In the last 6 days

I received two emails that I can't stop thinking about. One from a student in an Arabic course I was TAing, and another from a friend in Kampala, Uganda. I haven't met either, but I feel a strong connection with both.

The first is no ordinary student. She's an obs/gyn physician, a mother of two, who was taking some 5 courses online, which was quite impressive mashallah. However, during the course, her father had to undergo two surgeries. Then, between a cardiac arrest and a resuscitation, she had to travel to another city because:

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I found that my husband wasn't feeling too good. I convinced him to get some bloodwork/labs done - and he landed in hospital with a rare type of an auto-immune kidney condition, Glomerulonephritis. This was in the middle of Ramadan, and Alhamdulillah, it was the fadeelah of fasting that this disorder could be diagnosed in it's early stage before it could affect other organs. He is now on heavy medications, but Alhamdulillah, doing much better.
I was in Chicago last weekend to check on my father, they moved him to a rehab center from the hospital, Alhamdulillah, so that he can get some physiotherapy to tone him up,since he has become very frail and weak and hardly able to sit up or stand up by himself (for a person who used to walk 5-7 miles a day, it's hard to imagine.)
Subhanallah, while I was reading s.Ankabut in Ramadan, I felt the weight of the 2nd ayah, and strangely, it was so reassuring that it helped me all through my ordeals. Remember I over enthusiastically joined a whole bunch of classes at Sunnipath, so I could enrich my knowledge more and uplift myself more towards taqwa and 'husn khuluq.
I had a lot of free time on my hands at that time and so I wanted to make the best of everything - according to one of my favourite hadith where the Prophet,SAS said, "make the best of the 5, before the other 5 overtake you......" You must be knowing this. I had also started memorizing the Quran,learnt tajweed, started learning Arabic etc- at a slow and steady pace. So thats why I went all-out with sunnipath,
because I was so happy to discover it! Anyway, Alhamdulillah 'ala kulli 'haal.
I haven't yet had a chance to go back on the sunnipath site to review my classes.I believe they'd just be there for a semester. I wanted to join the same arabic course I was in so I could be with my old batchmates with sh.Sulayman in the next semester, but it was simply impossible. Both my kids also couldn't continue this semester-
the days just flew! I might repeat all my courses in subsequent semesters, I feel so incomplete.
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You have always been in my heartfelt duas, Humairah, even though I couldn't be in touch with you. ( right from day-1 when you had sent me such a reassuring email when I was so overwhelmed with my classes!!)

The second is a request:

Sister,I would like to introduce you to a muslim brother who is in some kind of need,may be you may be knowing some one who can help him out,he is currently a finalist student at the East African school of library and Information science,Makerere University studying the same course which I did,Bachelors in Library and Information science majoring in the field of Records management
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he is now in his second last semster and if all goes well,he may graduate next year inshallah,but he has got one stambling block as regards with his education as Allah says in Quran 2:155-157
His father got some serious problems,he is currently out of work which has unabled him to clear up his tuition fees in time and yet he is remaining with less than two weeks to start for his end of semster one examinations.
I kindly request you sister,incase you know of any Muslims or organizations out there who can help him out with any thing towards his tuition,to please try for him as he also tries from other sources Inshallah.

It's simply superb how the Qur'an gives hope to people in so many different ways. What a blessing to be just Muslim. Have you thanked Allah today for blessing you with Islam?
Alhamdulillah.

The two verses:
29:2 Do men think that on their [mere] saying, “We have attained to faith”, they will be left to themselves, and will not be put to a test?

2:155-157 And most certainly shall We try you by means [125] of danger, and hunger, and loss of worldly goods, of lives and of [labour's] fruits. But give glad tidings unto those who are patient in adversity who, when calamity befalls them, say, "Verily, unto God do we belong and, verily, unto Him we shall return." It is they upon whom their Sustainer's blessings and grace are bestowed, and it is they, they who are on the right path!