Salaams all,
I keep looking at the various web albums that people have put up after
various weddings and events, and I can't wait until the next get
together with all of you. As for me, I'm in the middle of residency
applications, and as you might imagine, it's not fun haha. For all of
you that aren't going through it, it's very much like any other
application cycle, only a bit more streamlined and actually easier
from a work standpoint. But I think the stress comes from the fact
that you are (finally) picking out the one thing that you want to do
for the rest of your life, and it's very difficult to do that without
atleast some minor hesitation. It's amazing how helpful it is at
times like these to put everything aside and pray. The reminder that
Allah (SWT) is in control of everything and that He will do what is
best for everyone is a soothing thought. Also, dua would be greatly
appreciated, as I will need all the help I can get to match in
dermatology.
So after reminiscing about our time in LA not that long ago, I found a
nice hadith on brotherhood, narrated by Anas ibn Malik, and
transmitted by Muwatta:
Allah's Messenger (SAW) said "Do not be angry with each other and do
not envy each other and do not turn away from each other, and be
slaves of Allah, brothers. It is not halal for a Muslim to shun his
brother for more than three nights."
This reminded me of the small talk we had in the lobby of the LA hotel
right before we left for Bakersfield. One of the reasons why our
little blog/group is so great is that we lack a lot of the problems of
many social groups. I've never seen any backbiting, slander or envy
amongst our group members, and there is never any "drama" of someone
being angry with someone else. And that is why, even though we do not
physically see each other that often, we can still get together as the
best of friends. Inshallah we will continue to do this as we grow in
numbers.
--Zain
