This is my first post here on WordPress (away from Xanga). I guess I have finally made the transition. I will try and put some of my old posts from xanga on here (once I figure it out and have enough time). So I guess welcome, and on with the post…
So I was driving back to my apartment and was pretty hungry. I was running out of food (that my Ama cooks for me every week to bring–may Allah bless her and all the mothers out there) so I decided to stop off at this little Chinese restaurant that is about a 4 minute drive from my apartment. I don’t really have many options, since I live in Bufu, so it’s either McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Potbelly’s, Subway, or Yan’s Hunan Inn #2 (I always wondered where #1 was…)
Yan's Hunan Inn # 2
Anyways, the first time I went there this is what happened:
*phone rings*
Lady: helloo yaaaaaans hunaaaaan IN
Me: umm yeah can I order for pick-up?
Lady: what you want!
Me: this is my first time ordering, what shrimp dishes are good?
Lady: all good…lunch special!
Me: ummm ok…see that doesn’t help me…
Lady: Hunan shrimp…orange shrimp…vegetable shrimp…oooo mmm all good! what you want!
Me: umm let me just get sweet and sour shrimp…what does that come with?
Lady: fried rice and eggroll
Me: what kind of egg roll
Lady: PORK!
Me: um ok can I just get more rice and no eggroll
Lady: ugh okayyyyy ready in 10 minutes…what your name!
Me: Alti….A-L-T-I…(said very clearly)
Lady: A-O-G-I…okay 10 minutes…*click*
I get there…
Lady: hello…welcome…what you want!
Me: um I had the pick-up order…sweet and sour shrimp…
Lady: should be ready in a few minutes…you pay now…
Me: *chuckle* yeah ok…*pays*…so where is Yans #1 joint? Is it that one on Green bay Rd?
Lady: *shrivels up nose as if someone burped and blew it towards her* no-ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh! This Yan’s Inn…
Me: but it says #2 *trails off*…forget it…
So after this amusing encounter with the lady I decided to go back for just shrimp fried rice (meh, it’s alright. About a 6 out of 10). So I called my Ama while I was driving there just to do one of my 2 every day check-ins via phone and see how she was. So I walked in and was on the phone and the lady recognized me (she was like yo Aogi, what’s good!). As I went up to pay I asked for more sweet ‘n’ sour sauce (because I mean come on, I LOVE sweet ‘n’ sour sauce!) and Ama laughed on the phone simultaneously with the lady behind the counter.
I told her that my mom was on the phone and she thought it was funny too. So I hung up and the lady was like “you a baby huh” and I said “yup, I sure am…” She then looked at me and was like “are you married?” and I said “nope” and she said “ohhh okay…one day you get married and you no talk to your mom no more…” and I looked her straight in the eye and I said “naw naw, no one can ever take the place of a mother…”
Subhan’Allah the look that this woman gave me, was indescribable. She reached over the counter and touched my hand and she said “maybe one day I wish I have son like you.” All I could think about is not that I was a good son (I have many shortcomings and am not even a decent son), but how people today treat their mothers. And this isn’t even a trend that we see amongst non-Muslims, but sadly enough, we see Muslims that treat their mothers similarly. When will we realize that if we obeyed our mother from the beginning of our birth until our death, that we would not have repayed her for a single breath that she took when giving birth to us? It really is mind boggling to see that we have the gall to be nicer and kinder and more patient with our friends than with our mothers. Because if you think about it, your friends are never there for you…really they aren’t. But who is the one person, regardless of the things that you may do, that is always there for you?
Your mother…
Yet we forget this, over and over again. Just ask yourself when the last time you hugged your mother was? When was the last time you placed a kiss on her forehead or on her cheek? The last time you told her you loved her? The last time you just sat there and looked at her face with a loving look, thanking Allah for the opportunity to benefit from having your mother still be alive? When was the last time you called your mother “meri jaan” or “habibti” or use some type of affectionate term?
If you are still lucky enough to have your mother around, then take advantage of her. Go give her a hug right now, or if you are not able to, call her and just tell her you were thinking about her. Don’t regret not doing these things when it’s too late…
Lastly, I’ll leave you with this video that has shaken my heart and the hearts of many. It is 6 minutes, and I encourage you to share it with as many people as you can (I’m sure most of you have seen it by now). It is by far one of the greatest reminders I have ever seen and every time I have seen it, I can’t help but get teary-eyed…
Oh and please make dua’a for my finals this week (I had one on Monday and have one on Thursday and Friday), I need them badly…
Hope this first post turns out alright…
keep it gully folks…
November 5, 2008 at 4:14 pm |
JazakAllah khayr. You have no idea what that clip (about mothers) made me realize. May Allah reward you. Ameen.
November 6, 2008 at 7:35 am |
Nice! That video was something else man. JAK.
P.S. Please change my link in your blogroll from http://saqibsaab.wordpress.com to http://www.saqibsaab.com thanks!
November 6, 2008 at 9:00 am |
mA the video makes you think and is really excellent.
Other than that, I really need to start writing a blog. You can make yourself look really good by writing about yourself. I’m just bothering you Alti. Love you bro. Lemme know when finals are over so you can come over.
November 6, 2008 at 9:26 am |
Saqib — done…add me to your blogroll if I am adding worthy…
Masum — oh mas…always trying to start something eh? I finish with finals tomorrow and then have a week off so I’ll be in the suburbs then will come back up to Waukegan…so we’ll aim for after next week…
November 8, 2008 at 7:46 am |
Nice video. Mashallah. May Allah bless you
November 8, 2008 at 11:08 am |
jazak’Allah khair and may He also bless you
November 8, 2008 at 4:12 pm |
chinese takeout reminded of the “and theennn” scene in dude, wheres my car…
very touching video…and good response to the chinese woman. jzk
November 11, 2008 at 1:31 pm |
Wow..mashAllah brother Alti that post was such a good reminder! You are such an excellent writer and a great example for us all…Keep it up! I was so sad when you took ur xanga down, but now I have something else to read! So you’re on break? When are we hanging out??
November 15, 2008 at 1:43 am |
Good to see you blogging again and thanks for putting me on your Blogroll. Inshallah, I hope Allah brings us all closer to our mothers and fathers. Ameen.
November 15, 2008 at 10:49 am |
Ameen to the dua’as and thanks for stopping by…
November 15, 2008 at 4:09 pm |
SubhaanAllah…I found ur xanga in my bookmarks n i ended up here…a couple of tears ran down my cheek just by reading your post…the way we take things for granted is merely unbelievable let alone unacceptable…Jazaakumullahu Khairan fa ahsanal jazaa for the realization.
May Allahu Tabaarak wa ta’ala help us all being there the most for all the ones who helped even in the slightest way. Aameen! May Allahu ‘azza wa jal make u successful in the goods in this world(ur exams n whatnot) and succesful in the hereafter!Aameen.
November 15, 2008 at 7:45 pm |
wow jazak’Allah khair for such a nice and sincere comment…I’m glad you enjoyed my posting…you’re right we do tend to take things for granted all of the time…it’s only when Allah takes it away from us that we truly understand the value of that thing…
November 19, 2008 at 6:06 pm |
Alti, added you!
November 21, 2008 at 11:03 am |
yeah… i really need to stop just thinking and actually start acting upon my thoughts. thx, aogi.
November 24, 2008 at 9:30 am |
Assalamu Allaykum brother Altamash,
Bissmillah,
May Allah reward you for posting this reminder. We all take things for granted, my father passed away couple years ago and we weren’t in good terms when he passed may Allah make him those that enter jannah tul firdouz. This breaks my heart, every time I remember the reason why we weren’t in good terms. He even called me a wk before he passed and told me he was really sick and that the doc told him he wouldn’t make it, I told him he would be fine, because at the time he wasn’t that sick. what I forgot was that would be our last phone call we had. He died the day before my high school graduation. As I write this I can’t help but cry, I am babysitting today and little jameelah is asking me why I am crying. May Allah forgive me and may Allah make my father those that enter jannah. Ameen
I blame myself everyday for not calling him and talking to him and asking him to forgive me and to make dua for me. I wasn’t close to him, I was really close to my mother. My parents divorced and I was on my mothers side during this event. No matter what happens between your mom and dad you should never take sides. NEVER
I don’t like posting this personal information on here, but I want you guys to know as muslims we can’t repay what our parents did for us since our birth. We all need to know our parents are really important specially our mothers, and we always have to remember to be there for them when they need us. Tomorrow might never come. My father died while he was upset with me, but deep down in my heart I know he forgave me because I was at the time really young and stupid. I plan on going to hajj next year and I’ll pay someone perform hajj on his behalf.
I remember when I was about 3 yrs old, and yes I remember everything. I got hurt while I was running, I hit my head on our gate, our home had a gate. My father brought me from school when this incident happened and I started bleeding a lot. He took me and put me on his shoulder and took me to the hospital on his shoulder. He had a car but he didn’t take his car, he walked, and I bleed on his shoulder. I remember this incident because I still have that mark on my head til today.
I didn’t live with my family when this incident with my father happened, but many of you are also in my situation and might be mad at one of your parents for stupid reason, but always remember to never go to sleep while you know your parents is upset with you for any reason. In my case it was stupid but it thought me a lot. I’ll never take my mom for granted, I talk to her everyday and I tell her that I love her everyday.
Ones again brother Altamash jazakallahu khair for posting this. I can’t thank you enough for the remainder.
InshaAllah I’ll keep you in my du’a that you pass your finals
November 24, 2008 at 1:37 pm |
jazak’Allah khair goes to you for sharing some of your most intimate feelings with everyone. I pray that Allah forgives your father and expands his grave and fills it with the sweetest of scents and that He does for all of our deceased Muslim brothers and sisters…
I understand how you may be feeling, and you may keep looking back at your father’s passing and wish you could have done things differently. Unfortunately, we can’t go back in time, because if we could, we would all change many things…
but Allah has blessed you by still allowing you to be with your mother. In my humble and very simple minded opinion, I view this as a way for you to redeem yourself (since you had stated that your relationship for your father was not how you wished it was), and mash’Allah I’m sure you are trying to take full advantage of it…
the story about your father carrying on his shoulder was a beautiful one and truly shows the unconditional and pure love a parent has for a child…unfortunately as children, we don’t understand why our parents stop us from certain things and we get mad and annoyed…only to later realize the wisdom behind it when we have kids of our own…
jazak’Allah khair once again for sharing your experience with us and may Allah always bless and protect you and your family
November 24, 2008 at 3:24 pm |
Jazakallahu khair brother,
I only shared this story to show tomorrow might never come. Don’t ever go to sleep without talking to your parents and while your upset with one of them. Alhumdulilah my relationship with my mother is one in a million and I don’t do anything without her permission. My mother just went to the hajj and the day she left I made sure I told her that I loved her and that to make dua for me while she’s in the blessed land.
Once again jazaks and may Allah reward you.
Wassaalam