From our Muslim chaplain archive #2
2nd June 2020
As I sit at home trying to work with distractions from my youngest daughter coming in and out of my ‘home office’ I try to work out where we are and what is happening in the world today. There is so much beyond our immediate control that it can easily become overwhelming. In the holy Qur’an Allah says in verse 2:155:
“Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere”
Readers, I urge you to be patient in these times of difficulty. I leave you with the following recent words of an Italian doctor:
“Never in the darkest nightmares did I imagine that I could see and live what has been happening here in our hospital for three weeks. The nightmare is flowing, the river is getting bigger and bigger.
At first some came, then dozens and then hundreds. Now we are no longer doctors, but we have become classifiers on the treadmill and we decide who lives and who should be sent home to die, although all these people have paid taxes all their lives.
Until two weeks ago, my colleagues and I were atheists; it was normal because we are doctors and we learned science and science was told to exclude the presence of God. I always laughed at my parents going to church.
Nine days ago a 75 year old pastor came to us. Gentle man, he had great respiratory problems. He had a Bible and we were impressed that he read it to the dying and they took him by the hand. As all the new doctors were tired, discouraged, psychologically and physically exhausted, when we had time we would listen to the pastor. Now we have to admit that we, as humans, have reached our limits; more we cannot do, and more people die daily. We are exhausted, we already have two colleagues who have died and others are unemployed. We realized that where what man can end ends, we need God and we begin to ask ourselves questions when we have a few free minutes. We talk among ourselves and we cannot believe that from ferocious atheists we have become believers to find our peace, asking the Lord to help us resist so that we can take care of the sick.
Yesterday the 75-year-old pastor died, which until today, despite the fact that we had more than 120 dead in 3 weeks here, we had all ended up wanting; We are destroyed because the old shepherd managed, during his stay, to bring us a peace that we no longer expect to find. The pastor went to the Lord and we will soon follow him. I have not been home for 6 days, I do not know when I last ate, and I realize my uselessness on this earth and I want to dedicate my last breath to help others.
I am happy to have returned to God while surrounded by the suffering and death of my fellow men. “
We are still contactable here in the University of Gloucestershire- feel free to drop me an email or text on the contacts below.
Go well
Atique Miah