Don't Be Afraid To Fall

By Ahmad Itani

                        As they approached the edge of the mountain, her heart began to pound. She and her father loved to take walks in nature, but this time it was different. This time he wanted to teach her something. He ran towards the edge and stood there, and he held his hand out for her. At first she was reluctant, but she wanted to do it, she wanted to see the world from up there. She approached the edge very slowly. She was so afraid that she started crawling. But she still couldn’t see so much. Her father took her hand, and slowly pulled her up. She closed her eyes.

“Open your eyes honey…you have nothing to be afraid of, you know you’re in good hands”- He said.

And when she opened her eyes, she saw the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. She was so high up! She felt like a bird. The trees looked so small from up there, and she could see everything. It was a little risk she took, but with every step forward she saw more and more. Then her father recited one of his favorite verses from the Qur’an.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى الطَّيْرِ فَوْقَهُمْ صَافَّاتٍ وَيَقْبِضْنَ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا الرَّحْمَنُ إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ بَصِيرٌ ﴾ [سورة الملك {19}])

Are you afraid of heights? Most people don’t like the term “fear of heights”. They say it’s more of a fear of falling. We’re afraid to fall because it hurts. We can fall in many ways, and it hurts a lot.  Doesn’t it hurt when you talk and no one listens? Doesn’t it hurt to get humiliated in front of an entire audience? Or when you’re trying your best to be a good person, and everyone laughs when it doesn’t work out? Simply put : Doesn’t it hurt when it just doesn’t work out?

It hurts because it matters….or at least we think it matters, but it really doesn’t because you’re not looking for appreciation, and you’re not looking for fame or any of these worldly treasures. Because you know that at the end of the road, only Allah will be there. He doesn’t care about how much money you’ve got, nor how good you look, nor about your perfect social reputation, because that’s for him to decide.

Just carry on. Keep climbing up! You can’t get anywhere without taking some risks, you’re in good hands! But don’t be afraid to fall, because no matter how much you do, Allah will never laugh at you.  And even if you do fall, you know it doesn’t matter how high you get… get back up and try again, because as long as you’re giving it all you’ve got, you’re the hero in Allah’s sight.

NOTE :The author is not responsible for any of your attempts to jump off a mountain.