Tahir Ahmad Khalifa, USA
Approximately twenty-six years ago in Quetta, Pakistan, we received an invitation to a marriage in the U.K. My wife decided to go, so she sent her passport to the British Deputy High Commission in Karachi to obtain a Visa. A few days later, she received a phone call from a consulate informing her that she had to appear for an interview the following day at 9 A.M.
Hurriedly, we set out by car for Karachi via Khuzdar for a ten-hour journey. It was a windy day when we left, but as we neared Khuzdar by midnight, it turned into a fierce dust storm. It was pitch dark and there was sand blowing on the road. Suddenly, the car was blown off the road. No matter how hard we tried, the car would not budge. Whenever we saw approaching headlights, my son and I would get out in the pitch dark and fierce wind and try to signal passing trucks and buses to help us. Unfortunately, instead of stopping, they sped past us. We could not stand against the fierce might of the blowing sand, so we decided to sit back in the car.
We realised that even if a truck stopped to help, we would not be able to move the car so firmly entrenched in the sand. A fear set in our hearts which made our souls bow to Allah, knowing only He could help us, as our efforts were proving futile. My wife, sitting in the back, remained in silent prayer the whole time. When we had almost lost hope of help from passing vehicles, a bus suddenly appeared. As it was passing us, it immediately slowed down. I heard air escaping the front side and realised its tire had punctured. After about 50 yards, it stopped. As I walked towards the bus, I saw that the bus staff had come out and had begun examining the tire. Eventually, they asked the passengers to come out of the bus, as it was inevitable that the tire would have to be replaced.
By the time I reached the bus, about 40 passengers had come out. I requested them to help us as our car was stuck in the sand. One leader-like passenger spoke in a loud voice, ‘Come on, brothers, let us help these people.’ So about 25 people accompanied me to the car and said: ‘Let us lift this car and put it on the road.’ I asked my wife to come out, but they said, ‘let our sister remain in the car.’ All of them lifted the car as my wife sat inside. They did not even let me help lift the car, as they put it back on the road.
I thanked them and said, ‘Brothers, you are angels sent by Allah to help me.’ Their response made me bow my head in thankfulness to Allah the Almighty. ‘We are not angels,’ they said, ‘You are. It was for you that our bus tire was punctured’.
It reaffirmed to my family and I that Allah the Almighty listens and answers the prayers of even sinners like me, not having any deed worth presenting to Him, and orders His angels to help His servants.
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