Many may not remember their childhood days which much detail, especially the first few years of it, but I am sure we were all told at some point or another that we used to have many vaccinations whilst we were children to aid our immune system against diseases.

In the same manner, my daughter has also had some of these vaccinations and receives regular appointments for further ones.

In all honesty, I don’t attend these ‘appointments’ personally and send my daughter with her mother to the surgery along with my mother. This way I can be sure that both of them can be there to look after my daughter and ensure that my daughter does not cry (too much).

I was thinking over these appointments and vaccinations and knew that it was essential and inevitable but I pondered over the fact that even though I could not personally see my daughter crying due to these vaccinations, her mother had to go with her and see her through it.

I have personally been to a couple and the feeling is not nice when my daughter cries for me to take her away from the nurse. Therefore, I decided to not go anymore.

Well, that was just one of her many vaccinations which will follow.

Point

Whilst thinking of these vaccinations, I felt a little guilt surging for not attending these appointments, but I could not see the pain and tears of my daughter. From this thought, my mind wandered further and I began to think that a mother is known to be more merciful than the father. Yet the mother is able to watch her child through these times and many other pain bearing moments.

My attention then went towards a Hadeeth in which Allah states that there are a hundred parts of mercy from which ninety-nine are with Allah and one was distributed on the earth; it is this one portion of mercy that makes even the animals refrain from hurting their children.

So if the mercy of a mother is to such an extent which can be witnessed on this earth, can we not even imagine the mercy of Allah? Are we not ignorant then when we question why Allah allows us to go through pain and suffering at times?

The true qualities of Allah are none other than those which indicate His mercy, yet He has qualities of awe and wrath which are needed at times to divert people towards His mercy. If at any time we stray from His path, Allah will show us a sign in this world, which will be an indication to us that Allah is angry with us or has sent down His wrath upon us and through this indication we turn towards Him and His mercy.

It is similar to the manner in which a mother is able to see her child go through the pain of vaccinations in this world, but she realised that the pain is short term and the benefits which this pain holds are much superior and long term.

May Allah give us all the strength to realise His true mercy and to turn towards Him in times of distress as well as in times of happiness. Aameen.