Chapter 9 | A lesson in faith

Both Mama and Papa tried to instill in us the understanding that oَnlyّ Allah is the provider. If ever we desired anything we should ask from Him foremost. 

Whilst Mama showed us generosity, Papa instructed us in it. That, from the beginning, was the vast difference between them.

The story of a saint, Rabia-al-Basri goes as follows: She had seated her guests down to a meal when there was a knock on the door. It turned out to be a beggar seeking food. She immediately removed the pieces of bread from her guests plate (which was the only food she had in her house) and gave it to the beggar.

This really bothered her guests but she said nothing.'

Not long thereafter there was a knock on the door. She opened it to find a slave girl carrying a basket of freshly baked bread. Upon inspection she discovered that their were only 18 loaves and not 20. Rabia-al-basri told the girl to take the bread back as this was not hers. The girl explained that it was in fact her bread. She had removed two loaves so as to test her faith.

Rabia counted them again: “That’s more like it.” So Rabia served the hungry men with twenty loaves instead of two. They were really baffled. “Two loaves, no loaves, twenty loaves – what does it all mean?” They asked.

“As soon as I saw you,” said Rabia, “I could tell you were hungry. Two little loaves of bread – how could that be enough for two holy men? Then I remembered the Promise: ‘You give one; I give ten.’ So I gave two to the beggar, but when only eighteen came back, I knew that there was either something wrong with my prayer, or that somebody had stolen them.”

When we're young, our faith is determined by what is instilled in us by those in charge. So we didn't question, we simply believed, with conviction.

We grew up believing and more than often we had witnessed the result of this.

One particular incident stands in mind more than other. Miya and I had taken a walk with Mama down the ever-busy Church Street. As a treat Mama purchased for us, each a roll of Wilson sweets. When we reached the robot on 6th Avenue, two young boys, a little older than us, stretched their hands out, begging.

We were asked by Mama for each of us to give a sweet to the boys, promising that we would receive 10 sweets in return. sweets which Mama had intended to place underneath our pillows once we got home

We had just reached the road opposite BP garage when the aunty from the basket shop in the corner, stopped us.

Papa never gave Mama any spending, fearing that she would gain independence and the free-will to do as she pleased along with it, and so, in order to make some money of her own, she covered baskets, for the basket shop aunty.

As we were about to leave the shop, she grabbed our arms and placed a packet of sweets in each of our palms.

Would you believe, there were 10 sweets in each packet. Mama said that on that day her own faith in َAllah was reaffirmed.