Seat Booking

You know why I enjoy those weekly train journeys?

It is a chance to escape from both the weekday hassle of Preston hospital and the weekend hassle of Manchester;

a quiet time for me to share with just the window and my thoughts.

Sometimes, however, it would be a chance I wouldn't have:

if I catch the train at rush hour, the train is often full to bursting.

And so I would have to stand up for the nearly hour-long journey in close proximity to equally tired people who were also unlucky enough to not get a seat.

So, after a while, I developed a sense of apprehension when the train approaches the station..

would it be a relaxing, seated journey?

or would it be spent desperately trying to be comfortable by leaning on something the whole time?

Then one day, as I was getting on a train half-full 

(which is most 'exciting' because you don't know whether you're assured a seat or not), 

a thought struck me:

my seat has been booked!

No, I didn't make a booking via the trainline website; and so no, the seat did not have my name on it - 

but my seat booking is even more guaranteed than that!

Because (I just realized) Allah has decreed that 

on this particular train, at this particular time, a guy named Mikhail will get this particular seat.

And if Allah has decreed it, I will get it regardless.

(And if he has not, than I won't get it regardless.)

I guess that's life in general -

we so often feel under pressure;

under attack from all the decisions we have to make, the assignments we have to get done, the seats we have to race for.

But stress for what..??

"rufi'atil aqlaam, wa jaffatis suhuf", as the Prophet s.a.w. wisely described the nature of the fate which has been written for each of us:

"The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried".

A firm belief in qadha' & qadar will make you a chilled person. 

And that's cool, bruv 😎

(Not to say don't put in any effort at all lah.. 

If I don't make effort to get on the train in the first place, how should I even hope to get a seat??

The point is: Relax. Make the effort. Then chill.

"rufi'atil aqlaam, wa jaffatis suhuf") 

😎