Manila Slums and My Reflection

Manila Slums 25th September 2014. 0800-0900 hrs (Madrid time) on Al Jazeera.

I had visited, Manila in Makati area in 2010 with my Korean friend; Mi Hyeon. Love the place dearly. Watching this one hour documentary by Al Jazeera brought back the memory and made me realized how blessed I am.

I should be more grateful to Allah for giving me this ease in life, glorify Him at all times and appreciate his blessing on me by giving back more.

I am blessed with kind and supportive parents, family and now husband.

I am blessed with good education and many opportunities to go through my life. Looking back, there wasn't a single situation where I felt I was really poor or unable to achieve my desires. It did take me some time to achieve it but in the end I was able to. Alhamdulillah.

When I was 17 years old, I had a mock interview with my Chemistry teacher in high school for a scholarship application.

One of his questions and I still remember quite clearly until now was:

"What will happen if you don’t get the scholarship?"

My answer: I will be positive. By that I mean, I will always have a positive perspective in whatever result I will get.

He replied, “It’s impossible to be positive all the time and will positive help you?”

I said…Being positive is much much better than being or having negative thoughts.

Then, he gave me an alternative. I was applying for universities offering Computer Science program but many scholarships were offered for medical schools in the UK back then and I would have to apply for the second time (with slim chance of success) if my first application is rejected. So he advised me that I should just apply for medical school and then change my program after a year; listing the reason as unsuitable program for me.

I refused. Totally.

I will not accept such a cowardice act.

The scholarship should be given to those who really need it for the right purpose. I will use it for my education and not for the wrong reason. It took me 19 years to finally visit the UK.

Quoting myself “It did take me some time to achieve it but in the end I was able to. Alhamdulillah.”

Don’t you feel that everything is just so perfect? If I look again, again and again, I still feel that my life is so perfect because….Allah has created it for me. As He said in Surah Al Mulk; Chapter 67: Verse 3-4.

Hence, everything that Allah has given us was perfect, right from the very beginning and also whatever may come our path. It is just that human’s faculty is very limited as we are not able to forecast our future but we just work hard and pray so that Allah will give the best outcome for us.

Now, after many many years I think back at that specific moment. What if I did as my teacher said? I am glad I didn't. This is where my principal lies. Doing something according to my principal, right from the very beginning.

Allah leads me.

Alhamdulillah.

Now, how am I going to give back to my community? By writing my experience.

Doing something morally correct is definitely worthy.

Maybe not worthy in the eyes of humanity but to Allah.

But then, who is human to judge? A mere creation.

All perfection is only from Allah. Allahuakbar.
Zarina ElKabdani

Hola! We are a Malaysian + Moroccan couple currently living in Madrid.

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