BismiLLAH AlhamduliLLAH
I did Umrah without the typical group. I was at female spaces alone for the most part. I was going from the roof of the Masjid-l-Haram to anywhere and everywhere. I went to the library. I did tawaf after the Umrah because I wanted to. So you can imagine I was lost quite a few times and it's get boring asking direction from people who do not speak your language. So imagine my joy when I met a Yorùbá speaker. So if you hear me express joy in this story because I found a Yorùbá speaker, this is the reason.
ALLAH Is Closer Than You Imagine
When I performed Umrah about in October of 2025, I met a fellow sister from Nigeria who has lived in Makkah for about 11 years. She was so warm to me—and she speaks Yorùbá.
She isn’t Yorùbá by tribe, but she lived in Kwara, and that is how she learned my language.
So we spoke Yorùbá inside Masjid al-Ḥarām.
We were both happy.
As a parting gift, she gave me a tasbih counter. She herself is like a light and a delight. May Almighty ALLAH preserve her.
That counter turned out to be a very meaningful gift.
A Quiet Intention
About two years ago, a grandmother accepted Islam through me. She only began observing Ṣalāh last week.
I wanted to give her a gift for starting her Salah journey. And the tasbih counter came to my heart—because it is beautiful to say tasbih after Ṣalāh.
Still, I debated with myself.
Should I give it to her or not?
I kept telling myself, “It’s my gift.”
Yet, I went to her house anyway, with the intention of giving it to her.
The Love of ALLAH
And I swear by ALLAH—the moment she answered my salām, the very first thing she asked for was a tasbih counter.
I was still standing.
I hadn’t even sat down.
I laughed—out of awe—at how intimately present ALLAH is in our lives.
I told her that I had come specifically to give her that counter.
She was so pleased with it. She said she had seen someone wear one before and had always wondered what it was. Being an elder, she had only ever known the analogue counters.
Do Not Doubt His Promise
I am sharing this because ALLAH is closer than you imagine.
Do not doubt His promise—ever.
She had a need for a tasbih counter, and Almighty ALLAH had already met her need before she could ask.
Sometimes, ALLAH answers a duʿāʾ before it is spoken—by placing the answer in someone else’s hands.
Qur’anic Reminder
An-Naḥl 16:1
أَتَىٰ أَمْرُ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ ۚ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
The command of ALLAH is coming, so do not be impatient for it. Exalted is He and far above what they associate with Him.
Sincerely,
