A hot day in the month of Ramadan, in summer, in the heat of the blessed city of Makkah, just after Salat ul Dhur, i.e. mid afternoon. The month I was fortunately blessed by Allah to be on Omrah with my beautiful mother. In the heat, my mom is tired, we have been looking for Taxis to Aziziya, and after some time a cab stops over and we get in Alhamdulillah.

As I have always been, a curious person, I ask the cab driver, ” Ayna min anta” where are you from ?

The next thing, the cab driver starts crying and sobbing, and yes my mom is staring at me from the back seat (and I was afraid my mom would beat me up right there for making someone cry). However, I had not done anything at all. The cab driver then asks me, are you familiar with Quran, Seerah, and Hadeeth ? I respond by stating that yes I have some knowledge but I am not a scholar.

He then states, “I am from Taif. The city that threw stones on Rasoolullah (Sallu Allahu alaihi wa sallam), if he wanted the whole city would have been crushed between the mountains, if he wanted none of our generations would have even come into existence. It was my ancestors who stoned Rasoolullah (Sallu Allahu alaihi wa sallam), and I cry as it was my forefathers who did such a heinous act. However, Sallu Allahu alaihi wa Sallam made dua for us, that the offspring would be from muslimoon. Today if you look outside of Makkah and Madeenah, the only other city where you find every one being in submission to Allah is Taif. I am from Banu Thakeef.”

May Allah bless the cab driver for his reflection, and Allah is all praised for inspiring that thought in his heart, for making us witness over that thought process, and inshaa Allah unite us all on the sunnah of our habeeb.

It is this same creation of Allah, the mercy for all of creation, Rasoolullah (Sallu Allahu alaihi wa sallam), who have cried stating “Ummati, Ummati”.

Yaa Allah, give us ( the cab driver, our parents, siblings, wife, children, and all of offspring, and every other person) the company of Rasoolullah (Sallu Allahu alaihi wa sallam) in this dunya, and in jannah. In this dunya, by being able to imbibe his sunnah, by doing his idtibaa, and by frequently visiting him in Madeenah. In Jannah, by shading us under your arsh on yaum ul qiyaamah, granting us water from the fountain of Kauthar, from being in the the Jannah with our Habeeb (Sallu Allahu alaihi wa sallam) and the Rahmah of being able to see your beautiful face. Ameen ya Rabbul Aalameen.