Originally written in Arabic by my father, Yahia Abdul-Rahim, to remind people of their duty to stand against the oppressive regime of the Syrian tyrant, Bashar al-Assad.
I longed to grasp the meaning of the
Quranic verse:
لا يكلف الله
نفساً إلا وسعها – God does
not place on any soul a burden greater than what it can handle, and I was unable to find a clearer understanding than from the Israelite story of the bird
of Abraham, peace be upon him. When the angel saw a bird flying away from the
great fire that was ignited to burn the Prophet Abraham, the angel asked, “What
are you doing here?”
The bird responded, “I filled my
mouth with water to help extinguish the fire burning Abraham.” The angel
responded surprisingly, “And what difference will your beak-filled water make
on this great fire?” The bird said, “This is all I can handle, as God does
not burden a soul with more than he can handle,” and flew to fetch more water.
The wise bird understood that his role was to do what he was capable to help extinguish the fire.
What is your role in life and what are you doing to make a difference in this world?
What is your role in life and what are you doing to make a difference in this world?
