my daughter tightly in my arms was, “Alhamdullilah, praise be to God, we are both safe.”

It was at that moment, the moment when I made the conscientious decision to accept God’s plan and be thankful – not bitter, that I was overcome with a sense of peace and serenity. It was at that moment that I fully understood what Allah says in Surat al-Hadeed, 

“No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being – indeed that, for Allah , is easy – ”

“In order that you not despair over what has eluded you and not exult [in pride] over what He has given you. And Allah does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful – ” (Qur’an, 57:22-23)

Trials and tribulations are part of life. We all get tested and in various ways. Allah says in Surat Al-Baqarah:

And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient.” (Qur’an, 2:155)

The constant in the above ayah is the fact that we will be tested; the variable is our response to the test. For us to gain the Boshra (glad tiding) promised by Allah, we must be patient and patience is strengthened by faith and faith is strengthened by being tested. Hasbuna Allah wa ni`m al-wakeel (Verily Allah is most sufficient for us and He is the best sustainer) is a statement that always rolled off my tongue; but I never really fully grasped what it meant until the accident.

About the author

A. Elasmar

A. Elasmar

A. Elasmar is of Palestinian decent and was raised in Qatar. He earned a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree and is currently an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice. A. Elasmar is active in his local masjid, helps organize a halaqa, and gives Friday Khutbahs. He is also active in da`wah and is a guest lecturer for a World Religions class. His former pseudonym for this website was Nomad78.

41 Comments

  • I passed a very similar experience but thanks Allah I was alone in the car …Thanks Allah for the safety and the new chance of life

  • Subhanallah! I had the exact accident with my two children, except the woman hit us from the front as she was speeding and not paying attention. By Allah’s miracle not a single person in the accident was harmed. We all walked away. Car was also totalled. The hood almost at my face. And I too walked away being so thankful and mesmerized that everyone was fine that I could not be angry. I kept thinking, 2 seconds and that would have been a totally different accident…and I stopped there. Not a soul can convince me Allah and his angels weren’t in that intersection. And all I’ve been trying to understand since is, did I miss the lesson? Was there something more I was supposed to gain?

    Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience. May Allah continue to bless and protect your family.

    Wa salaam.

  • Mashallah. You got out ok. But many of our brothers and sisters fail at these tests. Within my circle one deeply religious brother stopped when his best friend was tortured and killed by Islamist youth party in Punjab years in the late 80’s. Another very devout brother spent most of his life in good deeds and prayer but when he was is mid 60’s he was struck by sever stroke and he did recover but he also stropped praying and believing. May Allah never give us more than we can bear.

    • Subhanallah. Those are very sad things to hear. I just wanted to say that Allah Subhanawata’allah says that he will never give us anything that is more than we can bear. Inshallah, those people will believe again.

  • Subhan Allah…very nice..and true …bring tears in my eyes….we really are very cruel to ourselves when we don’t believe or I should say …when we don’t give a second thought to the words ..Allah(SWT) has given us in the form of the Holy Quran…

    I pray that we all may be able to understand the Holy Quran in its true sense..Amin Sum Amin…

    Congrats on the birth of your son..! May Allah’s Blessings be with u & ur family Always…Amin.!

  • Alhumdulillah that you guys are safe and congratulation on the birth of your son.

    May Allah protect all of us from difficulties and miseries.

  • Jazakallah Khair for sharing this personal story with us. I know that I learned a lot and Inshallah the other readers have learned a lot as well.

  • Subhanallah.. Alhamdulillah you are okay brother.. May Allah guide and protect you always and all our brother and sister in Islam..

  • SUBHNALLAH!!!!
    ALHAMDULILLAH BOTH YOU AND YOUR DAUGHTER ARE OK..MAY ALLAH BLESS YOUR NEW SON AND GRANT HIM MANY BLESSINGS AND GRANT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY FIRDOUS INSHALLAH!:)

  • “The constant in the above ayah is the fact that we will be tested”
    The exact article i needed for the moment.
    My mother has been admitted in ICU since a week. Doctors say it may take less than a week or maybe even more than 2 weeks for her to heal. It all depends on Allah(SWT).
    Guys its my humble request to please offer a small prayer for my mother if possible.
    Thnks

  • Salam Alaykum,i thank Allah 4 u what we would have be saying by now Allihamdulah!!! Allah is in control of everything

  • Subuhaanallaah, god forgive us,and give us patience.for the person whose mother is admitted in iCU,may allah give u patience and give ur mother a quick recovery.

  • Alhamdulilah you are safe with your daughter.I got myself answer from last Aya (2-155)as i was worried for some tasks.

  • Yes, Allah knows everything and He is one and the only One knows what happened, happening and would happen in the earth. Pray for every muslim to get as gift and reward the Jannathul Firthouse.

  • Alhamdulillah!!! the reflection, explanation, the reminder and the advise are all we need all the times to sustain our IMAN! Wal Asr’ Allahuakbar!!!

  • Ya Allah…Alhamdulillah brother…the Ayath which were quoted were eye openers for me… Even I went through a terrible accident, my wife was 9 months pregnant, there was a kid in the back seat, and my mother in law in the car….the wind shield was smashed totally, after a scooter fell directly on it….Subhanallah…nothing happened…Ya Allah…

  • Jazakallahu Khairan for sharing your story with us! May we all find serenity and contentment in whatever trials Allah puts in our path, inshaAllah. May Allah always protect you and your family inshaAllah.

  • قل هو الله احد* الله صمد* لم يلد ولميولد*ولم يكن له كفوًً احد Let’s worship ALLAH(swt) alone, let’s have trust on the almighty Allah, let’s ask forgiveness from Allah, he ( ALLAH) is forgiver.

    Alhamdulillah U and ur daughter are safe now by the help of Allah, we should learn many many things from zis story, thank u for sharing.

    Ma’Selama

  • salam alaykum, congratulation for the new born baby, may we always receive Allah’s meacy i had a very terrible accident too last year November but alihamdulilahi God save me, my daugther my unborn baby i was 4months pregnant then, only my daugther has a very dip cut on her head nothing happen to my me and my pregnant the wound is heal is just the mark any time i sees her head I always say Alihamdulilahi.

  • ASC,
    Dear brother, first of all i would like to say congratulations on the birth of your son, May Allah bless you with his gifts to you and may you give thanks, may the child reach the maturity of years, may you be granted its righteousness.

    Jazakallahukhayr for sharing your personal experience with us.

  • MasyaAllah.. The miracles of Allah, and Alhamdullillah you and your daughter walked away fine.
    As I read your story, it brought tears to my eyes as I was in a car accident too 5 years ago. I had a cervical spinal injury that could have left me a quadriplegic. All the doctors and specialists that treated me was amazed that I was still walking. They said that I could have been paralyzed from the neck down. I was put on a collar for a year and was advised to not move around much so I can recover. Finally I had a surgery to have a metal implant on my spine to support and protect it. With the grace of Allah SWT, I am fine and still walking today.
    Your article reminded me to always be grateful and believes that Allah is always with me. He will not test us beyond our ability. I learn to be more appreciative of what Allah has given me all this while. Everything that I have and a 2nd chance in life. Alhamdullillah, thank you Allah for your love and thank you Brother for sharing your story.

  • if peace is not a target but a decision, then indeed God is Fair because everyone can decide in this world, but not everyone can achieve.

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