The Promise

“I know, I shouldn’t have done that. I cannot deny that it was a sin. The same sin for which I have repented a number of times yet, I did it again! I need to repent truly this time.  I need to be determined not to do this again; otherwise, I might not have a chance in the hereafter. I know, I know I need to change. I need to become better. I know about the importance of praying on time, I know how magical it is to pray at night and to continue to read the Qur’an. Well, let me be truthful with myself; it is not all that, I also need to start to behave better with people. I need to be a better husband and a better son; I should also be a better brother and a better friend. Okay, I know, I also need to be more conscious about how I earn money and how I spend it. I need to change; I need to be a better servant of God.

I can do that, no problem! I will do all that. Let me have a rest tonight and enjoy one last day tomorrow with the things I am used to. I will then do a true repent and become what I want to become. I promise myself to become a man of God after tomorrow. Let me see, what day will it be? Oh yes, Saturday, perfect! What is better than starting the change from the start of the Islamic week? Here we go, let me mark it in my diary … aha … ok, a nice tick, to remind me I will do a true repent on Saturday and will start a new life as a God-conscious person. It is time to sleep now. Hang on, how long is it until the Morning Prayer? Oh well, let me sleep tonight, I will do it every day from Saturday, for sure. Good night, me!”

So, the man slept. That night every thing was normal. The house was warm and cosy, the fridge had in it all that was needed for a good breakfast, and the clock alarm was set to ring at eight in the morning when, the man would wake up as usual and get ready to go to work.

One thing however, was slightly different that night. You know, there is a certain amount of blood flow that needs to reach the brain to keep the brain working. That night, no one knows why, somehow, something reduced the flow of blood in his body, to the extent that for a few minutes, no blood reached his brain. Morning came, the clock rang, but the man did not get up to stop the alarm. Later that morning, his body was found, lying on the bed, as if, he had been asleep for days.

It was very sad, of course and every one helped to bring things back to normal as soon as possible. They helped with the burial and the mourning ceremony and overall, it all went quite well. During the ceremonies and afterwards, every now and then, his family members and friends would remind each other of him with a smile. They were, of course very close to him and knew him very well. They knew almost every thing about him … almost everything. One thing that they did not know of course, was that the man had promised himself things that were very important to him … but he never had a chance to fulfil that promise.

His sudden death however, triggered a wakeup call for many. Consequently, one of his closest friends found some time to reflect on his own life and then, in a moment of awakening, he made a pledge, a promise, to become a better person, “at the first possible chance”. It was near midnight after the mourning ceremony and the best friend of the deceased was ready to go to sleep.

That night every thing was normal. The house was warm and cosy, the fridge had in it all that was needed for a good breakfast, and the clock was ticking…!