The Gift of a House from God: A True Story

Nayyar Khokhar, USA

In 1998, Waseem Pall and his family embarked on a new journey by migrating to the United States — a venture that was equally spelled by both hope and uncertainty.

It was not easy to start a new life in the United States. In many ways, the Pall family’s migration was like being dropped into the middle of the ocean without a life jacket. Without God’s grace, there was no hope of staying afloat, nevermind finding their way to safe shores. Thankfully, in the early days, like many immigrants, the Pall family was able to live with a relative. For eight months — as they continued fighting against the current of life’s troubled waters — they lived with the late Mansoor Ahmad Pall.

It was during these early days of the Pall family’s migration that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Virginia was in the midst of undertaking a significant project: the construction of the Mubarak Mosque in Central Virginia. In their hearts, the Pall family possessed a great love for their community — a love that always gave them the willpower to make any and every sacrifice. Naturally, when they learned of the Mubarak Mosque project, they became eager to contribute to the construction of the mosque by any means possible. Thus, despite the fact that they were still struggling to navigate their own struggles as new immigrants — with Waseem Pall yet to secure a stable job and their family’s asylum status remaining uncertain — the couple readily decided to donate gold that belonged to Waseem’s wife Farhat, putting it forth with great zeal and enthusiasm.

‘As to the men that give alms, and the women that give alms, and those who lend to Allah a goodly loan — it will be increased manifold for them, and theirs will also be an honourable reward’ (Holy Qur’an, 57:19).

It did not take long for the Pall family to witness the miraculous way in which believers are rewarded for their spiritually-driven sacrifices. Following their contribution to the Mubarak Mosque project, Allah the Almighty accepted one of the Pall family’s most ardent prayers, which was for their asylum case to pass. Remarkably, not only did the case pass, but it passed in record time — just one week from the date of their application! From this point on, it seemed that their family’s prayers kept on bearing fruit. Not only had they now been granted asylum, but Waseem Pall’s professional journey took a turn for the better, too. He secured a position with Siemens in Atlanta, Georgia (where he climbed the ranks and is now a senior consulting commissioning engineer).

Blessed with a stable source of income and a growing family, Waseem Pall set his sights towards homeownership. The family was captivated by one particular model home in a burgeoning community in Woodstock, Georgia. It was at this same time that the Local President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for Georgia sought Waseem’s donation toward acquiring a new mosque. With unwavering faith, and through the resolve they’d gained from their prior experiences, Waseem and his wife decided to donate the money they’d saved for their home’s down payment — putting it forth as a contribution for the mosque. They firmly believed that if they sacrificed for the cause of Allah, He would reward them abundantly, just as He’d already done once before.

Soon, the unexpected happened, when a strange opportunity arose. In the neighborhood where the Pall family was set to move, the builders had a unique annual tradition: they conducted a raffle wherein one lucky participant could win a home for free. There was no entrance fee, no gambling of any sort — the winner simply walked away with a key to a new home. The home builders reached out, informing Waseem that he was among the five finalists for their house raffle. To determine the winner, they organised a special event in Atlanta, Georgia.

The evening before this event, a significant dream graced Farhat Pall wherein she saw herself being protected from the cold by a blanket that had been thrown overat her by an angel. She understood the dream to mean that great blessings were impending, and that the favor of God Almighty would be generously bestowed upon her family once more.

The raffle day was nothing short of cinematic — it was a moment when a person couldn’t help but hold their breath. Waseem and his children, Mashal and Mehwish, watched as the anticipation-filled event unfolded. In a final draw, Waseem was chosen first to try inserting a random key into a locked door. The question that kept everyone on the edge of their seat was, would the door unlock? His key turned and, to the family’s elation and utter surprise… it unlocked the door. The Palls had won the raffle, meaning they now had a choice of which home they wanted to receive. Ultimately, the Palls chose the very model home that they had first admired.

Without a shred of doubt, the Palls knew that it was Allah the Almighty who had unlocked the doors to their dream home. This miraculous turn of events reaffirmed the Pall family’s belief in the divine promises encapsulated in the Holy Qur’an, which emphasize the rewards of selfless giving and making sacrifices in the way of Allah. Despite having to pay the difference between the raffle house and their chosen model, Waseem reflected on their journey and realized that his family’s initial financial sacrifices — the combined value of which was approximately $10,000 — had still effectively increased tenfold in net value, a brilliant result of their faith in Allah and His acceptance of prayers. 

Incidents such as these highlight the power that sincere prayers have. Many are waiting for their own prayers to be accepted, amidst such financially precarious times. As the Pall family knows too well, the next acceptance of prayer may be waiting to be unlocked for those who unconditionally place their trust in Allah the Almighty and pray. Even for someone dropped into the middle of the ocean without a life vest, a sincere prayer to God can carry them to safe shores.