I Can’t Even Make My Wudu Right

I didn’t have many Muslim friends when I first went to college.  I started attending the MSA events and meeting some new people, but still mainly hung out a lot with my friends from high school.  Then I went through a really challenging time in my life.  I broke my collar bone right before finals.  Now, when you hear about a broken bone you don’t think much of it.  Take some pain killers, it’ll heal in like six weeks.  But this was a really challenging time in my life.

I found it hard to study, to focus, to do stuff for myself.  Not to mention I was on pain killers and super emotional.  Some friends abandoned me – or at least just didn’t think I needed as much support as I really did.  But the people in the MSA really made a big difference to me.  One of those times was a moment that I’ll never forget.

I was studying with some of the brothers in the MSA, and it was time to pray Duhr.  So the MSA president and I went to the public bathroom to make wudu.  I started making wudu and while I had just taken my pain killers, I still couldn’t lift my right arm to wash my left arm.  I just stopped.  Full of emotions I just stared at myself in the mirror and started crying.

Hayder stopped his wudu too and looked over at me and asked, “What’s wrong?”  “I can’t even make my wudu right man!”  Was all I could get out.  I’ll never forget what he did at that moment.  He didn’t console me or hug me.  He didn’t try to tell me encouraging words.  He took two steps towards me and rolled up my sleeve and started washing my arm for me.

It was at that moment that I truly understood what brotherhood was all about.