5-AsSalaam

            It is December and it is the holiday season. Mr and Mrs Hyder are going for a holiday, but their son Faisal is not coming along. Faisal does not want to go for the holiday because he has broken his right arm. He injured it while going down the slide at the school playground. So, Faisal is left under the care of his grandma. At home alone with grandma, Faisal is naughty and sleeps late every night. He even refuses to pray to Allah. He only plays games and watches TV all day and night.

            One night Faisal has a nightmare. He dreams that the Dungeon Dragon is after him and he was trapped in the corner of a dark room. The nightmare is like the game he often plays on the game station. From that night onwards, Faisal has nightmares of all kinds of creatures haunting him until he feels terrified just to go to sleep. This continues until his parents come home from their holiday.

            When Mr Hyder comes home, Faisal tells him about his nightmares. His father asks Faisal, “Do you pray to Allah before you go to sleep?” Faisal looks down at his feet while his father frowns at him. “Now, you see, if you don’t pray to Allah, surely there will be shaitan disturbing you. It was the shaitan haunting you at night during your sleep,” says Mr Hyder.

            “Oh, oh here goes the lecture again,” sighs Faisal. “Remember Allah’s name As-Salaam? As-Salaam means Allah is the Source of Peace and Safety,” says Faisal’s father.  “Only Allah can keep us safe from anything bad or nasty. Only Allah can keep us safe from any danger or unpleasant happenings,” Mr Hyder reiterates.

            “Since Allah is the only Source of Peace and Safety, we must always remember to pray to Allah and recite the three Qul Surahs. These surahs call for Allah’s protection from any evil. You should start by keeping your five times daily prayers again. You could start saying the three Qul surahs and repeating it for three times each. Say, Ya Salaam before you go to sleep at night and hopefully your nightmares will be gone as the shaitan shies away from disturbing your sleep,” advises Faisal’s father.

            “And then as you are trying to fall asleep, you should also recite; Oh Allah! As Salam! Please protect me from any evils or terrible things,” advises Mr Hyder again. “You see, while I was on holiday, I drove along the frozen snowy roads from the holiday resort to the airport. As I was driving, I found it hard to control the car on the slippery road. So, I kept reciting Oh Allah As-Salaam in my heart to keep your mum and me safe until we reached the airport. While I was driving, suddenly for a moment the car slipped away from the main road to the edge of the mountainous road, but it halted just before it goes down the slope of the mountain. I said Alhamdulillah in relief. You see my son, it is Allah who saves us from danger and protects us to finally reaching home safely to you. It is a near disastrous trip, but Allah As-Salaam saves both of us for your sake. Otherwise, you will be an orphan overnight. That is why we must always thank Allah for keeping us safe in good times or tough times,” explains Mr Hyder.

            “Oh dear, Alhamdulillah, thank you Allah for keeping you and mummy safe. Otherwise, I am now an orphan and that is terrible. Okay, daddy, I am sorry for my negligence. I promise from this moment onwards I will remember to pray to Allah five times a day and recite the three Qul Surahs before I go to sleep at night,” Faisal says to his father while his father pats his back.