Yesterday the dear brother Muawiyah al-Otaibi lost his son Iyas, the two-year-old in the picture. He and the child's mo…
Yesterday the dear brother Muawiyah al-Otaibi lost his son Iyas, the two-year-old in the picture. He and the child's mother searched for him but didn't find him...until they found he had drowned shortly before in a small fountain that wasn't thought capable of drowning anyone.
The father extracted his son with his own hands, prostrated to Allah...informed the neighborhood people and acquaintances...they prepared the child, prayed over him, then went with his father to the cemetery and buried him with the grief Allah knows they had. Abu Iyas (Muawiyah) stood by the grave preaching to people and reminding them of contentment with Allah's decree. At dinner he led them in prayer and recited in the first unit (And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient (155) Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return" (156) Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided (157)), and in the second unit: (No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah - He will guide his heart. And Allah is Knowing of all things (11)).
Some people experience far less than this and become resentful! While you see one who grew up memorizing and acting upon the Quran and Sunnah (like Abu Iyas as far as I can tell and Allah is his reckoner) being content and submitting to Allah. Abu Iyas doesn't lack mercy for his son and intense love for him as his only male child with two daughters, may my Lord preserve them - you sense the love and pain of loss in the trembling of his voice as you console him. But nevertheless he knows this world is an abode of trial, so he stood telling people while preaching to them: (Allah gave him to me, and Allah took him). By Allah, Allah's mercy is manifested in such situations when you see how He steadies His servants and sends down contentment and tranquility upon them.
May He pour patience upon you, O family of Iyas, and steady you and comfort your hearts and make this son of yours a forerunner to Paradise for you.