Miscellaneous Benefits from Antwerp, Belgium

🇧🇪 Benefit 3: The Ummah continues to be upon goodness as long as people like this exist among us. I’d like to share two inspiring stories that were relayed to us during the Dawrah. Both beautifully remind us of the saying of the Prophet ﷺ: ((لَا يَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي ظَاهِرِينَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَهُمْ أَمْرُ اللهِ وَهُمْ ظَاهِرُونَ)) “There will always be a group from my Ummah who remain steadfast and apparent upon the truth until the decree of Allāh comes upon them.” Story 1: The Young Girl This story is about a little girl, around four years old. One day she asked her mother, “Do you know who I love more than you?” Her mother smiled and guessed, “Your baby sister?” The girl said, “No.” “Your father?” Again, “No.” So her mother asked, “Then who is it?” The girl replied, “Allāh!” Moral of the story: When parents nurture love and fear of Allāh in their children’s hearts from a young age, they need not worry — for their hearts will be guided by Ēmān. { إِنَّ ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ یَهۡدِیهِمۡ رَبُّهُم بِإِیمَـٰنِهِمۡۖ} Story 2: The French Brother After Abu Atiyyah’s Fajr lesson — where he had just finished explaining Sheikh Muqbil’s treatise, “My Advice to Ahlus-Sunnah” — a French brother asked to share a short reminder. He had recently embraced Salafiyyah, yet his words left a deep impact on everyone present that morning. He shared an experience from his journey to the Dawrah. To understand the story, it helps to know that Islam is often seen as a threat in France, and openly practicing Islam can invite hostility — even more so than in the UK. That Friday, while waiting at a bus station for his bus to Belgium, the time for Jumu‘ah drew near. The nearest masjid was far away — if he went, he’d miss his bus. He was torn: Should I pray here at the station or not? Then he remembered the saying of Allah: “I did not create jinn or mankind except to worship Me.” [51:56] So he decided to pray right there in public. He laid down his prayer mat and began. During his first rak‘ah, he suddenly remembered the French brother who was recently stabbed to death while teaching someone how to pray. Fear crept into his heart — but he kept going. With each rak‘ah, his fear faded and his faith grew stronger. When he finished his prayer and said Salam, he noticed a man standing to his left. His heart raced — what did this man want? Slowly, he folded his prayer mat. Then the man greeted him, “As-salamu alaykum.” The brother felt relieved. The man explained that he had been across the street waiting for his bus, but when he saw him praying, he felt compelled to come and stand guard, to protect him while he prayed — knowing how islamophobic that country was. The brother was deeply moved. The moment reminded him of the saying of Allāh: “Indeed, We created man, and We know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than his jugular vein.” [50:16] Moral of the story: Whoever puts their trust in Allāh — Allāh will suffice them.