The wizened little arab grandpa has already been in the hospital for awhile. He arrived at the end of my vacation and was operated on for a hydrocele then rehospitalized for a urinary infection with urinary retention. He has come back now after being sent home with urinary retention again. I found he had an enlarged prostate and scheduled him for surgery tomorrow.
I approach his bed in the semidarkness of an overcast day. There are no lights without the generator. At his side is another old arab with a gap toothed smile revealing teeth pointing in all four directions of the compass and then some. Another elderly, robed muslim hangs out quietly in the corner next to a middle aged woman ("middle-aged" through a tough life rather then by length of years) wearing a brightly colored green dress with poofy sleeves and a shawl draped lazily over her head covering the small leather fetish pouches dangling haphazardly from a thick leather cord around her neck. She is breast feeding the child cradled absentmindedly in her right arm.
"Al salaam alekum" I start the long greeting process.
When we have finished they tell me that suddenly, last night, he became totally blind and has been vomiting since yesterday despite his intravenous malaria treatment. I examine him and he is completely blind.
I can think of no medical explanation for it but plenty of spiritual ones.
"Ibliss or one of his angels has blinded him." I explain that only through praying to Allah, the one true God can he be healed.
They all nod expectantly and gather around with hands outstretched, palms up expecting the baraka of Allah. I pray in the same way with my arms and hands in the appropriate position.
As I finish they all smile and demonstrate a faith I can only marvel in. They have complete confidence now that Allah's will will be done.
None of us are surprised the next morning to come and find his vision completely restored. They all just smile, hold their hands out while looking up and saying "Praise be to Allah."
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