My Prayer For My Christian Friend on Islamic New Year’s Day - Nigar

Friday, 21st August, 2020. It was the first day of the month of Muharram—New Year’s Day according to the Islamic calendar. I received greetings on the occasion from some Muslim friends. One of these, sent by an elderly person, seemed the best. It said something like this: “Happy Islamic New Year. Let us bring in the new year with prayers that Allah ends the coronavirus.”

I endorsed this suggestion with an “Ameen”. With much of humankind presently living in fear of the virus and their lives being majorly affected by it, this suggestion seemed most apt. It made me feel upbeat, and I stored this message in my heart.

Later that day, my friend Dolcy received a call from a friend of his—let me call him ‘Vick’— who lives in another city. Vick is a Christian priest. One of his passions is to promote understanding and meaningful, positive interaction between people from different religious backgrounds. Dolcy and Vick often speak with each other on the phone. Sometimes, I also chat a bit with Vick.

Just some days ago when I spoke with Vick, he had mentioned the recipe of a herbal drink to build immunity in the hope of keeping the coronavirus at bay. He told me that he had the drink every day, after supper.

Vick lives in a well-protected campus. I assumed that he did not have to face many physical challenges. He did not need to go out every day to earn a living. Moreover, it seemed like he followed a disciplined life—waking up early, regular prayers, fixed meal times, and so on. One would presume that such a person might be safely insulated from the virus.

Just a few days ago, Vicky was speaking with Dolcy on the phone. He mentioned that he wasn’t feeling well. I thought it might be the usual under-the-weather thing. But some days later, Vicky called up Dolcy and informed him that he had been tested positive for the coronavirus. I was dumbstruck! I wondered how Vick, living in a well-protected place, could catch the virus.

I spoke with Vick on the phone. He sounded calm. “Pray for me. Assalaam Aleikum. Khuda Hafiz”, he said.

Vick’s calmness, despite the intense agony he may have been going through, came, I feel, from his faith in God and acceptance of the situation that he was in.

Adding a few words of comfort, all I said to Vick was that God would take care of him and would cure him. Later that day, as I sat in quietude after my prayers, I prayed for Vicky, my Christian priest-friend. Vicky’s calm voice, indicating what I thought was his acceptance of what had happened with him as God’s will, was a positive lesson for me on that Islamic New Year’s Day. I became more fervent in my prayer to God to put an end to the virus and bring relief to the distressed world.