Families and Friends- Monday 22nd July 2024

🎵As times get tough, 🎵

🎵I know you'll stand by me, 🎵

🎵You are the love I need... 🎵

I realise now what he meant, Harris J, I mean.

I realise that when times get difficult, God, family and friends are here for us. 

Here to help. 

I know that they are always here, but it means a lot and it's more testing when it's a time of hardship. 

My family is going to be helping us to pack the house up, to leave in three weeks. 

And time is going to be tough, and difficult, but they are here for us. 

And that touches my heart deeply. 

And tears are produced, when the lyrics settle deeply into my bones. 

🎵I know you'll stand by me.... 🎵

I have always known that my family is great, always here for us, but it is always those little moments of reflections, moments of hardship that bring me closer to the conclusion of our status of our relationships. That they will ALWAYS be here for us, no matter what. 

When my brother was born, and my parents had to be at the hospital because he needed to have surgery, who was there?

God and my family. 

My family took care of us, God ensured my brother was safe and healthy after the surgery without complications. 

When my violent neighbour attempted to bash down my door midday, swearing violently at us, and my father wasn't present: just my sister, sick brother, my mother and I at home; who came to shoo him away? 

My uncle. 

It took one call for him to come rushing to our house without hesitation, to deal with him while the police were on their way. And who stopped the door from being one bashing away from being broken? Even though the chain had been previously snapped and not fixed. 

God. 

God stopped the chain from snapping. My uncle came to help us. 

My family and God were the ones there. 

And now, we are being evicted. 

My family, God and my mum's friends are round the corner, to help us. 

I have been blessed with a wonderful family. Regardless of our flaws and our little frustrated moments. 

They were here for us through thick and thin. 

No amount of kindness will ever amount to what my family has done for us. 

Yes, at last, I finally understood what Harris J meant, when he said that ''As times get tough, I know you'll stand by me.'' 

Lastly, we are united. We are one. 

Because helping each other is what brought us together. 

That's the beauty of Islam. 

Islam is all about unity. Being there for each other, even strangers. 

Having faith and having our community, so that we could help each other if any one of us were ever in trouble. 

Families, friends, community and faith is heavily emphasises in Islam, maybe without this emphasis, I doubt we would have anybody to help us in these times of hardship. 

And I'm utterly grateful to God and to Islam for importance of family and community. 

Because we are one. 

One. United. Nation.