‘Are you okay? The car radiator is leaking!Are you ok?’

As the car rolled down the mountain, the guide’s voice continued to enquire from the driver's phone.
‘Mummy, why does he keep asking me whether I’m okay or not?’
Thomas looked annoyed as his fingers slipped over the remote control.

‘Because you keep falling.’ She tried to restrict her giggle to a smile, because she knew her laughter would irritate him further.

She found so much in this otherwise trash looking Play Station II car game.

He had been on this game for the past few weeks; when she had bought it for him to divert his attention from the fighting game, which she thought, was just teaching him belligerence.

As the game starts and the racing car takes off, the audience starts clapping. Thomas crashed into the barrier soon after starting but the computerized audience continued to show the same response of applause. He pleaded annoyingly, “They are foolish people! I keep crashing and they keep clapping. Why don’t they tell me that I am going wrong?”

A thought occurred to her that on the road of life too we wish that we had people around who presage us where we are going wrong. There will be very few who would point this out to you, but only these are your earnest friends. However the point to be considered as well is that when we do come across such people, do we recognize them and be grateful to them. In stead we try to get rid of them and their advice; as did the people / nations of the past!

“You see Thomas, there are two controls here; One for the speed whereas the other is to control direction. You are just using the speed control and direction control is not touched by at all. It is therefore obvious that you will keep crashing”.

“I like to crash, it makes a loud sound”, Thomas continued with his innocent eyes fixed on the madly running red and white racer car.

A very obvious and unambiguous message in this one I guess! We always wish to go on and on and as quick as possible, leaving behind every hurdle; but where are the Controls? May Lord give these to us in abundance and help us use them; because if not, fall will be the fate!

“I’m just hitting into fences and trees, not people. Am I?”

“ But you are damaging yourself”, his sister jumped in. “By the end of the game your car will be completely smashed”, She advised him like a granny, munching on her last bits of crisps.

We damage ourselves on the road of the life. Thinking our wrong and, sometimes so called clever moves are getting us benefits; may be causing distress to others but we are safe unaware of the fact that whenever we cause harm to others, we hurt ourselves equally; whether we perceive it or not. It does cause many dents to the car of our soul.

“Oh look mummy, now I’m on the right track, so there’s no need to worry about controls any more - is there?”

“I think now you need your controls more Thomas; to STAY on the right track. Either your own loss of control or the other cars running along side yours may hit into you. It needs more help to stay on the right track now.”

And this reminded her of the details of ‘Ahdena Sirat al Mustaqeem’. ‘Please guide us to the Right path’ which is not asking just to take us to it, rather to help us continue on it and stay on it until we meet our Lord.

Imam Ibn Qayyam Jawziyyah explained the contents of Belief/Faith from Surah Walasr in his “Tereeq alal Hidayah” (Path to guidance) that when Truth makes its home in heart and mind it is Iman / Faith, then it leads one to practice which is Aml-I-Saaleh / Good deeds;as the person believes something to be right and therefore practices oneself, his nature urges him to announce it.As a result when this Truth is shared with others, it is called Tawa’see bil-Haq / Advice; and continuous practice these three i.e. Iman + Aml-I-Saaleh + teaching truth untill one's death, is all based on heights of Sabr / Patience Tawa’see bil- Sabr, because one cannot live out believing, practicing and conveying the Right without overlooking many attitudes, happenings and consequences of practicing and anouncing what is Right and what is Wrong; and this overlooking and continuing to stride obviously calls for Patience/Sabr.

"By Time,
Indeed mankind is in loss,
Except for those who have believed and done Righteous Deeds;
and adviced eachother to Truth and adviced eachother to Practice."