After a late lunch at Panera Bread filled with some spiritual reflection and blogging, we made our way to Atlantic Beach to continue reflecting on this trip’s enriching experiences. We sat quietly at a lifeguard post, looking off into the endless ocean. As I looked around, I could tell that none of us wanted this trip to end, but it was finally done. Or at least we thought it was. It was time for prayer, so we took wudu in the public restroom. As we walked out of the restroom, we saw an enormous group of seagulls clumped together on the grass. They were suspiciously quiet and still, with their beaks and bodies pointed towards a single direction. We originally paid no attention to them, so Ahmad J proceeded to pull out his smart phone to locate the qiblah, the direction to the Ka’aba that Muslims pray towards. Subhan’Allah, what I write in these next few lines is pure, untainted truth. Ahmad Jitan suddenly exclaimed, “They are all facing the qiblah!” All praise be to God, it’s as if they were offering their prayers with us. We prayed about 10 feet in front of them. At the conclusion of the prayer, we stood up, and Ahmad Alshareef jokingly said, “Shouldn’t they be done with their prayers too?” Instantly, all the seagulls dispersed and flew away, back to the beach. I guess they had completed their prayers. This was a miracle; things like this don’t just happen. I believe that this is a sign that we were successful on our spiritual journey and insha’Allah (God Willing), Allah is satisfied with the work we have done.
NNC 9:59 PM on October 23, 2011 Permalink |
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